SPOILER WARNING: This story takes place after Endgame and Far From Home. It contains major SPOILERS for both films, so do not read this until you've watched both movies.
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A/N: I needed to write this and then I feel I will be ready to back and finish my other stories. All of these wonderfully beautiful characters are the creations of Stan Lee and the property of Marvel. I'm just borrowing them for a short while. This story is not related to any of my other stories, so this can be read without reading any of the others
CHAPTER 1: The Spider's Out of the Bag
Peter sat with his head resting on the passenger side window. He watched the rural scenery going by with disinterest and longed for the rush of the city. May was driving and humming along to the radio, trying to seem completely at ease.
Peter knew better. She was sad to leave her home in the city, the place where she and Ben once had a life together. He caused this happen. Everything bad seemed to happen because of him. First, his parents died, and while he had no real reason to blame himself for that, he truly believed that was likely his fault. Then, he lost Uncle Ben, something that was most definitely his fault. Liz lost her father, which was also most certainly his fault… since he helped put the Vulture in prison. And if he thought about it, it was his fault Mr. Stark's plane crashed when he stopped the Vulture. Mr. Stark…
Peter took a breath and shut his eyes at the thought of his beloved mentor, the man he loved like a father. He kept his eyes closed and gently pounded his head against the window, a small punishment for the damage he caused. He wasn't supposed to know, but Peter overheard a conversation between Aunt May and Happy. It was a conversation in which Happy revealed that Tony invented the time machine in order to save Peter. The time travel that brought back everyone… including Thanos. And Mr. Stark had made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Thanos from killing any more of the people he loved. No matter what anyone could say, Peter felt responsible. If Mr. Stark had just let Peter go, he would still be alive. Pepper would have her husband, and Morgan would have her father.
Peter took a deep breath and glanced over at his aunt. Her jaw was tight as she hummed. Nope… he definitely wasn't fooled. May was stressed. She hated that they had to leave the city. And why were they leaving? Because Peter had become public enemy number one. Persona non grata. The cat… or the spider, really… was officially out of the bag. The whole world learned that Peter Parker was Spider-Man… and they also believed that he brutally killed Mysterio. Mysterio… a man the world saw as a hero, and not as the villain he truly was. Mysterio's last trick was to turn Peter into the villain, and the world believed it. After all, isn't everything you see on the internet true?
Peter moved to lean his head on the back of his seat and banged his head there as well, once again reprimanding himself for causing so much trouble for the people he cared about.
"Stop that." May scolded, matter of factly. "I know what you're doing over there, Peter. I know you're blaming yourself, but you need to stop that. Right now." She gave him a sideways glance that told him she meant business.
Peter let out a frustrated breath. "You can't tell me any of this is fair, May. This isn't fair to you! Going into hiding like this is… well… it's definitely not your fault! Is it?"
May clutched the steering wheel, "AND IT'S NOT YOURS EITHER!" She burst out, seeming to surprise herself at the volume of her own voice. "Sorry… I… I didn't mean to shout, but Peter… you can't keep doing this to yourself! Everytime the bad guy gets the upper hand, you think it's your fault! It's the bad guy's fault, Peter! The bad guy and the bad guy ALONE!"
Despite his bad mood, Peter couldn't help but smile at his aunt. "May… stop with the bad guy stuff, okay? He called himself Mysterio."
"I don't care what he called himself! It's his fault that people think you're some sort of… of…" May searched for the right words and came out with, "greedy hero or something."
Peter raised an eyebrow, "Greedy hero?"
"You know… killing the other heroes and getting them out of the way so that you can be the hero."
"Ouch," Peter stated.
May suddenly hit the brakes and maneuvered the car to the side of the road. As soon as the car was in park, she turned to look at him raising a scolding finger and wagging it at him to make a point. "See! This is what I'm talking about. Blaming yourself! Stop it! I'm NOT saying that mystery man's words are true! I KNOW it's all lies! I was just saying that it's HIS fault that people are getting that idea about Spider-Man!"
