Thank you so much Prongs100 for pre-reading.
I passed 900 kudos on AO3 and 260 reviews here with the last chapter. You people are seriously amazing. When I started posting, Snarks said this story was going to do well. I laughed my ass off and told her she was crazy. Turns out she might actually be right. I want you to know how appreciative I am for every review, fave and alert list you leave me. Honestly, it awes me how many of you seem to be enjoying this story that I put so much love into. With Story II finished I am now throwing myself into Story III, and I am having the best time. Peter is fully tapped into his power and he's doing the most amazing things. I can't wait for you guys to reach that part of the story.
FFnet has been glitching lately with reviews. It's not showing them so I can't reply. If you left a review and haven't had a reply, I apologize. I always try to reply and I hate that I can't.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"What time do teenagers wake up?" Rhodey asked.
The kitchen full of Avengers, working their way through breakfast preparations and drinking coffee, turned to Tony with expectant looks.
He threw up his arms. "How do I know? It's not like I set him an alarm. He just… wakes up normally."
"It's getting late," Steve said.
Tony checked his watch. It was only just past eight, which wasn't that early for a normal person, but Captain America was all about making the most of the day; he'd probably recorded a PSA about it for kids to be exposed to in school. Peter had told him about them, and he was saving the news for a moment when Steve got a bit too big for his boots so Tony could take him down a peg.
"He's probably spent the night texting Ned," he said. "He'll be tired."
"After yesterday, he's got every right to be tired," Rhodey said with a grin. "I'm guessing Pepper's got a quiet morning, too. He and Morgan certainly burned off the energy together."
Tony smiled fondly. He'd been pleased, though not surprised, by how well his kids had gotten along and the bond that seemed to form between them within minutes. Pepper had only been able to get her home without a fuss as she'd been fast asleep. Happy had driven Pepper's car home while she stayed in the backseat, holding her daughter as she slept against her side.
"He's going to miss out on breakfast if he doesn't wake up soon," Sam said, stirring the huge pan of scrambled eggs that was the necessary amount with a group of nine people including three with super-sized appetites; Bruce, Steve and Peter could pack away the food.
"I'll go see if he's hungry," Tony said, wandering out of the room, through the hall to knock on Peter's bedroom door and ease it open.
Though Rhodey had teased them about the rooms that they'd be using, they weren't that bad. Peter and Rhodey definitely had the best ones, but Tony had been able to claim one with a full-sized bed at least. Sam and Steve had to squeeze themselves into twin beds in their much smaller rooms.
The bedding was bundled around Peter's waist, and he was curled into a ball, his face mashed into the pillow and his lips parted with soft breaths. Clutched in his hand was the Stark Phone Pepper had given him, and there was a textbook open on the bed beside the pillow. Tony thought he was right about Peter spending the night talking to his friend.
He chuckled and crossed to the bed, then gave his shoulder a small shake. "Pete, rise and shine."
Peter's brow scrunched and his lips pursed. "Go 'way," he murmured.
"Rude," Tony scolded, though he was smiling. "Come on. Sam's making breakfast. Baby superheroes need their food."
Peter cracked one eye open and looked up at him. "What time s'it?"
"Breakfast time." Tony tugged back the blankets and poked Peter's stomach. "Come eat, or Sam is going to get all pissy."
Peter buried his face in the pillow and groaned and then pushed himself upright and rubbed a hand over his face. "Tired," he grumbled.
"That'll teach you to stay up all night texting."
"I wasn't texting all night," Peter said. "I was researching."
"Researching what?"
Peter lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "The world. I wanted to catch up on what I missed, what people were doing."
"People like Ross?" Tony asked cautiously.
Peter nodded. "I watched some of his campaign videos. How does he think using me is going to help him? His message was all about how the Avengers should have protected the world, how they'd failed. He seemed even more against superheroes than he did when he was creating the Accords."
Tony sat on the edge of the bed. "I don't know either, Pete, not really. Pepper says people need us to stand as the face of the return, and Steve said the same, but…" He shrugged. "None of us want to be poster-children."
