Strange frowned when Tony walked through the portal. Not because of Tony, of course, but because of the young man who was walking beside him. Dark-haired and blue-eyed and looking around, excitedly. He was an intelligent man, though, and well aware of the technology that Tony Stark had access to when he needed it.

"Secret identity changing tech?" he asked, looking the newcomer over closely.

Pete grinned.

"It's cool, isn't it? I looked in a mirror and couldn't believe it was me."

Peter had been leaning against his desk in Pepper's office, him and Pepper making sure to stay out of the way of the portal. Her office was spacious, but there was only so much empty space. The cloak of levitation was wrapped around his shoulders and was rubbing on his cheeks and ears. He wondered why the ancient relic didn't sweep itself over to Pete when he came through the portal and start loving up on the other boy.

"Because Pete is Strange's apprentice," Alec reminded him. "The cloak can't love up on an actual magic like it does you. Certainly one that isn't trained."

"Oh. What about when he's done learning magic?"

"It's committed to Strange," Alec told him. "You'll notice that if it has to choose between going somewhere he'll need it and hanging out with you, it'll leave with him."

"True."

"We can have Pete with us, even here," Tony told them, unaware of the silent conversation. "And none the wiser."

"That's pretty smart," Peter said.

Tony smirked, looking back as the portal closed behind them.

"Right? Nick wants it back, though." He looked at Pepper, automatically checking for distress and not finding any. He'd already checked Peter on the way into the room. "What's up?"

"We found out where the figurine is that Pete touched," Stephen said.

"And you're ready to figure out how to get him back where he belongs?"

"No." Stephen's expression was wry. "Peter tells me that the Collector has it."

"That's the guy with the reality stone?" Tony asked. "And was in Wakanda with the make a wish rock?"

"He's the one, yes." Stephen didn't bother to correct him on the make a wish rock thing, since it was somewhat of an apt description. "Now that we know where it is, I can go take a look at it and see if we can figure out how it works and what to do to correct whatever happened to send Pete to us."

"You're not planning on taking Peter, though, right?"

The sorcerer shook his head.

"I wasn't planning on it. I'm going to go have a conversation with the Collector and ask him to allow me to look at it. But I wanted you – and Peter – to know, in case he decides to be difficult about this and I need to do some name dropping."

"So you want to bully him," Pepper said.

Strange made a pained face.

"Bully is such a harsh word."

"But that's what you're going to do, right?" Tony asked. "If he gives you a hard time?"

"Maybe."

Peter hesitated.

"I could go with you."

"I don't want you anywhere near that rock," Tony said before Stephen could.

"Agreed," the sorcerer supreme said. "You might end up being plenty of help when we find the figurine and have a chance to study it, but the reality stone would be much too close to you for my comfort."

"Oh." He shrugged, not wanting to make any of them worried – especially when he didn't need to. "I understand."

"Good."

"You're going to the Collector?" Pete asked, his imitation expression suddenly excited. "Really?"

"I am," Stephen confirmed. "Do you know who that is?"

"He's the one that wanted to buy the time stone from you," Pete said. "You told me that he offered you billions for it. Not you," he corrected. "But the other you. In my reality."

"Correct." Strange smiled. "And did he tell you that the collector already has the reality stone?"

"No." he shrugged. "Then I wouldn't be able to go with you. Not if it isn't shielded like the time stone is at the sanctum."

Telling all of them that he knew just how dangerous the infinity stones were to him. Either because Strange had figured it out and warned him, or because he'd learned the hard way from close contact with the time stone.

"He learned it the hard way," Alec said. "Just like you did – and with the same results."

"You were never going to be invited," Stephen told him. "The Collector has an interesting array of items and relics – and there is no way I'd want you anywhere near any of them."

"Not to mention he's already mentioned wanting to collect Peter," Tony added. "You two will both being keeping your feet on this planet. Understood?"

A not-so-subtle reminder to them (and especially Peter) that he didn't want either of them deciding to go help Stephen if they heard something had happened.

"Yes," Peter said, nodding.

Tony looked at Pete, pointedly, and he nodded, too.

"Of course."

Stephen looked somewhat relieved and looked at Tony.

"I'm going to head to the sanctum," he told them. "Do you want me to take you back to the compound?"

Tony shook his head, looking at Pete.

"No. He's in disguise. I think we'll show him around the tower."

Pete smiled, excited, and the cloak made a grumbling sound in Peter's mind and disengaged, flying over to Stephen.

"I'll have Wong check in with you if he learns anything before I return."

"You do that," Tony said. "Let us know if you need any help, too," he added.

"Thanks."

The sorcerer vanished, and Tony looked at Pepper.

"Can Peter come with us?" he asked her. "Or does he have something pressing due for school?"

She smiled at those hopeful brown eyes that were suddenly looking at her, imploringly.

"I think he's done for the day," she conceded. "He did finish the important assignments. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let him go with you guys."

"Thanks," Peter told her, hugging her, quickly. "Where are we going, first?" he asked his father as he walked over to stand by Pete.

"Let's start with the R&D labs and work our way down until he gets bored…"

Pete shook his head, looking around the room they were in. It was opulent and incredible – and it was just an office.

"That's never going to happen," he said.

Peter understood, completely.

OOOOOOO

"Well?"

Strange sighed, and leaned back in his chair, pushing the book away from him and looking at the small statue that was sitting on the table in front of them. He and Wong had spent the last twenty hours looking for any writings that they could find on it. Wong more than Stephen, since the sorcerer supreme had also spent as much time as possible making sure that May wasn't any more panicked than she already was.

He was certain that the only thing that was keeping her from breaking down completely was the images that they'd had of Peter. They'd seen him on the plane. And had then seen him in the company of someone who looked a lot like Tony Stark – although May thought that maybe that had simply been their imagination, since she couldn't think of any reason that her nephew would be with the billionaire.

But another vision of the two together, and this time they were in some kind of workroom, both fiddling with displays and maybe doing research? It certainly had looked like the man, and May had been relieved. He was with Ironman. Who better to keep him safe and out of trouble? They hadn't seen any signs of Wong or of Stephen, however, and wondered what that meant? Maybe there wasn't a sanctum in the reality Peter had wound up being sent to? Maybe there was? Only there were other sorcerers running it, and none had been willing to help Peter? Maybe he hadn't found them, yet?

The possibilities were endless, Stephen had reminded May, holding her hand and pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead. But they weren't going to stop until they had him back.

"I don't see anything here," Strange said, looking at Wong. "It wouldn't do us any good to just randomly hop through realities and try to find him that way – we could jump from one to another every second and not find him in 500 years."

"Not to mention it's not that easy to do," Wong added.

"True. What do you make of these visions?" he asked the other man. "It isn't simply wishful thinking…"

"No. Obviously not, since all three of us are seeing them. Some unknown being?" Wong hazarded. "Maybe a benevolent one watching and waiting to see if we figure it out?"

Strange scowled at that.

"I'd like my apprentice back in one piece," he said. "If someone's just watching and waiting, that's not enough. They could help."

Wong shrugged, understanding.

"Not much you can do about it," he told him. "Maybe it'll give us an idea. Or maybe it's keeping an eye on Peter for us until we figure out how to get him back."

"Maybe." Stephen wasn't going to hold his breath, counting on someone – or something – else. "I'm going to go to China," he said.

"You've been there."

"Maybe I missed something. I'll look through the library of Alexandria collection, this time, even though it's well-catalogued."

"I'll keep looking, here."

"Thanks."