"You mean about Peter Parker, right?" Peter challenged. "Because, thanks to kids at my school who confirmed that it made sense for me to be Spider-Man, Peter Parker is a jackass teenager and wannabe hero looking for attention. Nevermind how I saved them in Washington. I'm now just a jackass who wants to be the next Iron Man, and got Mysterio out of my way in an attempt to make that happen!"
May stared at him. "Stop saying jackass… saying jackass just makes you sound like an asshole!" May scolded.
Peter just blinked at her, not entirely sure of how he was supposed to respond to that.
She scrubbed her hands through her hair and took a deep breath, looking incredibly tired and forlorn. "I'm… I'm trying to be serious, Peter. I know this is not how you wanted things to go, but we'll figure this out. You and me. We always figure things out. Together."
Tears were threatening to fall from Peter's eyes. He was just as tired as Aunt May looked. "Some people think I did something to Tony on the battlefield. There are conspiracy theories now that I killed Mr. Stark! Some people think I wanted him out of the way!"
"Because they're a bunch of dumb jackasses!" May spat out.
Peter couldn't help himself. "Stop saying jackass, May. Saying jackass makes you sound like an asshole!"
May scoffed and shook her head, looking at him with nothing but love in her eyes. She could always count on Peter's sense of humor to act as his coping mechanism.
Peter laughed as he wiped away the tears that had managed to fall. His emotions were all over the place. "I hear what you're saying, May. I do. And I know the other Avengers that were on the battlefield that day are speaking on my behalf, but people tend to believe what their eyes tell them. And their eyes told them I killed a man to get ahead. There's no visual evidence of what happened the day Tony… the day he… you know."
And May did know. Her eyes told him she knew. She knew he still struggled to speak about how Tony died that day. "Oh, Peter." She leaned over grabbed Peter's hand with her own, giving it what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze. "We'll figure this out. I promise you, the others will help us sort this all out."
Peter squeezed her hand back and looked up to meet her eyes. "I still think running makes me look guilty."
May lifted her hand to swat his hand this time, "Stop! I told you… we're not running. We're just… taking a break from the city."
"Because Nick Fury told us to!" Peter insisted.
"Things were getting a little tense," May continued. "I think a little distance is a good thing. It will give people a chance to calm down a little."
Peter thought about just how tense things had gotten. Someone keyed May's car, others left her threatening notes and voicemails. There was graffiti all over their apartment. Kids at school stopped talking to him. Ned and MJ tried to stand by him, but it just made their lives more miserable. MJ was cornered by other girls in the bathroom, only to have her books and belongings flushed down the toilet. Poor Ned was even shoved into the street. Peter had barely pulled him back in time, and he had nearly been hit by a taxi. Ned and MJ's parents weren't comfortable with them being around him anymore. They believed he was dangerous, too. So, here he was… riding off with May into the rural countryside. In her car that still had the word "TRAITOR" keyed into the side. All so that he could "take a break" from the city.
Peter sighed, "Who are we kidding, May? We're on the run."
"We're keeping you safe," May insisted. "It's different."
"I can take care of myself," Peter told her.
"A sniper tried to shoot you out of the sky while you were swinging around!" May snapped.
"And I took care of it! I webbed him up and dropped him at the police station." Peter defended.
May blinked at him, "And what did that do for your reputation when J. Jonah Jameson revealed that you… ahem" May changed her voice in an attempt to sound like Jameson, "terrorized a military veteran trying to protect his country from that web-slinging menace!"
Peter rolled his eyes, "Yeah… that wasn't great. Jameson definitely spinned that whole thing around on me."
"Right! And he wasn't about to stop, Peter. So…" May put the car in drive and prepared to get back on the road, "...this is me protecting you from Jameson and other assholes like him. This is you and me taking a break from the city and going to a secure and friendly environment."
Peter gave a small smile as they went back onto the road. "It will be nice to see her," he admitted.
