Chapter 12

A/N:

I get that some people were upset about Uncle Ben's death, but I feel like it needed to be done. Ben's death was a huge part of Peter's character development, and it made him take his powers seriously. As to why Tony didn't prevent it? Ben's death occurred far earlier than in the previous timeline, so there's no way Tony could've known it would happen. Also, if any of you are Harry Potter fans, please check out my new Harry Potter fanfic called Prongslet Time. Thank you so much for all the support.

"So, tell me again, why have you still not proposed to Pepper? I was under the impression that you already had the ring ready. I never took you as the kind of guy to chicken out at the last second. Actually, I take that back, you totally do chicken out when you have a good thing going," Natasha said, sounding unapologetic.

"Correction, that sounds exactly like the old me. The new me is much better at dealing with emotional shit. I see what I want, and I go for it. Anyway, I was going to propose to her, but I've just got a lot on my mind recently," Tony said. "I'm worried about Peter. He's been avoiding my calls for the past couple of weeks, and hasn't been down to the lab since he got sick. He was supposed to come down here the other day, but blatantly lied to my face to get out of it. Harley said that Peter hasn't been very receptive on his line either. It's just so unlike him."

"All kids go through a rebellious phase, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I know Cooper gave Clint and Laura a ton of headaches when he reached his preteen years. And if Peter continues the cycle, just go over there and see him for yourself. If he's going through something, he's probably too in his head to realize that he needs to reach out for help," Natasha said thoughtfully.

"Wow, Mama Widow, I never imagined that you had any maternal instincts when I met you working as a double-agent," Tony said jokingly. "Who knew that the stone cold assassin had a heart? God knows that Peter loves you. You're just so natural with him. Maybe you could talk to-"

"Sir, Peter Parker has just called for an ambulance," JARVIS informed Tony.

"What? Why? What happened? Is he okay?" Tony asked anxiously.

"Mr Parker appears to be in good physical health. Unfortunately, his uncle was shot by a street mugger. The EMTs should be arriving soon, however, I have just conducted a full body scan, and Ben Parker appears to be deceased," JARVIS reported.

"WHAT?!" Tony shouted in disbelief. "But...this isn't supposed to happen until 2015! How is this happening? Oh God, Peter! I can't believe this, I've completely fucked everything up, and now I've killed Ben Parker. I was supposed to save everyone, this was a second chance to make things right. I'm so sorry, Peter. Oh my God," Tony collapsed on the floor, his anxiety taking over.

Natasha rubbed a soothing hand on his back, but Tony could see that she too, was shaken. Tony couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face. If they couldn't save this one person, how could they know that they weren't just making everything worse instead of better? If anything, it seemed like everything was going horribly wrong, considering that Harley's family had suffered fatal consequences as a result their time travel changes. And poor Peter, he'd been young the last time Ben had died, but right now? He was 5 years younger than last time. Who knew how he'd deal with the trauma at an even younger age?

"God, I'm a failure. I'm a piece of shit. This is all my fault. If I'd just gone over to the Parkers' and checked on them, then maybe this wouldn't have happened," Tony sobbed, letting his emotions completely take over.

"Tony, you said it yourself, Ben died on a completely different day last time. There's no way you could have known. There's no way we could have known. The best thing we can do right now is be there for Peter. When you mess with time, it tends to mess back. But at least we have a chance to try and make things better. We have a second chance, and extra time with our loved ones, which is more than I could have ever asked for. Yes, this is a shitty thing, but wallowing in self doubt and pity won't help anyone. Be there for Peter. Listen to what he needs, and if he won't talk to you, then just sit there with him. He's going to need you," Natasha said.

"You're right, you're right," Tony said, taking a few deep breaths, trying to collect himself. "JARVIS, what hospital is Ben being taken to?"

"St Joseph's, sir," JARVIS informed him. Tony nodded at Natasha before letting his nantech suit encase his body. He then swiftly picked Natasha up, and flew off.

XXXXXXXX

Tony and Natasha rushed into the hospital as soon as they arrived. "We're here for Ben Parker," Tony informed the lady at the front desk.

"You can head to the waiting room on the third floor. Some of his family members have already arrived."

As soon as Tony and Natasha stepped off the elevator, they spotted a very distraught May attempting to comfort her traumatized nephew.

"I'm so sorry, Aunt May, this is all my fault," Peter sobbed into his aunt's shoulder. May didn't appear to be faring much better, as she just hugged Peter tighter, and sobbed into his shoulder.

