AN: Hey all. Sorry about the wait. I'm not sick, or anything, and life is good. It's just the holidays and working. And that I was really wrestling with how to suggest Pete and Tony get together in their alt reality. Hope all of you had a great New Year, and I hope this year is a great one for all of us.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Wow…"

Tony nodded his agreement to Pete's uttered interjection as he paused the recording that he'd taken.

"And that's just some of the stuff that was close by," he told them. "There was a ton of it in all directions."

"What else did you bring back?" Fury asked, curiously.

The billionaire smirked.

"No pockets in my suit."

"And Stephen wouldn't let you…" Pepper added.

"There is that," he conceded. There weren't very many people who could keep the strong-willed man in line, but Stephen Strange was one of them. Usually. "It was an interesting place, though."

"Looks like it," Fury agreed. "What's the plan, now?" he asked. "They have Pete, here, touch it and he goes back to his own reality?"

"I doubt it will be that simple," Tony told them all – even though most of them already knew it. "Stephen said they were going to sleep on it." He looked at Pete. "I want you to stick around the compound, from now on, okay? Just in case something comes up and they need you at a moment's notice."

The boy nodded.

"Okay."

"Good. It doesn't mean you need to be hyper alert or anything," he added. "Stephen or Wong will give us notice, I'm sure. I just don't want to have to go looking for you."

"Right."

"We'll make sure that they do," Natasha told him – and Pete. She had watched the recording Tony had made with interest (and had watched Stephen in the recording to verify that was alright as Tony had said. Now she was ready to call it a night – and maybe call him. "We want you back where you belong, but I'd hate to not have a chance to say goodbye, first."

Pete smiled at that.

"I'd like that, too."

The group that had been in the conference room watching the recording broke up, then, as the others had to go take care of their own things that needed attention. Tony and pepper stayed behind with Peter and Pete, however, and the billionaire turned off the display.

"Stephen didn't really give me a timeline," he told Pete. "But I can't imagine that they're going to rush things."

"Doctor Strange is pretty methodical," the boy agreed. "And Wong is even worse."

"Yeah."

"We want to figure out a way for Pete to get in touch with your alternate self," Pepper told her husband. "And maybe the Avengers through that connection with you. Any suggestions on the best way he should approach you in his reality to make sure you don't just blow him off as another fanboy?"

Tony didn't smirk like Peter half expected him to. He looked at Pete, thoughtfully.

"Everyone knows you're Spider-man, right?"

"Yes."

"And none of the Avengers have come looking you up?"

"No." He shrugged. "Not that I know of, I mean."

"He's a minor, though, right?" Pepper reminded them. "They might not be able to until he's eighteen. Or maybe they spoke with May?"

"She didn't say anything," Pete pointed out. "She would have, I think."

"Yeah, definitely," Peter agreed.

"Unless she was worried about you doing anything to crazy," Pepper said. "Maybe they did and she told them to wait until you're out of school…?"

"Huh." Pete shrugged looking at Peter, who also hesitated at that, "Maybe."

"Either way, if you don't want to wait to talk to my alternate me – and you shouldn't," Tony added. "Then you definitely need to get my attention. Being Spiderman is interesting enough that I wouldn't ignore you, immediately, but if you're low key off the grid like you say you are, then Tony Stark isn't going to come looking for you – unless he needed something from you."

"Which isn't too likely," Pete mused.

"Right."

"We discussed this, earlier," Pepper told her husband. "And we think that he should – eventually – tell the other Tony that he came here. It would be interesting enough to get your attention."

"True." Stark rubbed his cheek. "But how he would respond will definitely depend on where he is. Maturity-wise, I mean."

"What do you mean?" Pete asked, curiously.

Pepper answered.

"Tony can be – and was in the past – a bit of a…"

"Dick," the billionaire replied. "If I'm in my it's all about me stage, then you're not going to get much out of me. If I'm over that, then we'll be able to talk."

"How do I know?" Pete asked, curiously.

"You find Pepper, first."

Even Pepper was surprised by that – and she knew Tony best.

"Me?"

He nodded, smiling at her reaction – and a little surprised that she hadn't figured it out, herself.

"You're the only one I've ever listened to," he told her. "Especially when I was at my most awful."

"You never listened to me, Tony."

"You didn't think I did," he agreed. "But I did – and I still do." He turned to Pete. "You approach Pepper, first – and not by swooping in at the end of a web and scaring her," he added. "You approach her and tell her who you are – but don't tell her about coming here and meeting us. Then, when she finds out you're not a crazy person, she can help you figure out how best to approach me."

"That's a good idea," Peter approved.

Tony smirked, assuming an air of superiority that was very much part of his history but not something he did, now, in any serious capacity.

"Of course it's a good idea."

"You should totally take a bunch of pictures of us, though," Peter added. "Not, necessarily to show Tony or Pepper – although maybe you can, later – but to show May and Stephen and Wong where you were, and who you were with."

Pete grinned; he'd actually hoped to do so. Even if he couldn't post them on his social media (who would believe he was hanging out with Natasha Romanoff?) he wanted to have proof of where he'd ended up.

"Can I?" he asked Tony, knowing that he was the one who could allow it. If Stark didn't want Pete to leave with any electronic evidence of his stay, the powerful AI he controlled would make sure that he didn't. "Please?"

Tony rolled his eyes, amused to discover that he had no more defense against Pete's big, hopeful, eyes than he did Peter's.

"I don't see why not."

"You can show May my tattoo," Peter suggested. "Maybe she'll let you have one."

"Good idea."

"Good luck with that," Tony told him. He stretched. "I'm starving. Did you guys eat, yet?"

"Yes." Pepper smiled at his annoyed look. "We didn't know how long you were going to be gone," she reminded him. "You didn't want us wasting away to nothing while we waited, did you?"

He harrumphed, but he wasn't too annoyed.

"Well, I'm going to go eat."

"I'll come with you," Pepper told him. She could always keep him company while he ate – and she was curious about his own observation of his recent adventure. Besides, if nothing else, she could read emails or notes. Pepper looked at Pete and Peter. "Boys?"

Peter shook his head, glancing at Pete.

"We're going to go start thinking of things Pete can take pictures of to take back with him."

"Nothing of my technology," Tony told him, standing up, offering Pepper his hand, but looking at Pete, seriously. "I don't want anyone else to have a chance to access it, and your network is definitely not as secure as mine – in any reality."

"That makes sense."

"And nothing in any secure areas, here," he added. "Or anything too interesting."

"Right." Peter rolled his eyes. "We'll take pictures of my shoes – and maybe the sink in my bathroom."

Pepper chuckled at that, also standing.

"Use common sense, boys," she told them. "And let Nick or Tony look through them before you finalize."

"We will," Pete assured her. He smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Tony told him. "Come find us, later," he added. "We'll get pictures of me in my suit for you."

"And me in mine?" Peter asked.

Stark hesitated at that, because it was a mixture of some serious tech and anyone that saw it would know, immediately. Of course, vibranium and Stark tech weren't common enough that the average tech nerd would be able to garner much – if anything – from a picture of Peter's Spider suit, but he wasn't sure.

"Let me think about it," he said. "I'll let you know, later. When I'm not hangry."

Peter smiled.

"Okay."

He and Pete left, with Nutmeg in Pete's grasp, and Pepper turned to her husband, sliding her arm through his.

"There's never a dull moment, is there?"

He shook his head.

"Nope."

But that wasn't so bad. Tony didn't care for dull.