A look of triumph crossed May's face. She clearly believed that she successfully made her point. "Pepper or Morgan?" She asked.
Peter shrugged a little, "Both actually. But I was thinking about Morgan." Peter smiled, "She's a great kid." His smile faltered, "I just wish they had decided to move somewhere else. I'm not a big fan of the cabin."
"Oh sweetie," May replied. "That's just because it makes you think of Tony's funeral."
They were both quiet for a moment, May likely scolding herself for bringing up that particular event.
May continued, "It's beautiful there. Give it a chance. Pepper says that Tony connected with a whole other side of himself there. He found peace at the cabin with his family. And that was certainly not an easy time to find peace in the world!"
Peter considered her words, "So… you think I'll find peace up there?"
"I damn well hope so!" May said matter of factly. "God knows you deserve a little rest."
"No rest for the wicked," Peter muttered.
May didn't miss it. "You're not wicked!" She watched the road for a moment before adding, "I don't give a shit about what J. Jonah Jameson says. My boy is a hero!"
Peter smiled a little and nestled into his seat. Somehow he knew his aunt would help make this all better. He just prayed things didn't get worse before the "getting better" part could happen.
Pepper was sitting out on the porch, sipping coffee while Morgan played in the yard. It was already getting to be late morning, so she knew that May and Peter would arrive soon. She was sure to make extra coffee, knowing May would likely need something after her long drive out of the city.
If Pepper were honest, though, she made extra coffee every day. She couldn't help herself. She was so used to making a pot of coffee for two people.
She pulled her sweater up around her shoulders a little more as a cool breeze blew through the porch. She watched Morgan's hair blowing through the wind as she was pretending to fight off some imaginary foe, holding her hand up in the air as if using an Iron Man or Rescue gauntlet. Pepper shuddered involuntarily at the sight. She lifted her eyes to look away from her daughter and towards the lake. The wreath from the funeral was long gone, but the vision of Tony's first arc reactor floating across the water would never leave her. The breeze blew again and kissed at her cheeks, making her smile. She lifted a hand to her face gently, as if trying to hold onto the feeling. It was in those moments that she was convinced that Tony was still with her, placing a quick kiss to her cheek while he was on the move and working away.
Pepper was so lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed that Morgan had come to stand in front of her. She jumped a little when the little girl spoke.
"Mommy, will Petey and MayMay be here soon?" She asked.
Pepper pulled Morgan into her lap and held her close, planting a kiss to her cheek. In some ways, she felt like she needed to share the moment she had just experienced with her daughter. Passing a kiss from Tony onto Morgan's cheek. She rested her chin on top of Morgan's small head and smiled, "Petey and MayMay should be here soon. Don't you worry."
"They're coming so early!" The little girl said, excitedly. "When Mr. Happy comes, it's usually later."
"Well… they left the city very early this morning." Pepper told her. "When fewer people were awake to see them leave," She thought to herself.
"That just means I can play with Petey more today! I can't wait to show him the lego sets you bought for us!"
Pepper chuckled at her daughter's enthusiasm. She knew that Morgan craved a companion, but she struggled to think about taking her away from the safe haven Tony created for her… for them. "I'm not sure he likes being called Petey," Pepper told her playfully.
"Of course he does! It's my special name for him, so he has to like it!" Morgan insisted. And man did she look every bit like her father as she said it. "MayMay likes her special name, too!"
Pepper shook her head and laughed some more, "I'm sure she does."
The five-year-old leapt off of her mother's lap. "I'm going to go inside and set up the legos," she said. She ran towards the door, but stopped just before going inside and gave Pepper a serious look. "I will need to know the moment they're here!" She told her mother.
Pepper couldn't help herself, "Will that be all Miss Stark?"
Morgan didn't get the reference. She didn't know too much about Pepper's time as Tony's assistant, and yet she gave the perfect answer, "That'll be all, Mommy." And with that, she opened the door and entered the cabin.