"Hey, kid," Tony said softly. "'JARVIS told me what happened. I'm so sorry, kid."

Peter slowly let go of his aunt and looked at Tony, eyes full of nothing but remorse. "I'm so sorry, Tony. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have worried all of you, and I'm sorry for ignoring you. Uncle Ben was right, I was being irresponsible. I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen, and now he's dead, and it's all my fault," Peter choked out, before collapsing on the floor.

"Shhhhh…" Tony whispered soothingly, rubbing Peter's back. "You're alright, kid. This was no one's fault but the dick who shot your uncle. It's alright, Pete. I got you," Tony leaned down, and sat on the ground beside Peter. Tony had never considered himself an expert on comforting others, but consoling Peter came naturally to him. Tony wrapped his arms around his kid and just let the kid get his emotions out.

Tony noticed that Natasha had sat next to May on the hospital bench. The two women embraced, and Natasha rubbed a soothing hand on May's back. Tony had almost forgotten that the two of them had met quite a few times, and that Natasha had experienced more loss than most people in her lifetime, which made her capable of providing comfort for the other woman.

XXXXXXXXX

May knew she looked disheveled, with her uncombed hair, and blotchy red face, but at the current moment, she couldn't bring herself to care. She'd always been a fashionable woman. Her friends often said that she made her Walmart wardrobe look more expensive than the outfits worn during Fashion Week on the runway. Yet, she currently sat at her kitchen table in her dead husband's old football jersey (the one she used to try to goad him into throwing away on a daily basis), just feeling rather apathetic about everything. She knew that she needed to be strong for her ten year old nephew, who was currently even more broken than she was. Peter was only ten years old, and he'd not only witnessed the death of his uncle, but he believed it to be his fault. Despite May's constant reassurances that what had happened to Ben was in no way his fault, Peter still seemed no closer to believing it. Peter was having trouble making eye contact with May lately, and she had a feeling that his guilt over Ben's death was the culprit behind this uncharacteristic behavior.

May looked through the stack of papers piled on the kitchen table with a feeling of trepidation. She knew that she needed to get started on paying the bills. Neither she nor Ben had taken out a life insurance policy because of their young age. It just seemed unlikely that it would be necessary, and it never crossed either of their minds. Even with an unknown amount of cash that she'd found hidden in a storage closet (she deduced that Ben must have hidden it there a while ago for a rainy day, and forgotten about it), she could barely cover the funeral costs. And there was also the impending eviction threat if she could not scavenge enough money to pay rent. Their landlord was not an empathetic man, and she knew that if she didn't come up with a solution soon, she and her nephew would be out on the street.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Someone was at the door. While May knew that she should appreciate all the support from her friends (and she did appreciate everyone who brought food, because out of the two of them, Ben was definitely the cook of the family), she wasn't sure if she could handle listening to another one of her friends talk about trivial things. Everyone walked on eggshells around her, and they talked about things that they believed to be 'safe', such as the latest gossip, and the new PTA project that everyone believed to be a complete boondoggle. May understood that they were just trying to cheer her up, but it was hard to listen to life go on when Ben's life had been cut short. It took all the self-control she had to not get up and scream, 'I don't give a fuck if Cindy kissed Molly's husband, George! I just want my husband back!'

May opened the door to find none other than Tony Stark standing on the other side. "Hey, Tony," May greeted him.

"Hey, May," Tony replied. "Can I come in?" At May's nod, Tony stepped inside. "Where's Underoos? How is he?" Tony asked.

"He's been over at Ned's house all day. He thinks Ben's death is his fault, and he's been taking it really hard. I think Ned's helping him take his mind of all of this, at least. As you can see, I'm absolutely peachy. With the funeral costs, and this month's rent, we're really stretched thin and I'm just trying to make this all work," May said anxiously. "And I've never been great at coping in times of crisis, that was always Ben's forte…"

"Oh, speaking of funeral costs, I came here to discuss exactly that. I think that if you call the funeral home, you'll find that an anonymous person made a rather munificent donation, and that all costs are paid for," Tony said, looking remorseful. May had noticed that the man had taken Ben's death extremely personally, and acted as if he was responsible. Perhaps, being a superhero created a huge guilt complex.

"Oh, Tony, you shouldn't have. Honestly, we don't need your charity. I'm grateful, I really am, but Peter and I will be able to figure something out," May said with embarrassment.

