Chapter 64

Peter was sitting by himself in the Tower. Toni had to go down a few floors to deal with some pressing emergency, despite her reluctance to do so, and Steve had been called away for a mission.

He knew that neither one of them were happy about leaving him alone, but he'd reassured them that he was going to be fine. He just needed some time to be able to process everything.

Which wasn't exactly true. He felt like his world was ending, and felt like no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn't be able to get over this and move on. How could he when he lost the two people he'd thought of as family? How could he even remotely begin to move on?

But he knew Steve and Toni led busy lives and no matter how much he wanted to stay with them, they couldn't be there with him all the time. Not when they had their own stuff going on. Not when they had the Avengers and Stark Industries to run as well.

He glanced out the window, wishing he could be anywhere else.

He wasn't sure where he'd rather be, and while he knew he was in the best possible spot, all things considered, it didn't change how he felt.

He didn't want to run away in the physical sense. Just mentally. He wanted to run away from his life. From everything that was happening. From the pain, and the never-ending anger. He wanted to run away from all of it and pretend that for just a moment, everything was fine. Pretend that this was all some sort of horrible dream.

"Peter?" Wanda Maximoff asked him as she and her brother came over to where he was sitting. Both of them were still on probation so weren't on the mission with Steve and had agreed to stay with him so he wouldn't be alone. He had insisted on not needing a babysitter, and yet he'd gotten two anyways.

"How are you doing?" Pietro asked, as he sat down beside Peter on the couch.

"How do you think I'm doing?" he asked, before wincing, "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just-"

"Angry?" Wanda offered, "It's scary how easy it comes, isn't it? Alongside all the pain and sadness, anger is right there with it. You don't have to apologise for your feelings, Peter."

"It's not like it's your fault that I'm an orphan," Peter said, "Or even more of one, I guess. I was always an orphan. You weren't the ones responsible for this. It was the fault of the man who shot Uncle Ben. If it weren't for us being there, then none of this would be happening."

"We cannot change the past," Pietro said to him, gently. "Believe me, I've spent more than my share of days wishing that we could. That we could have gotten out of our house that day quicker. That the missile that hit our house could have done so five minutes later. The powers Wanda and I have, if we just had them back then, we could have saved them."

"But we wouldn't have our powers with that day happening," Wanda added, "I'd trade my powers for my parents if I could, but I cannot. This is the lives we have now, and we need to keep living, even when it seems like there is going to be nothing but pain and darkness."

"I hate him so much," Peter said, looking at them both, "The man who shot my uncle. I didn't think I'd ever be capable of hating anyone, but I hate him. Was stealing a car worth the price of someone's life? Uncle Ben would have given it to him without having to get shot. He'd still be here now. We weren't exactly rich, but we weren't poor either. We could have afforded losing the car, given the circumstances. He didn't need to kill my uncle. And I hate him for it. I hate him and want him to face his dues."

"Don't," Wanda said after a moment, "Pietro and I spent years of our lives hating Toni Stark. We hated her because we thought she was responsible for our parents' death. That they died senselessly in a war they weren't in. Toni wasn't responsible for their deaths and we know that now. But we allowed it to consume us. We would have done anything for our vengeance. We would have destroyed the world just to bring her down, if it would mean our parents could have been avenged. And in trying to seek our revenge, we lost ourselves. We didn't have normal childhoods anymore. We dropped out of school to join what we thought was SHIELD. We didn't dream about our future or our careers, we dreamt of nothing but bloodshed."

"Vengeance won't bring your family back," Pietro told him. "It won't bring your uncle or aunt back. Nothing is that powerful. Nothing can return something that was lost. Instead, you must seek to move forward. What can you do now, going forward? This is your life now, Peter. What kind of life will you live?"

"Learn from our mistakes," Wanda nodded, "We nearly ended the world in our rage and no amount of doing the right thing can making up for that and for the pain we've caused. You're young, and while we do not know you well, in the time we've gotten to know you, you seem like a kind-hearted kid. Do not go down the same path Pietro and I went down. Bring the man to justice, but do not bring him to the doors of death."

"You're right," Peter said, looking at them both, with a sense of understanding. He hadn't understood what drove them before, when he'd lost his parents too, but didn't want to end the world over it. But his parent's death had been an accident, and his uncle's was not.

Revenge wasn't the answer.

And maybe Peter Parker couldn't bring them to justice, but maybe with the help of his newfound powers and a new mask, he'd be able to.


The social worker came by exactly a week after the death of the May and Ben Parker to see the home situation that was Peter's new life.