"Me either," Peter said in a low voice.
Tony didn't say what his bigger fear from Ross was, though Peter had already heard it from Fury. If Ross knew what Peter was capable of, he would want him as a weapon. As little as Tony wanted Peter using the Stones, it wasn't his choice, and he'd rather have him as a protector of the world than Ross' personal nuke.
Tony patted his leg and said, "Come, eat," before getting to his feet.
Peter ran a hand through his hair, then swung his legs around stood.
Tony wandered back into the kitchen in time to see Sam spooning eggs onto plates—or in Bruce's case, a platter—at the table where everyone was seated. He took his coffee over and sat down between Rhodey and an empty seat.
Peter came in, raising a hand in return to their greetings and flopped down into the empty chair as Sam slid a loaded plate in front of him.
"Good morning, sunshine," Rhodey said cheerfully. "Late night?"
Peter nodded and yawned. "Yeah, I was doing a little real-world research."
"Yeah, I did some of that, too," Barnes said. "We missed a whole lot of crazy."
"You did," Steve agreed. "And it's not over yet."
"Pepper says Connections Corp is working overtime," Tony said. "People are getting reunited fast, so that's good."
"Yeah," Peter said. "Ned's mom was snapped, too, but his dad and sister weren't. He's come back to find his little sister is now technically two years older than him and preparing for college."
"That's got to be tough," Sam said, his brow furrowed. "I wonder…"
"What?" Steve asked.
Sam shrugged. "Just thinking; if things were different, I'd be busy helping."
"I tried," Steve said, drawing Barnes', Wanda's, and Sam's gaze. He cleared his throat and said, "I set up therapy groups for people struggling after. They ran once a week for each group of people, but I was doing one every day."
"Like AA for grief," Bucky said.
"Pretty much," Steve said. "It was damn tough." His eyes moved to Sam. "I don't know how you did it for so long."
"I liked it," Sam said, his eyes darting to Peter, who was eating his eyes with eyes fixed on the plate. "It feels good to help."
Tony began to eat his own eggs, listening to the murmuring voices around him in a distracted way, and then his head snapped up when his phone rang on the counter.
He pushed back his chair and rounded the table to get it, connecting the call with audio only as whoever was calling didn't have the video capability, which meant it was a pretty basic phone for the time.
"Stark," he answered.
"Glad to hear it," the voice replied. "Since it was your number I called."
"Strange?" Tony said.
"Yes. You sound surprised to hear from me. I did tell you I would be in touch again."
"Yeah, you did," Tony said.
Tony had almost forgotten about Strange's departure and mission to find out more about the Stones and what they could mean for Peter. Everything else that happened had eclipsed it—Ross and the threat he posed. They did need to know more, though, and it was good he'd finally gotten in touch.
"You're not in Wakanda anymore," Strange stated.
"No, we had to move out. There was trouble," Tony said.
"Yes, I heard. I come with a message from King T'Challa, too. The fates of the child's attackers have been decided."
Tony chanced a glance at Peter, who wasn't looking, but he thought he was paying attention. It was possible he was actually listening to both sides of the call. His hearing was acute, and Tony wasn't that far away.
"I need to see you," Strange said.
"I'll have to bring you here," Tony said. "You can't swirl your way in now. Peter's amped up the security of the place. We're close to Keene, New York. There's a Greyhound station. How long will it take you to get there?"
"I won't be riding a bus, so a matter of minutes," Strange said scathingly.
"Then give me thirty minutes," he said. "I'll finish my breakfast and drive there to meet you. Grab yourself a coffee or something while you wait."
"Thank you," Strange said bitterly.
Tony ended the call and retook his seat, forking up his eggs before saying, "Strange has something to tell us. I'll pick him up when I've eaten."
"Something about the Stones? Peter asked.
"Probably," Tony said easily.
He was downplaying it as he didn't want Peter to worry. If it was just him to think about, he'd be halfway to Keene already to meet Strange. He wanted to know what he knew, what it might mean for Peter. He was going to act as if this wasn't a big deal, though. and he'd warn Strange to take it easy when he arrived. Whatever this was going to be, it couldn't be bigger than what had already happened, and they'd at least be informed.