"Hey, I said it was an anonymous donor for a reason. I never said it was me. Besides, even if it was me, you're forgetting that I'm a billionaire. I have more money than I could ever spend anyway. Also, you guys are family to me at this point, it would be absurd not to help out," Tony replied. "Plus, it's already been done, so there's nothing you can really do at this point," Tony pointed out.

May got up and embraced Tony, sobbing. "Thank you so much, Tony. I swear, I'll pay you back soon. It really means a lot to me. Ben and I have really been struggling with money lately, and this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. It's been so hard just getting up every day in this apartment. Every time I look around, I just see Ben. The couch has a coffee stain in the corner, because Ben never listened to me when I told him he wasn't allowed to drink anything but water on the couch. The kitchen table just feels so empty, because his seat shouldn't be vacant. Hell, I've been sleeping on the couch lately, because it feels so wrong to be sleeping on our bed without him. Sometimes I reach over to the side in the middle of the night, expecting him to take my hand, but no one's there. There's just...so many memories in this house, but it's...overwhelming. I think that's why Peter's been staying over at Ned's...it's just too painful for him to look at this place and be reminded of Ben," May sobbed into her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. You're probably busy. Thank you, Tony. We really appreciate this. I'll tell Peter to call you when he gets back."

"Actually, ever since I handed my company over to Pepper, my schedule has been wide open. Of course, there are still some things I still have to do for Stark Industries, but I am not nearly as busy as my wife..er...girlfriend. And if you want a different place to stay, at least for a little bit, Avengers tower has plenty of extra living spaces. I could get you and Peter a floor. Temporary or permanent, whatever you want. You guys are just as much family as the Avengers, it's only fair that you have rooms there. I know what it's like to be bombarded with old memories every time you look at a place," Tony said.

May recalled the time Tony had mentioned how he'd never returned to his childhood home after his parents had passed away. Perhaps, he was thinking about that.

"I could still pay the rent on this place so you can return when you guys are ready," Tony offered.

"Oh, Tony, that's very sweet of you, but you're already doing so much. We couldn't possibly accept that. Peter and I can always move somewhere cheaper, I wouldn't feel right just letting you pay for everything…"

"Oh, trust me, you'd be doing me a favor. I have way too many open rooms that are just going to waste. Clint's going to insist on opening a casino on one of the floors if I don't fill them up soon. Not to mention, I don't really want the building open to anyone, so I only want people I trust to have access to it. You guys are perfect. Plus, Harley already thinks of Peter as a brother, and he'd love having Peter at the tower. And you can really stop worrying about the money, like I mentioned before, I'm a billionaire, I have a plethora of disposable income," Tony said, trying to persuade May. "What if I let you pay rent? It'll be really casual, you can just pay what you can, when you can. That work?" Tony asked.

After half an hour of trying to convince May, she finally relented. She agreed to talk to Peter about moving into the tower, and see what he thought. Since she made it very clear that she would definitely not let Tony continue to pay rent on their old apartment, if they moved into the tower, it would be long term. Towards the end of the conversation, May actually found that she was slightly excited at the prospect of moving out of the apartment, as she had never really liked it that much in the first place (she'd always thought the layout was rather off-putting).

XXXXXXXXXX

Peter entered the church where Ben's funeral was being held with a feeling of consternation. He hated attention, and he wasn't sure if he could face all of the grieving people, knowing that Ben's death was all his fault. He gripped his aunt's hand tightly, until May flinched in pain. Oops...he needed to get used to managing his superstrength. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt someone because he couldn't control his powers.

When May had asked Peter if he'd be willing to move out of their apartment, he'd jumped on the offer. Being around so many memories of Ben had been driving him crazy, and sometimes it felt like he might never be able to move on. At first, he'd felt a scintilla of guilt for being so willing to leave his childhood home behind, but when May said that it was she wanted as well, Peter felt a bit better.

Several people talked about their fond memories of Ben during the service. His work friends described how he 'lit up every room he walked in' and was 'a ray of sunshine'. Some of his college friends regaled them with tales of their more 'wild' adventures. Peter found himself tuning out after a while. Everyone's speeches seemed so...rehearsed and cliche. Something about it all felt a bit disingenuous. Perhaps he was being a bit hypercritical. Peter had been too young to remember what his parents' funerals had been like, but after sitting through Ben's, he decided that he really, really execrated funerals.