Toni would be lying if she said she wasn't a little worried. Not just that she was an unfit parent for Peter, because she was worried about that too, despite Steve's constant reassurances. No, she was worried because if the social worker thought that she was unfit as well, then Peter would be taken from her custody and dumped into the foster system where he'd remain for the next four years.

And he definitely did not deserve that. He didn't deserve to rot away in a system where he would be thrown from home to home with no stability. It wasn't to say that all foster homes were bad. But they were notoriously horrible, and she didn't want Peter to even be at risk to end up in one of those homes.

"It's going to be okay," Steve told both her and Peter in a soothing voice. They were sitting at the table on their floor as she attempted to stomach her breakfast.

"What if it's not?" Peter asked quietly, "What if they say I have to leave? I can't lose you guys. Not after everything else. I can't be left alone."

"You won't be," she promised him, "We'll fight for you, Darling. Your Aunt and Uncle trusted Steve and I. I won't let them down. We'll fight for you for however long we need to so we can ensure that you are placed in a loving home. In our home."

Steve took her hand then, glancing at her briefly before looking over at Peter.

"We'll do whatever it takes," Steve promised them both.

"But what if-" Peter started, and she placed a hand on his gently.

"No what if's," she told him, "We'll handle whatever comes our way, but I don't want you to worry about the different outcomes, Peter. Not unless it becomes a real worry. We'll take this one step at a time, okay? See what happens, and make sure that we don't lose sight of what's important. No matter what they say, you're family, Peter. I'll always be here for you, and you'll always have a room here and a place in my lab beside me."

"Okay," Peter said, with a soft nod.

"Miss," JARVIS said then, "Mrs Cameron from Social Services has entered the building. I am directing her to this floor as requested."

Steve began clearing the table as she pulled Peter into a quick hug to reassure him.

"We'll get together this together," Steve told Peter with a nod, as the elevator chimed then.

She stood to go greet the woman, as Steve and Peter moved behind her. A tall, burly woman stepped out of the elevator then, carrying an oversized purse.

"Ms Stark," the woman said, "Captain Rogers. And this must be Peter."

She was kind enough to smile at Peter and for that, Toni was grateful. If any of them were able to put Peter at rest in any way possible, then she would take it.

"Toni, if you please," she said, smiling as kindly as she could. "Please come in. We just finished up breakfast."

She guided the lady towards the sitting area, as she took a seat beside Peter on the couch, while Mrs Cameron sat across from them. Steve sat on the armchair beside her, and she gave him a small smile.

"I must say," Mrs Cameron said, "I was a bit confused when I heard of the situation. It's not everyday Iron Woman and Captain America decide to take in a child. May I ask about the circumstances? Clearly you are familiar with each other. How did that happen? And to take in a child now?"

The implications were clear.

Why take in a child with nothing? How did it benefit her to take in Peter? Was she going to use him for good publicity?

"I've known Peter for several years now," Toni told her. "I met him at the Stark Expo and was impressed by ingenuity at a young age. So despite the strange circumstances, I approached his aunt and uncle to ask if I could mentor him. I saw a lot of myself in him and wanted to further nurture him to help him succeed. And well, over the years his family has become like my own. His Aunt and Uncle requested that I take care of him if anything happened, and I'd like to fulfill their wishes."

"Do you have any experience raising children?" Mrs Cameron asked, as she jotted down a few notes. "It's not a simple task."

"Not human ones, no," she said, and at Cameron's confusion, she elaborated, "I'm not sure if you are aware, but I have several robots and AI's. it can be a confusing concept to those without a technical background, however I consider them to be my own children. They have their own distinct personalities, wants, needs, and quirks. Of course it is not the same as raising humans, but I do consider them to be mine."

"Okay," the social worker said, not sounding too sure about it.

She wasn't offended by that, not when most people didn't understand her relationship with her bots. The only ones who truly saw them for what they were, were the people close to her in her life.

"You're a busy woman, Toni," Mrs Cameron said, "As are you, Captain. Can you comment on how you would both balance your personal lives to handle bringing a child up? Peter may not require as much attention as a younger child, however there is a certain amount of effort you will both need to put in to ensure that Peter is raised in a loving, welcoming home. How do you plan on making time from your busy lives?"

"I won't lie and say that Steve and I will be available all the time," Toni said, glancing at Steve. "We both do lead busy lives. But Peter is our priority. We'll make sure to be here for mealtimes, for the big moments, and whenever we have down time. Unless I'm on a trip, I work down a few floors, so it's not a huge issue for me to come up when Peter is done school. If I don't finish working by that time, I can always put it aside til later in the day."

"I train at the Avengers facility most days," Steve said, "With the team. However, I try and schedule training times to be during the day so I can make it back to spend my evenings with Toni and with Peter. Unless I'm on a mission, I'm here most days."