Again, Pepper chuckled at her little girl. She sat back in her chair and picked up her coffee to take another sip, enjoying the warmth of the mug as she sat back. Fall was quickly approaching, and the air was growing cooler. Pepper didn't mind. Cool air just meant that she could build a fire outback. Morgan loved roasting marshmallows. It was something special that Tony started not long after the cabin was built. It started as a way for him to burn things that he had no desire to keep, but it quickly morphed into a family activity. He'd pull up holograms and tell Morgan stories, many of them about the adventures of Spider-Man. She could hear Morgan inside the house, running around and getting ready for her friend.
Those holograms and stories were the reason Morgan recognized Peter the moment she first saw him, even when the meeting was at such a sad time. Meeting Peter seemed to bring a smile to her daughter's face when few things could.
- Flashback-
Morgan was dressed in her little black dress and sitting in a corner, watching as people she didn't know came into her home and talked about her father.
Pepper kept an eye on her as she greeted her guests. She would give her daughter some space for now. The little girl was overwhelmed with everything, and Pepper knew that she was watching the door and just waiting for a miracle. The only person who could possibly come through the door and make Morgan smile would be Tony himself. Pepper sighed, knowing her husband would never walk through that door again. She fought the tears that threatened to fall. She would be strong today. She needed to stay strong for Morgan.
Rhodes began talking to her. She turned to Rhodey, barely registering his words. She only half-listened as he explained the plans for the memorial ceremony.
She heard the door open again, but her attention was drawn to her daughter. Morgan sat up quickly, looking eagerly towards the door with a small smile on her face.
Pepper's heart leapt into her throat. Some distant part of her longed to turn and see her husband. She ignored Rhodes and turned to follow her daughter's movements as she leapt to her feet and moved quickly towards the door. Morgan had weaved through the crowd, intent on getting to the newcomer. Through the crowd, Pepper saw brown wavy hair and her heart gave another jolt. The older couple that came with Scott Lang… was it Pym and Van Dyne? That didn't much matter. She took a step to look behind them and smiled. Her heart warmed at the sight. It wasn't Tony coming in… that wasn't meant to be... but her heart was just as happy to see the young man who meant so much to Tony. The young man who helped Tony Stark prepare for fatherhood.
Pepper smiled to herself as she watched her daughter march up to Peter Parker and his aunt. At the sight of the little girl, Peter stopped and froze. The two stared at each other for quite some time, each one carefully studying the other.
Pepper looked at Rhodey and excused herself, stepping closer to see the interaction.
Morgan was wide-eyed as she stared at Peter. Pepper couldn't help but to give a small laugh at the look on Peter's face. He looked like a deer caught in headlights, shuffling awkwardly on his feet and looking to his aunt for help. Clearly, he had no idea on how to handle someone so small.
Morgan used her little hand to motion for Peter to come closer to her level. Peter gave one more look at his aunt as he carefully dropped to one knee.
As soon as Peter was eye level with Morgan, he asked, "Are you… I mean… you're Morgan, right? Wow… I… um…" Peter seemed to choke on his words a little and Pepper could see his eyes were growing misty. "...ahem… I heard so much about you."
"I bet I heard more about you!" Morgan said cheerfully. She leaned forward as if telling him a secret and whispered, "Daddy told me all about the adventures of Spider-Man!" She leaned back and pointed towards the kitchen. "He has a picture of you in there!" Morgan reached up and took Peter's hand. "Come on! I'll show you."
Pepper quietly stepped over next to May and the two women watched as Morgan practically dragged Peter in the direction of the kitchen.
Pepper felt May's hand come up to her shoulder. "I'd ask how you are, but I think I know the answer."
Pepper turned to face her, understanding crossing between the two women. Pepper knew about May's husband. Tony told her the story, and she knew that May likely understood better than anyone in the room. Both women lost their husbands and were left to raise a child on their own.
Pepper leaned towards May and gave her a hug, "I'm so glad you're both here. And I do mean HERE."
