Epilogue

"Tony…?"

The softly spoken name was accompanied by a gentle shake to his shoulder, and Stark opened his eyes, looking up at Natasha Romanoff, who was looking amused.

"Hmmm?"

"We're on final approach. I thought you'd want to make sure you were awake enough to look suitably heroic."

Pepper had opened her eyes about the same time Tony had, and she chuckled when she heard Romanoff.

"Don't encourage her, Pep," Tony grumbled, stretching, although he was careful not to dislodge Peter when he realized the boy was still asleep, sprawled along the pull down seat that went along the fuselage of the Quinjet, his head on his father's leg and a warm throw draped over him to keep him warm, even with his flight suit on. "She's already too smug for her own good."

"It isn't being smug if you're really that good," Natasha pointed out. "We're about three minutes from the shield, and then another ten minutes or so to the palace landing zone. Do you want me to wake Peter? Or are you going to?"

"Who's flying the plane?"

"Clint."

"Go up front," Tony told her, pretending to be concerned – although he knew Barton was a skilled pilot. "We'll be ready by the time we land."

She left, stopping long enough to make sure Steve and Nick were both awake, but those conversations were both short ones. Bucky hadn't slept during the long flight, but he hadn't kept any of them awake with chit-chat, either. He was still getting used to the idea of being invited places and had been studying the information that they had in their databases about Wakanda, instead. Tony looked over at Pepper.

"Well? Are you ready for a little pomp and ceremony?"

"T'Chaka said he'd make sure it wasn't too crazy," Pepper reminded him.

"He was trying to save himself a trip out to visit us," came the rejoinder. "He'd say anything, I bet."

Tony smiled down at their son, resting his hand, lightly, on the boy's shoulder and shaking him. Peter mumbled something and the rolled a little, looking up, sleepily.

"Hmmm?"

"We're almost there."

The sleepiness faded, immediately, and Peter's brown eyes widened, excitedly. He sat up, the blanket falling to the seat, and looking around.

"We're there?"

"Almost," Pepper said, amused. "Natasha said we're about ten minutes out."

"Wow!" Now he was wide awake and straining to get a look out the front of the jet. All he could really see, though, was the bright sunshine that they'd been told to anticipate. "This is going to be neat."

Tony looked at Pepper, amused and pleased to see him so excited. And why not? The trip was really about him, although not everyone was being told that. Only 3 weeks after Shuri had returned to Wakanda with her family, Tony had received a call from T'Challa – a call that he'd expected, thanks to a heads-up from Jarvis. Shuri had completed Peter's new suit, and she wanted to give it to him.

"My father asks that you and your family come to us, this time," T'Challa had said, after the proper amount of pleasantries, where both had asked about the others' families. "Not only because it will save him the inconvenience of a formal visit to your country, but because he wants to show you Wakanda, since you were so gracious to us – and to Shuri."

Especially to Shuri.

"Peter's due to start school in a few weeks," Tony had mentioned, but T'Challa had nodded, not showing any concern.

"We are aware." Peter and Shuri spoke to each other all the time, now, and both of them had no problem telling their respective parents about most of the conversations. Shuri hadn't made a secret of the fact that it was a matter of her own honor that she build Peter a suit to replace the one that had been damaged because of her own actions, and she'd been excited to tell him about the progress she was making on it. Which he then shared with the others. Now it was done, and she wanted to give it to him in person, rather than simply send it to him. It would give them another chance to spend time together in person before both became busy now that summer was waning and the seasons were changing. "I am formally inviting you to come to Wakanda and enjoy our hospitality before he goes back to school. Stay for a day, or for a week – or two. We would enjoy your company."

"Let me talk to Pepper," Tony had replied, pleased at the invitation and not bothering to hide it. "But we'd love to come. Thank your father for us."

"I will do so," T'Challa had told him, looking pleased at the response. "I am tasked with handling the arrangements," he'd said. "So call me if there are any concerns. And advise your Avengers that they are welcomed, as well."

They weren't – technically – Tony's Avengers, but they'd been interested when the invitation had been tendered, and Nick had surprised Tony by accepting.

"They're potential allies," Natasha had explained to him, later. "Of course he wants to accept an invitation to go see what they can do."

So Pepper had cleared her and Tony's schedules for a week before Peter started school and the little family had boarded the Quinjet – Nick's idea, since it was more secure and was much faster than even the Stark Industries jets could go. No sense spending half the trip traveling, after all.

"Now remember," Pepper said, standing up to allow a chance to stretch her legs a little. "It's a formal greeting, first." She was telling Peter, but the others were listening. Pepper had done all of the conversations with T'Challa once the invitation had been accepted. She was the more organized of her and Tony, and better at that kind of thing. "That means you can't just run over and say hello when we get off the plane. You have to follow the ceremony."

Peter smiled, not at all annoyed.

"I know," he assured her. "Shuri told me."

"Good."

"We're over Wakanda, now," Barton called from the front of the plane. "You guys should take a look at this place."

It was a little crowded when they did, but the wide cockpit window allowed them all to see without impeding the pilots – once Steve had picked Peter up so he could see, too.

"It's pretty," Pepper said, softly.

"I'll buy it for you," Tony told her, catching her hand. "Say the word."

Pleased at the sincerity in his voice and amused and a little embarrassed – but the good kind – she squeezed his hand.

"I have enough trouble running a company," she grumbled, good-naturedly. "The last thing I want is to try and run a country."

"Not to mention, you probably couldn't afford it," Fury added, also amused. "Vibranium isn't cheap."

"And you'd have to battle T'Chaka," Peter pointed out. "Friends don't fight friends to take over their countries…"

"That's a pretty good rule," Tony told his son.

"Yeah." He grinned. "Besides, you're Ironman," he said. "You can't be a turd."

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"We talked about that word."

Peter's eyes widened, innocently.

"You said it, first," he reminded her.

Tony smirked; she'd told him – word for word – what Peter had just said. Unaware that their son had been in Tony's office (and not in daycare like she'd assumed) she'd gone over her own set of ground rules for his behavior for their trip. Not a serious list, of course – Tony wasn't as much of an ass as he once had been – but he still had his moments when he was annoyed, and she'd wanted to make sure he remembered that this wasn't a trip to Washington DC, and royalty wasn't the same as politicians.

"I know. Just don't use it, again. It isn't polite."

"And she'll give you five dollars," Clint said.

"Fifty," Peter countered, grinning.

He could see the palace in front of them, now. There was a large field that was empty, but there were a lot of people gathered around the edges of it.

"Don't press your lucky, buddy," Tony told him, reaching over and tousling his hair. "Or we'll tie you to the roof for the flight home."

The boy giggled at that, but Natasha looked over at them all.

"Go buckle in," she ordered. "We're going to be landing in a minute."

"Oh, boy!" Peter wriggled so Steve would set him on his feet, and then he hurried back to his spot to get his harness on.

The others smiled.

"Don't be a turd," Pepper whispered to Tony as they turned, as well.

"I heard that," Peter called, giggling.

She rolled her eyes, again, ignoring her husband's snort of amusement. Then went with the others to get buckled in.

It should be a good time, really, and she was looking forward to it. There weren't a lot of people who could say they spent part of their summer break in Wakanda, after all.

It would be a story to tell, someday.

The End

OOOOOOOOOO

So there it is! We have our two favorite little kids together, now. I'm sorry about how long this took and how unorganized the posting schedule was. Work is crazy and homelife definitely needed to come first, but I enjoyed writing, and will most likely visit little kid Peter, again, some day. The next story will be back in my regular AU, though, and I'm pretty sure it will be the international competition - spoiler alert.

Thanks for reading!