As he chewed his breakfast, he wondered what Strange might have found out. Whatever it was, it had taken time, so he'd probably had to have dug deep for it. That made him wonder even more what it might be.
Peter was sitting on the couch between Rhodey and Wanda when he heard the truck coming, the cutting of the engine, the doors opening and closing, and then footsteps.
He gave a little shiver. He was nervous about this. He wasn't sure what Doctor Strange could have found out about the Stones. He was more concerned that Doctor Strange himself, who hadn't been on either side when they'd found out, was coming here to against him. He wasn't worried about being hurt, not by Doctor Strange, but he didn't want to face the doubts and negativity that everyone else had since abandoned.
The door opened, Tony came in first and looked around, then Doctor Strange followed. He was wearing his unusual clothes again, and his cape was twitching at the collar, almost as if it was waving.
Tony perched on the arm of the couch beside Rhodey and crossed his arms over his chest, watching their guest warily.
"Doctor Strange," Steve said, standing with a hand extended. "Good to see you again."
Doctor Strange shook his hand and said, "And you."
Steve gestured him to a seat, and Doctor Strange took it. "I have news," he said. "About the Stones and from Wakanda."
"We don't need the Wakanda news right now," Tony said, giving Peter a pointed look. And making Peter hold in a sigh. He understood why Tony might think it better to shield him from the truth of what had happened to the men that attacked him, but he needed to hear it. He wasn't a kid anymore. Even discounting the Stones and what they had done to him, he had moved past the point of being shielded when he'd joined the fight on the battlefield.
"You don't think the child deserves to know?" Doctor Strange asked.
"His name is Peter," Wanda corrected, leaning a little closer into Peter's side.
He was pleased by the feeling of her arm pressing against his. Since he'd comforted her with knowledge about Vision's last moments, she was more tactile, gentle with him. He liked the feeling that they had formed a connection, especially as he could see that some of the weight on her shoulders from her grief had been lifted.
Doctor Strange glanced at Peter. "Yes, of course, I'm sorry. Do you want to hear the news, Peter?"
Peter looked at Tony. "I know you're trying to protect me, but you don't need to." Rhodey looked pleased and nudged him with his elbow, and Peter smiled slightly before he looked back to Doctor Strange and said, "Yes, I'd like to know."
Doctor Strange looked satisfied and said, "The men that attacked you have been sentenced."
Peter swallowed hard. "Okay."
"And what does that mean?" Steve asked. "What was the sentence?"
"Imprisonment," Doctor Strange said calmly. "T'Challa considered death for them, but the feeling against their crimes was mixed among his people. It was a more cautious choice to punish for violating Wakandan law and T'Challa's decree for Peter's protection rather than push the case for attempted murder. They will be jailed for fifteen years each."
Peter nodded. He was relieved. He didn't want people to die because of him, even though he knew he would have died himself without the Stones. Tony didn't look relieved. His jaw jutted out and teeth clamped together. Peter supposed he thought fifteen years wasn't enough. It was enough for him.
"And what did you learn about the Stones?" Rhodey asked.
Doctor Strange's eyes fell on Peter again, and then quickly averted. Peter felt distinctly uncomfortable, his heart started to race, and he wiped his clammy palms on his jeans.
A dark look came into Doctor Strange's eyes, and he said, "I actually learned more than I expected, both about their origins and abilities. As you know, we believed, from the dawn of the universe, there was nothing—"
"Yeah, we know," Tony said, waving a hand. "Skip to the good part."
"I don't know it all," Bucky said, drawing Tony's scowl. "I'd like to hear it."
Doctor Strange looked a little smug, and Peter wasn't surprised to see the antagonism between him and Tony hadn't abated.
"The story I told you was the one I knew," he said. "It was the one recorded in my books in the Sanctum, but I found mentions of another, and so I went to Kamar-Taj, where I found ancient texts which spoke of the beginning."