She could tell that May understood her meaning, "I can't believe that we were gone for 5 years."
The women again looked towards Morgan and Peter.
"And yet…" May said, keeping her eyes on her nephew, "...I think I'm glad I missed the past 5 years. I couldn't live without him."
Pepper watched as Peter was studying the picture Morgan showed him. It was Tony's favorite picture of two of them, the one that captured just how close the two had become.
"Neither could Tony," Pepper said quietly. "He tried… but…" Pepper couldn't finish that sentence. Instead, she just met the other woman's eyes.
May swallowed, seeming to struggle with her words. "Yeah… Peter misses him, too."
- End Flashback-
Pepper was pulled from her memory as she heard the sound of a car coming. She stood and walked to the edge of her porch, smiling at the familiar car and its occupants. Her smile faltered as May parked the car and the word "TRAITOR" could be seen scratched into the side.
May must have seen her face. "I'm surprised we didn't get pulled over in this car," she called to her friend as she opened the door and got out.
Pepper made her way down the steps, talking to May as she went. "So you didn't have any trouble then? The plan to leave early worked?"
Peter answered as he exited the car, "Pretty much. People are up at all hours, so there were some jeers as we left, but it was fine once we left city limits."
Pepper was closer to May, hugging her first and then quickly went around the front of the car and made her way to Tony's boy. The two embraced, so much being said between them with that hug… even when no words were spoken.
"I'm so sorry your identity came out this way, Peter." Pepper told him. She smiled a little and teased, "There are easier ways to get May to bring you for a visit."
Peter gave a wry laugh, "You've got that right." He shrugged. "I think I should've let Mr. Stark introduce Spider-Man when he wanted. I think he had the right idea by sharing his identity. That was probably my best chance to get in front of all this, and I let that opportunity get away." Peter lowered his head, "I can't seem to ever get things right."
"Hey," Pepper said. "Tony had his fair share of difficulty when he revealed his identity as Iron Man. He trusted you. You made the right decision."
"Agreed." May said. "Now that we're here and away from the chaos of the city, we'll figure this out. Clear your name… both names." She smiled at him and shrugged at Pepper.
They turned at the sound of the cabin door bursting open, "Mooommmyyy! You were supposed to tell me as SOON as they got here!" Morgan scolded her mother as she ran towards the new arrivals.
"They're here," Pepper told her.
Morgan scowled at her mother momentarily before continuing her charge in Peter's direction. "Petey! You came!" She squealed, throwing herself directly into his arms.
"Woah!" Peter cried out, shifting his weight in order to keep his balance as the little Stark leapt into his arms and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. Not even his own super powers could match the force that was Morgan Stark. "It's good to see you, too, Morgs"
The little girl gave a big smile at Peter's nickname for her. "I have EVERYTHING planned for the whole day! First we'll build legos! Mommy bought new Star Wars sets because Daddy used to talk about how much you like those! Then we'll eat lunch. We have sandwiches with extra pickles because those are your favorite!" The words were spilling out of Morgan's mouth so fast that she rivaled Peter's own rambling. "And then we need to play outside because fresh air is good for you! It's too cold to swim in the lake, but we could go out in the boat! And then we'll have hot dogs!" Morgan jumped down and went over to May, giving her a quick hug around the legs before shifting her attention back to Peter. She continued her speech as she snatched Peter's hand and began to drag him towards the cabin. "We can cook the hot dogs right over a fire outside! You'll love it! Daddy told me stories about you whenever we had a fire. Do you like roasted marshmallows? We could make S'mores! Then you can tell me stories around the…"
Morgan's voice drifted off as she and Peter disappeared inside. May hadn't missed the way Peter's troubles seemed to melt away as soon as Morgan wrapped her arms around him. She smiled at Pepper, "I think this is going to be good for him. I can't thank you enough for opening your home to us."
"Are you kidding? I'm thrilled. I can actually enjoy time with another adult while Morgan has a playmate!" Pepper responded.