Peter and May had elected not to speak, as they were both in such fragile emotional states that they thought it better to do their eulogies in private the night before. And after listening to far too many people say the same thing over and over again, Peter was glad that he and May had had a more genuine, private ceremony the previous night.

Peter walked into the room for the after service reception. To Peter's surprise, the entirety of the Avengers team was gathered in the front corner of the room, along with Happy Hogan, Pepper Potts, Harley Keener, and a brunette lady that Peter recognized as Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster. What are the Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes, doing here?

Tony seemed to notice Peter right away, and waved him over. "Hey, kid," he said as he embraced Peter. "I know it's been a super overwhelming day for you, but I just wanted to know that we're all here for you. We're all family." The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Harley and Pepper joined in on the embrace. "You were there for me when my mom and sister died, and you can come to me with anything. You are my brother, Peter. We're hero buddies," Harley said, which comforted Peter.

The rest of the group took turns embracing Peter. It was a bit surprising to him, as he didn't quite understand why the Avengers cared about him so much. But he was touched, nonetheless.

"Young Starkson, I know what it is like to lose someone you hold very dear. I apologize for this trying situation, and just know that if the culprit behind this is ever found, I will show no mercy," Loki declared. Loki ruffled Peter's hair in an uncharacteristic show of affection. Peter smiled at the Norse God in appreciation and blushed, as he was rather embarrassed by all of the attention.

"Hey, we haven't officially met, I'm Jane," Jane Foster introduced herself. "I'm really sorry for your loss. Thor tells me you're really brave. Just remember that being brave doesn't mean you can't ask for help. I've got a guest room in the tower now, so we'll probably be seeing a lot more of each other. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here." (A/N: Because Thor is currently living on Earth rather than Asgard, his relationship with Jane is much more stable.) "Thor and I have been researching some wormholes that have been popping up around the world, and our next stop is England. When we get back, I hope we'll be able to spend more time together."

Though Peter knew that there would always be a hole in his heart with Ben gone, after hearing what his new family had to say, for the first time in days, he smiled.

XXXXXXXXX

"Something's off about Peter," Tony stated. Natasha was accompanying Tony in the lab as they planned their, what had been dubbed by Tony, the 'Time Heist 2.0' (much to Natasha's dismay, she thought it was rather silly).

"I know what you mean," Natasha said thoughtfully. "He's definitely hiding something. The other day, he was definitely doing something in the training room when I walked in. He lied to me and said he just wanted a quiet place to do homework. But, the kid's a terrible liar. He didn't have his textbooks or a paper and pencil, and he was out of breath. He said he just wanted to admire Cap's equipment, as a fanboy (which under most circumstances, I could believe), but he looked shifty as fuck."

"I know that death can do different things to different people. When my parents died, I spent the next five months of my life drunk off my ass. But Peter's been back to his normal self for the most part, but something's just been...off. I can't quite place my finger on it. JARVIS, do you know what is going on with Peter?" Tony asked.

"Define what 'what's going on with Peter' means. There have been some physical changes that have been occurring with Mr Parker, but he has sworn me to secrecy," JARVIS replied.

"What do you mean 'sworn you to secrecy'? You're my AI, I have all the override codes!" Tony exclaimed.

"I understand. And yes, sir, you do have the authority to the information. I was merely informing you of Mr Parker's request," JARVIS replied, clearly unphased by Tony's attitude.

"How long have you known this 'secret' of Peter's?" Tony asked.

"A month," JARVIS replied.

"And why am I just hearing about this now? Also, what is this physical change of Peter's?" Tony demanded.

"I have not informed you until now because you never specified the information you wanted from Mr Parker. If you had asked about any physical changes to Mr Parker, I would have informed you long ago. My code only requires me to inform you if you specifically ask for the information. And due to Mr Parker's request for secrecy, I did not inform you immediately," JARVIS said matter-of-factly. "But when you and Mr Parker visited Oscorp Industries, Mr Parker wandered into a secure laboratory. In said laboratory, he was exposed to a radioactive spider. From my physical scans of Mr Parker, his DNA has been altered, which has led to some physical changes including an increase in strength, an addition of a natural adhesive on his skin that allows him to stick to surfaces, and heightened senses."

"What the fuck? Oscorp Industries? Radioactive Spider? Oh My fucking God, Peter's got Spider powers at age ten! How is this happening? I need to go talk to that kid before he decides to become a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man like I know he's probably planning to do! I knew he was hiding something from me! I'm gonna have a talk with him!" Tony exclaimed.