Steve leaned forwards, looking attentive, and Peter took a deep breath.
"The Stones were formed in the Big Bang which created the universe," he said. "But it was not nothingness that existed before that moment. There was a being in the darkness."
'Nemesis…' Soul whispered fearfully.
"Wait, what?" Peter said.
'Nemesis,' she said again. 'Nemesis made us.'
"It came before language and names," Doctor Strange said. "At least to all recollection."
"No," Peter said. "It was called Nemesis."
Doctor Strange frowned at him. "How do you know that?"
Peter shrugged. "Soul just told me."
Doctor Strange's eyes widened. "The Soul Stone spoke to you?"
Peter shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Uh… yeah."
"Yeah, Pete talks to the Stones," Tony said dismissively. "It's all very interesting. What can you tell us about this Nemesis?"
Doctor Strange frowned. "Probably less than Peter can, but I will tell you what I know. Nemesis itself split into pieces in the creation of the universe, putting a separate facet of each ability it possessed in each: Power, Space, Soul, Mind, Reality, and," he gave a small nod, "Time. But there was a piece of it that remained, its consciousness, which became the Seventh Stone. It was called Ego."
"What does Ego do, apart from hold the consciousness?" Bucky asked.
"I don't know," Doctor Strange said. "There are no further writings about it. As I said, I didn't even know it existed before I found the texts."
All eyes fell on Peter, and they all bore similar looks of expectancy.
'Ego is gone,' Power said, although he sounded uneasy for the first time since Peter had met him. 'It can't come back.'
"Where is it?" Peter asked.
"I don't know," Doctor Strange said.
"He's not talking to you," Tony snapped. "Go ahead, Pete."
"He's speaking to the Stones now?" Doctor Strange asked incredulously.
"Yes, so shut up and listen," Rhodey said curtly.
"Well?" Peter said pointedly. "Where is it?"
'The Ultraverse.' Mind said. 'You don't need to worry about it. It can't come back.'
"You're worried," Peter pointed out.
'This is something we should talk about another time. Nemesis is not an issue anymore. Tell them not to worry.'
"But I am," Peter said.
'You do not need to be."
Peter was surprised as Mind was being curt with him, which he never was. He was one of the most patient of them. As little as he liked to think it, he thought the Stones were scared of Nemesis, and if they were scared, he was terrified.
'You don't need to be scared,' he said. 'And neither do they.'
Peter met Tony's expectant eyes and deliberated a moment. He could tell them what he knew, or suspected, but what good would it do? If Nemesis was trapped, did it matter that the Stones were scared of her? Was it worth scaring the people he cared about when there was no threat?
"They're not saying much," he said, not altogether untruthfully. "Nemesis is trapped somewhere called the Ultraverse and can't get out."
Rhodey let out a heavy breath and put his arm around Peter's shoulder, tugged him into a half-hug for a moment, and then said, "That sounds good, Pete. Let us know if they offer anything else up, though."
"I will," Peter said, no hint of a lie finding its way into his voice.
"And I will look deeper into it," Doctor Strange said. "I came with what I knew already as I thought you would like to hear it. Also…" He gave Peter a speculative look. "How much have you been capable of?"
"Oh, I guess some. I've been working with Reality more than anything."
"Yes, I assumed it was you that created the illusion we had to pass through to get here. What else?"
"What else do you need to know?" Tony asked truculently. "Pete is handling the Stones."
Doctor Strange gave him a pointed look. "I need to know as we all do. I personally would like to know if he is capable of reading my thoughts right now or implanting something to my mind."
The tension in the room ratcheted up until Peter could feel it pressing against his skin like needles. He ducked his head and shifted in his seat, fighting the urge to flee. Read minds? Sure, he'd done it with Tony and Wanda, but that had been different. It was Soul, and it was because they were reaching to him. He could handle that. But implanting thoughts…
Rhodey's arm tightened around him, and his finger tapped Peter's chin until he looked up at him. "It's okay," he said. "You're fine."
