Epilogue

"So…? Is it happening?"

Peter rolled his eyes, looking over at Pepper, who smiled, but didn't take her eyes off the traffic around them. Then he looked back at his phone.

"If by it, you mean 'am I on my way to school', then yes."

"Real school," Ned clarified. "Not at the tower…"

"Hey," Pepper said, her pride making her speak up, although she was clearly amused. "It was real school."

"You know what I mean, Pepper," Ned said, quickly. "You're bringing him to the building…? To school, and not to your office?"

"I am. Did you have a chance to compare classes?" she asked. "Anything new that I need to know about?"

"Peter has the home ec class and I dodged it, this time," Ned told her – Peter already knew. "But we pretty much have everything else together."

"Because he hacked the school board's system to make sure of it," Peter said.

Ned's eyes grew wide and innocent.

"You don't believe that, do you Pepper? I'd never do anything like that. Peter and I are just involved in the same classes because we have the same interests and the same-"

"I don't believe a word of it, Ned," she interrupted.

"Good." Then he frowned in the image on the phone screen. "Wait. Which part don't you believe?" he asked.

Peter snorted.

"I'm going to hang up, now. I'll see you at school."

"Yeah."

The call ended, and Pepper reached out and put her hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You're ready for this, right?" she asked. "I mean, going back to regular classes?"

"Yeah. Of course." He smiled. "Are you and Tony?"

"He's not happy," she admitted. "He's gotten used to having you around more often – and so have I," she added. "But it's what is best for you, so we're good with it. You need to have time with your friends and classmates."

"Yeah." It was good to be wanted, though, wasn't it? "But Winter break will be coming up next month, so it's not like it'll be forever."

"I pointed that out, too." Ready to change the subject to a less depressing topic that didn't include her not getting to spend all day with him, she smiled. "What does the home ec class consist of? Just cooking?"

"No." He grinned. "I'm going to learn how to sew – although that I already kind of know how – and do things that we should know how to do around the house. Finances, cooking, minor repairs and upkeep, sewing, cooking – and we're even going to get to carry an egg around, according to MJ."

"She's in the class?"

He smirked.

"Yes. But she took it, before."

"Then why is she taking it, again?"

"Because she got an incomplete, last time. Don't ask why, she's touchy about it and would kill me if she knew I told you."

"Your secret's safe with me." Pepper took the exit that would take them into the city. "Anything else I need to know?" she asked. "Any concerns?"

"Nope." Peter smiled, cheerfully, watching as the traffic became more and more congested. "It's good. All of it."

"Good. You make sure to let us know if that changes."

"I will."

OOOOOOOOOOO

"I do not understand this custom…"

T'Challa shook his head.

"It is not a customer, M'Baku… it is a contest. The Avenger tribe introduced it to Shuri and myself, last week."

The leader of the Jabari tribe looked uncertain.

"Why do the Avengers need to toss potatoes across fields?"

"They tossed pumpkins," Shuri told him – and Azoru, who had also been invited to the large field outside the east side of the capitol city. "But we do not have any – and we had plenty of potatoes."

"It seems wasteful," Azoru said, uncertainly.

"The pumpkins needed to be broken up in order to allow the wildlife to eat them through the winter months," the princess explained to him – and to the other Wakandan nobles that had been invited to the demonstration. "These potatoes, too, will feed wildlife."

"The machines are very intricate," T'Challa said, nodding his agreement with his sister. "But have no power sources. They will be displayed in the technology museum for all to see the first Avengers tribe exhibit there."

"But T'Challa wanted to play with them, first," Shuri told Azoru.

The young king frowned.

"I wanted to make certain I fully understand how each one operates," he corrected. "Since I may, actually, be asked to explain them at some future date."

Shuri knew better, but she allowed him to save face – which was extremely important for a king, after all.

"Would you like to try one?" she asked Azoru. "Peter made this one. And Ned designed and made that one."

"Which did Tony make?" the young noble asked, looking at the devices with interest, now.

"This one."

"Hand me a potato," Azoru said. "I am curious to see how far it will fly."

Feigning a disinterest that he definitely didn't feel, M'Baku also stepped forward.

"I would like to try it, as well."

Shuri smiled and started recording. She was certain that Peter and the others would want to see this.

OOOOOOOOO

"Peter Parker is here to see you, Miss Potts."

Pepper nodded, even though there was no one there to see it.

"Send him up, please."

She went around to the other side of her desk and seated herself, easily, behind it, bringing up the display on her desk as she did. There was a soft knock, and then a young man poked his head in. When Pepper gestured for him to come in, he did, closing the door behind him.

Peter Parker was sixteen, she knew, and was dressed in jeans and a button down shirt. A concession to the formality of the meeting, but still very much a teenager, she saw. He was young, she knew, and brilliant, as far as her information about him told her. First in his class, and possessing the crazy abilities that allowed him to be Spider-man – although she actually hadn't discovered that until she'd looked him up. The identity wasn't a secret one, but Spider-man was far more lowkey than Tony Stark and the Avengers were, and only well known in Queens, really. So, yes, she knew plenty about the boy, but she didn't know why he'd called and asked her secretary to get him a small amount of her time.

And there was only one way to find out.

"Mr. Parker."

He smiled, so at ease with her that she was surprised. Usually people she didn't know came into her office nervously. Not because she had a crazy reputation for being rude, or anything, but because she was powerful in her own right, and they knew it. His own cheer forced a smile from her, too, in response.

"Hi, Miss Potts. Thank you for seeing me."

"It isn't every day when an up and coming superhero asks for an interview," she pointed out. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

He shook his head.

"Thank you, though."

"What can I do for you, Mr. parker?" she asked. "Are you looking for an internship? I have to admit, what I've seen of your grades makes me think that you'd fit in very well around here, but we don't normally accept people as young as you…"

He shook his head, and his smile widened.

"No. Nothing like that. Maybe later."

"What then…?"

For the first time, he hesitated – just a little.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"I need to meet Tony Stark," the boy told her. "And I was told you were the one to approach to arrange it."

She frowned.

"Who told you that?"

He smiled, again.

"You did."

Not surprisingly, she frowned.

"What?"

"It's a long story," he said.

Pepper leaned forward, her hands folded on the desk in front of her and her complete attention on the boy, now.

"I'm all ears."

He nodded, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, but kept it in his hand.

"Well… it started a few weeks back – before Thanksgiving…"

The END

A/N: Thanks for reading, guys! I really hated to see this one end, because it was so fun to write. I have an idea already whirling in my head for the next one, which will most likely have a Christmas theme as well as bring in a character not yet seen in this AU. I hope it will be fun, but I definitely needed to keep it separate from this story, since this one was about Peter and Pete.