"Let's talk about that a little more, shall we?" the social worker said, looking at them both. "Even having taking a step back from the Avengers, Toni, you and Steve are both superheroes. We don't exactly have a policy for people with that occupation trying to adopt a child. How can you guarantee that you'll be here for Peter when he needs you, if you are busy off saving the world? I imagine calls don't come in at opportune times for that sort of thing. Will you miss important moments in his life while trying to save the world? And more importantly, what happens if one or both of you get injured, or God forbid lose your lives in the field. Do you have any sort of plan for that sort of event? Peter has lost two sets of guardians already; is it fair for him to lose another set?"

Toni looked at Peter, who hunched over then, looking upset by the question. And she didn't blame him. She knew it was something he struggled with; that everyone in his life would die and he'd be alone. They'd talked about it a few times since his aunt and uncle passed away, and while she could promise him she would always be there, she promised him he'd never be alone.

"We've talked about this a few times," Steve said, "Toni and I. As you know, she's taken a step back from the Avengers other than in cases of emergencies. Toni and I are planning on getting married next year, and one of the things we've discussed is how we'd handle raising potential children in the future. My father was gone long before I was born, and hers wasn't present growing up. But we each had our mothers. In an ideal world we could promise to both be here all the time. But we live somewhat dangerous lives. No point pretending that we don't. We don't want our children to grow up alone. We discussed having a policy where unless the entire world is at stake one of us stay at home with the children. That way, regardless of what happens with the mission, there will always be one parent around."

She smiled sadly, looking at Steve. She couldn't imagine a world without him in it. A world where he died in battle and she was left alone. It hurt to think about; she'd been on her own, romantic wise, for years, and with Steve, it finally felt like she was complete.

But it terrified her even more to think of her children living alone without either of them. For Peter and any other kids that they may have on their own, because something happened to her.

She never wanted them to think they weren't her first priority in her life. Not like Howard had made her feel.

They deserved better than that. They deserved to know she loved them and that she wanted them. And she did, with Peter anyways. She might not have wanted to become his guardian in the way she had, but she cared for him.

The social worker looked a bit surprised at that.

"You would be fine sitting on the sidelines while your partner is out there fighting with the rest of the Avengers?" Mrs Cameron leaned forward and looked up at both of them. "That can't be easy. Not when the lives of others are at stake. It's something families where both of the guardians are first responders often struggle with. You wouldn't be tempted? Both of your powers are different, so you'd be losing a skillset in the field if you needed it. What if something were to happen where one of you ended up being needed as well?"

"We're not saying it'll be easy," Toni said softly. "It'll be hard to see the other putting their life at risk. But if there's a case where Iron Woman's powers are needed and Steve is on the field, then War Machine can step in, in my place. And while James Barnes isn't fully field ready, I'm sure he'd be willing to offer a hand in the future when he is if the reverse were to happen. It's harder for me to pilot the suit remotely, as I don't get the same gage of the field, but if I needed to, I could. It would take more effort, but I don't need to be on the field if I needed to be at home with my children instead."

"I see," she said, as she jotted down a few notes, not really revealing one way or another how she felt about the personal situation. "You are aware that technically May and Ben Parker only listed yourself, Toni, as Peter's legal guardian in the case that something happened to them, correct?"

"I was aware of this," she said, not entirely sure what it would mean for them. "However, Steve and I are planning on getting married around June of next year. We were also hoping that we'd be able to adopt Peter, to give him a bit more stability."

"But not at this moment," Mrs Cameron said, looking at them. She closed her notebook and sat up straight, "I'm going to be frank with both of you. This isn't a normal case, as we've talked about before, so we have no real procedure for how to handle this. That means it'll be up to my discretion to decide if I think it's acceptable for Peter to be placed in your care or if I think he'd be better suited in another home."

She paused, as she looked over at both of them. "The most important thing that I look for in outlier cases such as these is if I truly think that this would be what is best for the child. If I were to place Peter in your care, I need to ensure that he'd be given a good life. And it's clear to me that both of you seem to truly care about him, so that's not a point of concern for me. What is, however, is if you can provide him a truly stable experience. Can you promise that he'd be safe here at all times? Can you promise that he wouldn't be attacked because he was in your care? Or that you'd be able to be there for all the important moments in his life? No one is doubting your importance to our world, Ms Stark. You run one of the most lucrative companies on this planet. And on top of that, you protect the lives of millions of people world-wide."