"Is mind reading really a thing for him?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Peter admitted, and Wanda nodded. "It is, but it's only happened a couple times, and the circumstances were different, and…" He drew in a shaky breath. "I couldn't help it, but I did try to go."
"And I stopped him," Wanda said. "Because I didn't mind. And it helped me."
Peter found the urge to curl into himself. He could feel the pressure of the room around him, and he kept his head ducked so he couldn't see anyone's reactions.
"What was the other time?" Steve asked.
Peter flinched. "It was something different." He forced himself to look at Tony, his eyes pleading for understanding. "It was in the hospital, when you were thinking about the wormhole. I kinda saw it as you remembered it, like I was you."
Tony's jaw twitched, but his eyes were sad. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said.
Peter shook his head quickly, rushing to defend himself. "I couldn't control it, really. It just happened. But I know what the feeling means now, when someone else is reaching, so I won't let it happen again."
Rhodey pulled Peter against him for a moment and said, "We know you wouldn't have done it otherwise, Pete. And if it happens with you and me, I'm not going to mind." His eyes moved around the other faces in the room. "Will anyone?"
"No," Steve said without hesitation. "It doesn't bother me."
"Nor me," Sam said.
Bruce nodded and added, "Yeah, don't feel like you've got to run off if it happens around me."
Bucky ran a hand over his face. "There are some things in my life that I don't want anyone to see, things I'm ashamed of, but since it's not like you're looking for it, so I guess it's okay if you see it."
"You know I don't mind," Wanda said, squeezing his hand where it was fisted on his lap.
"I do mind," Doctor Strange stated. "There are things in my mind that I wish to keep private."
Peter ducked his head. He didn't imagine it happening between him and Doctor Strange, since it was unlikely he'd reach for him at all, but it was the reaction he expected. The one he'd give if it was him on the other side of the situation? Perhaps.
"And I do not wish to have things implanted in my mind," Doctor Strange went on.
Peter flinched. "I've never done that, honestly. The Stones never said I could."
But, he realized, there seemed to be a lot they'd not told him. He'd never heard about Nemesis before, and he thought there was a lot they were capable of, that he was capable of, that he didn't know about. Perhaps he had been naïve, thinking he knew what he was would be capable of and that he could use it to protect.
As if he was the one reading minds, Doctor Strange said, "I imagine there is much that they've not told you. Mind reading and implanting thoughts are just two of a multitude of things you are capable of with the Stones, and they are not all as innocuous as that."
Peter felt that the room was closing in on him, and his breaths came quick. He hated that it was happening in front of everyone, that he was breaking apart, but he couldn't control himself. He was freaking out.
Rhodey placed a hand on his chest and leaned close to speak in his ear. "Breathe, Pete. You're fine."
"I-I can't… I d-don't want…" Peter stuttered.
"You're okay," Tony said, coming to squat in front of him. "You heard what we said, none of us care if it happens again. It doesn't matter what happens with the Stones, we're with you. You know that, don't you?"
Peter nodded, but he knew it wouldn't be true, couldn't be. He wouldn't be able to bear to be around someone that could read his mind, and he didn't think he could bear to be around them. His mind was already busy enough with the Stones talking to him, knowing what he was thinking. If he suddenly had more voices, if he heard the thoughts and feelings of the people around him… He couldn't bear it. And to think he might be putting thoughts in other people's minds, violating them…
"I need to go," he found himself saying. "I need to lie down."
'You need to talk to us," Power said, and he sounded a little guilty. 'Come on, kid.'
Peter got to his feet, edged around Tony, who had stood and placed his hands on his shoulders, to get his attention, and darted out of the room. He got into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him, and threw himself down onto the bed.
'Would you like to talk to us?' Mind asked.
"Sure. Why the hell not? Tell me all the crazy stuff I can do that you've hidden from me like more mind-reading and implanting thoughts."
'We didn't hide it,' Mind said, and then his voice became louder as Peter slipped into the room with them, sitting on his usual seat with his balled fists pressed against his eyes. "We were waiting until you were ready."
"What the hell am I now?" Peter asked desperately.
