"She didn't last long, did she?"

Pepper smiled down at the little girl who was sprawled on the sofa, soundly sleeping.

"Nope." She turned and looked down at Peter, who was also asleep. "Of course, neither did Peter."

"Yeah." They'd had some time in the game room and then had retired to the living room. Tony wanted a relatively quiet night and Pepper had pointed out that settling them down with a movie – not something too exciting – would probably be their best bet. Sure enough, it worked and Peter was leaned against Tony's side, snoring, lightly, before the movie was even a quarter of the way in. Shuri had lasted a little longer, but she was warm, and comfortable, and filled with food, and all of that overrode the fact that she was spending her first night ever in a strange place and was watching a new Disney movie that she'd never even heard of, yet. She, too, was asleep, soon, and she'd rested her head on the arm of the sofa, drooling a little on the fine leather. "Let's get them to bed."

He caught Peter up into his arms as he got to his feet, shushing the boy when he roused, slightly, and pressing a light kiss against his cheek. Pepper led the way into his room, turning back the blankets on the bottom bunk for Tony, who then put their son to bed. They both smiled at the way he went right back to sleep – assuming he had ever really woken – and the bear tucked into the crook of his arm, automatically.

"Come on, husband," Pepper whispered, well aware that Tony could watch the boy sleep for hours if she allowed it. "We have another one to get to bed."

He rolled his eyes at that, but didn't argue.

"You got him, JARVIS?"

"Of course."

They repeated the process with Shuri, tucking her into the bed in the guest room and then closing the door softly behind them. JARVIS wasn't in the guest room – aside from the sensor on the windows to detect anyone who might try sneaking into the house – as if JARVIS would allow them to get so close. Since it was still fairly early and they didn't have to work the next day, they went back to the sofa and settled in – and now it was Pepper who was leaned against Tony's side.

"What a day…"

He slid his hand along her arm, leaning into the soft leather and finally relaxing, now that he had her to himself and the kids were asleep and didn't need anything.

"Right? JARVIS is saying that at the earliest the Wakandans could get here is late tomorrow – but it might be even longer."

"So we'll have her another day."

"Right. At least. The embassy has requested emergency visas, so once they come through, we should get some kind of message with an eta and who all is coming."

"So we're going to have to think about what we want to do, tomorrow."

"Let's think about it, later," he suggested, resting his chin on her shoulder. "It's been a stressful day and I'm ready to relax for a while."

"It's the weekend," she reminded him. "We could do something interesting."

"Like what? She's a princess, right?"

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"So she's reminded us a few times."

More like dozens.

"Then she's probably done all kinds of things."

"True." She smirked. "I imagine she hasn't been to the beach too many times."

"It's a thought."

OOOOOOOO

Peter woke with a start, sitting up in his bed, looking around.

"You're fine," JARVIS assured him, gently. "Everything's alright."

The boy nodded, having no problem seeing – even in the dark – that his room was exactly as it had been, before, and not feeling anything in his stomach that might be telling him that something bad was going to happen. It wasn't a hundred percent, though, so he definitely appreciated the AI reassuring him, first.

"Where's Tony?"

"Asleep."

"Pepper?"

"Also sleeping," JARVIS told him, patiently. "Shuri is sitting on the sofa, however, and she is not asleep."

"Why not?"

"You might go ask her," was the suggestion. "I am not planning on instigating conversation with her unless something needs her attention, immediately."

"Oh." He nodded and pushed the blanket back. "Okay. I'll be right back."

Not something the AI needed to know, of course, but Peter didn't think of JARVIS as a computer, usually – even though he knew he was. JARVIS was his friend and had proved it a dozen times.

On silent feet the boy walked across his room and opened the door. He heard Shuri before he saw her, and he frowned as he padded over to check on her.

"Are you alright?"

The girl jumped, startled, and wiped her eyes on her forearm with a sniff.

"I am fine. Thank you."

Peter climbed up onto the sofa.

"What are you doing sitting out here in the dark?"

She sniffed again, debating her response. Shuri had woken in the bed, alone and for the first time in her life away from the comforting confides of the palace where she had been born and had lived her entire life. She had thought herself above such things, but she found that she was lonely. And scared. A huge dark cloud of homesickness settled over her and she'd huddled under the blankets on the fine bed and had stared out into the darkness of the room. Was that shadow moving? Sure, it looked like a branch of a tree outside the window, but what if it wasn't? What if it was something trying to find her? What if it was a person? She was never alone, because she was always a target, she knew. A potential pawn in a game for the Wakandan throne. There were always guards outside her door – just in case she needed something.

And her parents – one or both – were rarely far away.

Another shadow – and this time there was something she knew. Something ran along the branch outside the window; its shadow was huge on the wall across from the glass and making it appear even larger. With a soft sob, she rolled out of the bed, taking the blanket with her but deciding that she was better off in a room that wasn't so empty.

Creeping out into the main room she wasn't surprised that it was dark, too. The large house was quiet, although a gentle light came on somewhere near the wall, presumably in response to her presence. Shuri knew which door that led off of the main room belonged to Peter's bedroom, and which one was Tony and Pepper's. She felt a little safer at the thought that there was only one door between her and the safety of the adults – especially Ironman. Wrapping herself in the blanket, she climbed up onto the sofa and huddled in a small ball, keeping herself a little as possible in order to not be seen by anything that might be hiding in the night.

She'd been there almost twenty minutes when Peter had spoken up and scared her – although by then she'd calmed enough that she didn't embarrass herself by screaming in fear – and she was able to keep her voice calm-ish when she replied.

"Nothing. Why are you awake?"

"I don't sleep, much," Peter told her, shrugging. "And JARVIS said you were out here, and that you aren't asleep. How come?"

"I was thinking…"

"About what?"

"My home," she replied, honestly.

"And your mom and dad?"

"Yes."

He settled beside her, turned sideways so he could sit cross-legged and talk to her without having to turn his head.

"Do you miss them?"

"I did not think that I would," she admitted. "But I do."

"They'll send someone to come and get you, though," Peter reminded her, patting her leg – or at least what he thought was her leg since she had the blanket around her. "You'll see them, soon."

"I know."

Another sniff, and she dried her eyes as well as she could.

"Then don't cry." He sat up onto his knees. "Why don't you come to my room?" he suggested. "We can play Legos until you're sleepy, again."

"I do not want to play Legos."

"I have Avenger ones," he told her, sweetening the suggestion a little. "And Batman. I even have a pretty good building that looks like the compound – a little. Come on," he said, reaching for her arm through the blanket. "You can choose who you want to play with, first. We'll build something neat so you can show your mom and dad."

"They will not see it."

"JARVIS will take a picture," Peter told her, confidently. His grip on her pulled her off the couch without effort and she got tangled in the blankets as the two of them tumbled to the floor. He made a woofing noise when she landed on him, blanket and all, and then giggled. "We could stop and get a pop tart, first," he suggested. "If you're hungry."

"Mr. Stark will not mind?"

"Nope. That's what they're there for, he'll say."

"Very well."

She untangled them from the blanket and allowed him to lead her into the kitchen, feeling much less alone than she had been, before.