May laughed out loud, "Peter only thought that being Spider-Man was exhausting! I think Morgan will keep him so busy that he'll discover a whole new level of tired."
"You've got that right." Pepper confirmed. "Here. Let me help you take your things inside."
"Thank you," May said. "We packed light. We didn't really want anyone getting suspicious."
"Smart," Pepper told her. "We can always run into town for supplies." Pepper's smile grew wider. "Peter can baby-sit and you and I can take care of the errands. That would actually be a welcome little break for me."
May laughed. "I remember when Peter was that age. I would leave Peter with Ben and take extra long at the store. It was the only chance I had to take a break!" May noticed how Pepper shifted a little, her face revealing that she wished she had her husband to watch Morgan. "How are you, Pepper? I mean, really… how are you doing?"
Pepper gave her a sad smile, "About as well as you'd expect." Pepper looked towards the house. "And how is Peter doing… really?
May finished grabbing some things and began walking with Pepper towards the house before answering, "About as well as you'd expect."
True to her word, Morgan kept Peter busy all day. If not for his abilities, Peter would have struggled to keep up with the small girl.
The day finished just as Morgan planned… around a campfire. Peter was roasting one final marshmallow. He told her stories all night. Mostly about being Spider-Man. He filled her in on some things that happened in Europe, but didn't get too detailed about Mysterio. That wound was still a little too fresh. As he lifted the marshmallow away from the flames, he heard Morgan ask, "Could you tell me the story about Germany, Petey? The one where Daddy called you Underroos?"
Peter froze. Could he tell her that story? The first mission with Iron Man was special to him. He wanted to talk about it, but the words just wouldn't come.
Pepper noticed the struggle. "You've kept Peter busy all day, sweetheart. And it's getting to be your bedtime, so any other stories will have to wait." Pepper leaned forward and snatched her daughter around the waist, tickling her a little as she pulled her in for a hug.
Morgan giggled a little, but was unwilling to give in too easily. "Awww…. Mommy! But I'm not… *yawn* ...tired."
May laughed, "You could've fooled me. It looks like Petey wore you out today."
Pepper lifted her up, "Come on. I'll get you ready and then Petey and MayMay will come in later to wish you goodnight."
Morgan whined a little as her mother carried her towards the house.
"Don't worry, Morgs. I'll be in later and we can start all over in the morning." Peter called to her.
"Yes!" Morgan said triumphantly, just before her mother took her inside.
May smiled over at Peter, "So… how was your first day at the cabin? Was it as dreadful as you thought it would be?"
Peter laughed, "You know it wasn't. Morgan kept me too busy to think about anything else."
May pushed a little more, "And?"
"And…" Peter smiled. "It was nice. You were right, Aunt May. We needed to get away from the city."
May smiled, pleased to be proven right. "I think you'll be busy everyday," she added.
"Seems that way," Peter agreed. He frowned a little. " I hate missing school. It's my junior year!"
"I know, sweetie. But as soon as we try to register you anywhere..."
Peter cut her off, "The reporters will show up and we'll probably just move somewhere else. I know."
"You can get back to school as soon as things settle," May told him. "In the meantime, you deserve the break. I think our time here will be good for everyone."
Peter was quiet for a moment before answering, "I hope you're right. I don't think I'll be able to forgive myself if I make trouble for them."
"Don't think that way, Peter. Let's just take it one day at a time."
Peter nodded. One day at a time. What could possibly go wrong?
A/N: Side notes: I don't know where the cabin is supposed to be. I know the cabin used for filming is in Georgia, but I think of the fictional location as being in New York, maybe up towards the finger lakes or something. I'm imagining that Morgan was about 4 years old when Tony died and is now 5 years old. We will get into what I believe the other surviving Avengers are doing in future chapters.
Like most of my stories, there's always danger lurking in the background. Do you know what the danger could be? Stay tuned and find out. I'm hoping to get back into frequent updates with my stories in the weeks ahead.