"You are us," Space said. "But you're acting like it's a bad thing. We told you we don't want to hurt anyone."
"Apart from assholes that deserve it," Power cut in.
"You're not helping," Reality scolded.
"No, he's being honest," Peter said. "He does want to hurt people."
"Technically, I want to defend," Power said defensively. "Defend you, and if you'd take the shackles off of us, we could."
Peter glared at him. "How is that different? If anything, that makes me even more determined to stop you. I'm already a freak without hurting people."
Mind's eyes darkened, and he said. "You are not a freak. We are not freaks. Yes, you have far more power than you have been introduced to already, and it will remain that way until you're ready for more. If you are not ready for one-hundred years, we will wait."
Peter moaned at the idea of a century of this, knowing that would just be the beginning.
"Peter, you don't need to be scared of us," Soul said gently. "The only way we can hurt anyone is if you let us, and you won't. You are in control."
Peter shook his head. "This is too much, too big. I won't be…"
He trailed off. What could he say? He wouldn't be human anymore? He wasn't anyway; he was enhanced, a mutant. He wouldn't be Peter? He thought it was already too late for that. He thought he could handle this kind of power, but he couldn't. It was too much. It would control him, and he would be a threat.
"You will be fine," Power said lazily. "Nothing's changed. You've been capable of all this since we joined you. You've just got to wrap your mind around it."
Peter started to reply, and then the faces around him seemed to shimmer, and he found himself back in his bedroom, his phone vibrating on the table. He'd put it on silent as Ned had been texting late, and he didn't want to wake anyone up. He picked it up, wondering who'd be calling. No one that lived there would call when they could just hammer on the door instead, and Ned had said he and his family were going to visit his grandparents to reconnect after everything that had happened.
There was no number displayed, and he felt a little wary as he connected the call. The hologram appeared, and he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. It was a playground, busy with children on the climbing frame and swings and parents hovering around them. Then he spotted Morgan, and his heart stopped. She was walking towards the swings with Pepper holding her hand, and clearly, in the center of her back was the red dot of a sniper.
"Morgan!" he gasped.
Though he couldn't see the caller, he heard the menacing voice clearly. "You will come to us, or she will die."
Peter flinched, and his eyes moved to the door, wondering if it was safe to get help or if he should obey.
"If you bring anyone with you, we will kill her," the voice said. "If you tell anyone what's happening, we will kill her. If you do anything apart from what we tell you, she will die."
Peter's heart was racing, feeling like it was trying to burst out of his chest, and he licked dry lips and said, "Where do I have to go?"
"Where are you?" the voice asked.
"I'm… I'm near Keene in New York. There's a place we're staying."
There was a murmur in the background of the call, and then the voice said, "The Tool Shed."
"Yes," Peter moaned. "But you won't be able to come here. It's protected."
"By the Avengers?" the voice scoffed. "We already know that. Leave now and walk towards the town. We will find you. Remember, one word to anyone of what we're doing, and the little girl gets a bullet through the heart. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Peter croaked, and then cleared his throat and said in a firmer voice. "Yes. I am coming now."
"Do not disconnect the call," the voice said. "I want to be sure you don't tell anyone what you're doing. I am sending a man now. The gun will remain on the little girl until you're with us."
"I'm coming now," Peter said. "Please don't hurt her."
"We will see how obedient you are before we decide anything."
Peter closed his eyes, a tear slipping down his cheek at threat. He couldn't let Morgan be hurt. He was sure this was Ross, or at least one of his men, and he knew what awaited him was going to be bad, but he would go to protect Morgan. He'd thought it almost the moment he met her, that he would destroy himself to protect her, and he would.
He would not let the sister he loved be hurt because of him.
So… *braces self* What do you think? Snarks and I discussed this idea a lot in the early stages of writing this story, and there were many incarnations with different reactions from Peter. Ultimately, Peter decided the course of the story. He would go to save Morgan without question, even holding the power he does. He would not risk her for anything by resisting.
Until next time…
Clowns or Midgets xxx