Natasha rubbed Tony's arm soothingly. "Maybe I should do it. If you go in there all hot headed with an accusatory tone, he's just going to get upset."

XXXXXXXXXX

Natasha entered the kitchen, where Peter currently was eating what looked like an entire box of pop tarts. "You know, I'm pretty sure there's more sugar in those than what you need in an entire day."

"Oh, hi, Nat. And I'm pretty sure there's no daily requirement for sugar, just an upper limit. We learned that in health class," Peter responded conversationally.

Natasha picked up the coffee pitcher and poured some into her mug. She intentionally placed the mug on the edge of the table, on the opposite side of where Peter was sitting. Before the mug had a chance to fall even a couple of inches off the table, Peter rushed over, catching the mug almost instantaneously.

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "Nice reflexes," she said suspiciously. "And great speed too. I didn't realize you were so athletic. You sprinted over here really fast."

Peter laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess I've gotten a little better at running. I was thinking of joining the track team," he replied, undoubtedly lying.

Natasha walked over to the knife holder, and picked up a rather large knife. She swiftly threw the knife Peter's way, being careful to aim an inch away from his face (just in case somehow, JARVIS was wrong about the whole superpowers thing).

Peter gasped, clearly shocked, before quickly reacting, and catching the knife easily. "What the heck? You could have killed me!" Peter exclaimed.

"But I didn't," Natasha pointed out.

"Well, if I didn't have superpowers, it definitely would have killed me! Whoops, did I just say that out loud?" Peter said nervously, most likely realizing that his secret was out.

"Yep. Sorry, kid. But Tony's been worried sick about you, and I guess it never occurred to him that you had somehow found some way to get your powers early. That is, until JARVIS ratted you out ten minutes ago. Also, I was very careful to make sure the knife was far enough away from your head that it would've gone right past you had you not had spider powers," Natasha replied.

"What does she mean by me getting my powers early? Eh, it's Nat. She's always acting like she knows everything. Heck, she does know everything. Sometimes, it's like she has the power to tell the future. Perhaps, my future theory is true! Or...maybe it's just a spy thing...But also, I'm so screwed, they're onto me! Just act natural, yeah, that'll do it," Peter muttered to himself, obviously unaware that Natasha had heard everything. After all, as a spy, her senses had to be quite good.

"What if I'd freaked out and moved towards the knife and I didn't have powers?" Peter asked.

"Well, I already knew about the powers because of JARVIS, and you gave yourself away during that coffee test earlier. And if you really hadn't had powers, I have fast reflexes too. There's no way you would've gotten hurt," Natasha replied.

"Really? Because no offense, like you're totally awesome and everything, and you're totally and completely a badass, like if I didn't know you, I'd be terrified, I mean I know you and I'm still terrified...but, aren't you a regular human? Like, no superpowers, or anything?" Peter asked curiously.

Natasha just shrugged cryptically in response. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Pete. Let's head down to the training room. You need to get in the ring with me, we're training. You could learn a thing or two. Unchecked and untrained powers can become dangerous. Plus, knowing you, you're probably going to be just like your dad and become some kind of reckless hero. The least I can do is make sure that you are prepared. Also, you need to tell your aunt. I'll give you two days. If you don't tell her, I will. Do we have a deal?"

"Do I have a choice?" Peter asked.

Natasha gave him a look that said, 'what do you think?' No, Natasha would never let Peter walk around with uncontrolled powers.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell Aunt May. But she'll never let me be a hero. Especially after what happened with Uncle Ben. But...ugh, training with the Black Widow is really cool…" Peter rambled on.

"Good choice, kid. Let's get going," Natasha ordered. "Just a warning, I don't go easy in the ring, just ask Happy. I'm pretty sure he still has a scar from when he gave me a 'lesson'."

A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter. I wrote around 500 words of it a week ago and got writer's block, then wrote the rest of it in around 2 hours. It's currently almost 1 AM, and I'm far too lazy to proofread, so I apologize for any grammatical errors. I will probably edit this later though!

Coming up: Summer is here, Peter is finally out of school for three months! Tons of Iron dad and Mama Spider moments! The Avengers celebrate Peter's 11th birthday. Unfortunately, a certain person from Peter's past (Skip Wescott), has been released from jail, which puts a damper in Peter's mood. Tony and Natasha try to find information on the location of the red book, in hopes that they'll have the information to free Bucky from Hydra's mind control once they find him.