"Custody would be transferred to you, given you are the one May and Ben Parker nominated," Mrs Cameron said, looking at Toni, "And as you are an unmarried couple, it'll be harder for Captain Rogers to get custody as well. He'd have to go through a second-parent adoption, which is normally a straightforward procedure. However, because both of you live highly unstable lives, I cannot promise that any of this will be a simple process. The courts will need to determine if they find you to be a fit parent. I'm not going to sugar coat this, if you were married, it would be a lot easier, and perhaps you can apply again after your wedding. But until then, this will be an uphill battle for both of you."

"But if we were married, say tomorrow, then we could have custody of Peter immediately?" Toni said, clarifying what the social worker meant.

The wheels in her head started turning at that, as she started thinking of what this would mean for them.

Being Iron Woman and CEO of Stark Industries meant she'd have a harder time getting custody of Peter. And that if something went wrong, he'd be thrown straight into the system.

But if she were married…

She loved Steve. She loved him since the moment he stood up in front of the world and told them they didn't know a thing about her. That they weren't truly seeing her, not like he was.

She loved cuddling with him on the couch as she showed him her favourite movies, or waking up with him beside her, having crawled back to bed after showering from his morning runs. She loved fighting by his side, knowing he had her back, just as she had his. And she loved knowing they would come home to each other each day.

She could marry him in seven months, or she could marry him today. It wouldn't change how she felt about him. It wouldn't change that she loved him more than words could possibly describe. It wouldn't change any of that.

She glanced over at Steve, wanting to gage his reaction. Neither of them said a word as they just stared into each other's eyes, having a silent conversation amongst themselves.

They didn't need to say a single word. Not when both of them just knew what needed to be done.

He nodded at her, before turning back to Mrs Cameron, "What if we got married now?"

"Say, by the end of this week?" Toni asked, in agreement. "Would we be able to file for immediate custody? And would it help our chances?"

The social worker spluttered at that, a little surprised, "I mean you could, and it would certainly increase your odds, but how do you plan on getting married in a week? It's not like you can just move everything around."

She gave the social worker a wry smile, "I'm Toni Stark," she said simply, "If I want to get married on Saturday so I can take custody of my kid, then not a thing in the world will stop that from being able to happen. Just tell me if we'll get custody or not."

"I'll begin the paperwork," Mrs Cameron said, still shocked, "I'll submit the paperwork and let you know when the court date will be."

"Thank you," Steve said, as the woman stood, "I'll see you out."

She pulled out her phone immediately, as she called Pepper.

"Toni?" Pepper asked, "How did it go with the social worker?"

"Pepper, you know you're the most amazing woman I know, right?" Toni said, wincing as she knew Pepper wouldn't be amused by her request, "And that there is nothing I value more than our friendship. That I adore how you're able to move the moon and the stars to get anything done?"

"What do you want?" Pepper said with a sigh.

"I need to get married this week," she said, "Particularly, on Saturday."

"Excuse me?" Pepper asked, "You are aware that I've been helping plan the loveliest wedding for you and Steve for June, right? That we've already decided on several of the features, like floral arrangements, décor, catering. And you're telling me that you want to get married a whole seven months earlier? Do you have any idea what this will involve?"

"Pep," she said softly, "They're giving us grief about the adoption. Because our lives are a mess. And they're not wrong about that. But if Steve and I were married, it would provide a more stable environment for Peter. I don't care about the ceremony. I could get married in my suit if that's what it takes. I love Steve, and that's all that matters. Adopting Peter is all that matters. Whatever it takes. Please?"

"You're lucky I love you," Pepper sighed, "I'll start making calls to get things moved to this weekend. You're going to have to throw a lot of money at this, but I'll give you the best wedding I can, Toni. You deserve to have a special day."

"Thanks, Pep," she said, before hanging up the phone.

"I'm sorry," Peter said, looking down, "You've had to do so much for me and I keep making your life more complicated. All of this is my fault. If I just went into the system, then you wouldn't have to do any of this. You wouldn't need to rearrange your entire life for me."

"Hey," she said sharply. "None of this is your fault, okay? I want to adopt you. And if getting married sooner is what it takes, then that's not a big price to pay."

"Not when I love her," Steve said, coming back into the room. "It just means I get to call her my wife sooner. It means I get to marry the woman I've loved for years and finally spend the rest of my life with her and you."

"You sap," she said, feeling warm inside.

He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

"You're our family," she said, as she turned to Peter. "And I want you to know that we'll do anything to fight for you, Peter. Be it in this situation or any other. Adopting you is not a burden. You are not a burden. Okay?"

"Okay," Peter said, with a small smile.

"Now, we have a wedding to plan, so how about we get cracking?" she said, as her phone began to light up from all the messages Pepper was sending her.