Happy Saturday people! Update day has finally arrived.

If you don't have the me on author alerts, you might have missed the outtake I posted on Wednesday. It's called Morgan Stark's Busy Day. I've only got the first chapter up, and it's short, but it's a sweet one. Give it a look.

Thank you Rjcarreno77 for pre-reading. You're the best. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. It means so much to me to hear you're enjoying what I'm working so hard on.

Story V is finally working out for me. I've just come to the end of the introductory arc, and it's at 60k. It's going to be a long story, probably much longer than With Great Power, but it's got a plot I think you'll really enjoy. Me and Snarks are both really excited about it.

Chapter Seven

Peter's eyes flew open, and he sucked in air, but there was a weight on his chest that made it hard. His hand reached for the spot the bullet had hit in his nightmare, and he found a warm cheek. He looked down and saw Morgan was lying against his side, her head pillowed on his chest and her arm over him.

He didn't want to wake her, but he couldn't breathe, so he supported her head and slipped out from under her.

His hands were shaking, and his legs felt weak under him as he walked into the bathroom room, splashed cold water over his face, and then lifted his t-shirt. There was a red, puckered scar on his chest, right where the bullet had hit. He ran a finger over it and then dropped the shirt and closed his eyes.

It was just another nightmare, he knew, and the scar couldn't really hurt him, but he was shaken. It was another attempt on his life.

He went back into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Morgan had rolled over, and Spider-Albert was clutched to her chest. He smiled and stroked her hair. The dream was just a dream; this was what was real. His sister had snuck into his bedroom in the night again, real, climbed into bed with him quietly and gently enough not to wake him. It happened. That was his life. That was what was real. The dream was nothing. He couldn't die.

So why was he so shaken?

He stroked Morgan's hair and then froze as her brown eyes cracked open and fixed on him. "Petey," she said drowsily. "Is it playtime?"

"No," Peter said softly. "It's sleepy time."

Morgan rubbed at her face and became more alert. "I don't want to sleep," she said. "I want to play."

Peter chuckled. "Friday, what's the time?"

"It's almost dawn," she said.

Peter nodded. It wasn't too early for them to be awake, really, and though they could not play, there was something they could do together without disturbing anyone else, and it was something he felt a strong urge to do.

"Hey, Mo, shall we go to the roof and watch the sunrise?" he asked.

She nodded eagerly and sat up. "Yeah!"

"We need to bundle up," he said.

He went to the dresser, took out two hoodies and thick socks, and then went back to the bed. Morgan was on her feet, and she dutifully raised her arms so Peter could pull the hoodie over her head. It looked huge on her, like an oversized dress, and he had to roll back the sleeves multiple times to free her hands. He put the socks on her feet, which puddled at her ankles, and then dressed himself and put on sneakers. He had no shoes for her, but he saw her slippers had been left beside the bed before she climbed in with him. He put them on her feet, patted her cheek, then said, "You want a piggyback?"

She nodded eagerly.

He squatted, and she climbed onto his back. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and her hands clasped at his neck.

He grabbed blankets from the end of the bed and said, "Tell Tony and Pepper where we are when they wake up, Friday."

"Of course, Peter," she replied.

Peter carried Morgan out of the room, along the halls to the elevator, and they rode up and out onto the roof. Morgan wriggled out of his hold, and Peter reminded her to stay at his side.

They went to the large air vent, and Peter boosted her to sit on it, wrapped a blanket around her, checked she was warm enough, and then sat down and hugged her to his side.

Morgan nestled closer and said, "Are you having a Peter Day?"

Peter frowned. "What's a Peter day?"

She looked up at him. "You don't know? It's your day?"

"It's early, Mo. My brain hasn't woken up yet."

She giggled. "Okay. A Peter Day is a sad day. Daddy had them before you come back. He would watch the sun come up with me, and he'd be sad."

"You think I'm sad?" he asked.

"Yes. Your mouth is smiling, but your eyes aren't—just like Daddy's wouldn't. He'd tell me stories about you on Peter Days. Momma told me to give him extra hugs on Peter Days because they helped. She said he liked to see what he had. He'd go away sometimes, too, and stay in your special place."

Peter felt dawning realization, and a lump formed in his throat. He thought he knew what a Peter Day was now.

He knew he would have had Tony Days if the situation was reversed, if Tony was the one that had turned to ashes. It made him sad that Tony had struggled sometimes, though, even with everything he'd still had when Peter was gone.

"I'm not having a Peter Day, but I am a little sad," he said. "I had a bad dream that made me scared."

She nodded wisely. "When I have scary dreams, I go to Momma and Daddy's room and get in their bed. Do you want to do that?"

Peter laughed despite himself. "No, Mo. I just need Morgan cuddles to make me feel better."

She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him with all her newly-five-year-old strength.

"I love you, Mo," he said and pressed a kiss to her hair.

She looked up at him and said, "I know," which made Peter laugh again.

Peter hugged her and then turned as he heard the door open behind them. They both looked and saw Tony walking out to them, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"There's my kids," he said. "Friday told me you were up here. I was worried you might be trying backflips off the roof, Pete."

"No," Morgan said, rolling her eyes. "We're waiting for the sun and cuddling."

Tony nodded and came to sit on her other side, giving her a kiss and then squeezing Peter's shoulder and murmuring, too quiet for Morgan to hear but loud enough for Peter's enhanced senses, "You okay?"

"Fine," Peter lied.

Morgan turned to her father and said, "It's a Peter Day, Daddy, even though he says it's not."

Tony frowned. "A Peter Day? What's that? I know it's not his birthday since I've not brought his present yet."

Morgan shook her head. "A Peter Day like you had before he was back. He's sad but smiling."

Tony's face fell, and he stared at his daughter. Peter guessed this was the first time Tony was hearing of a Peter Day, possibly shocked that his daughter had known what was happening to him back then.

"He had a bad dream," she went on.

Tony nodded. "Ahh, a bad dream. I hope you're giving him patented Maguna love to make it better."

"I am," she said, giving Peter another hug.

Tony looked at Peter and said, "I'm sorry about the whole… Peter Day thing. I didn't want you to know about those times."

Peter shrugged. "I'd have them, too, if it was me. I hate that you had them, though. Were there many?"

Tony nodded. "Some. It was worse on anniversaries and birthdays. I'd go to your apartment, spend some time around your stuff, just think."

"Birthdays?" Morgan asked, perking up.

"Yes," Tony said. "And speaking about birthdays, we've only got a couple months before Peter's, so you and I need to get planning for the party."

Morgan's face lit with a smile. "I get to plan a party?"

"No one better," Tony said.

"You don't need to do that," Peter said awkwardly. "It's not a special birthday."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Pete, all of your birthdays are special ones, isn't that right, Maguna?"

"Yep," she said. "We're going to have a special party for you. What do you want for your present? Daddy's not good at presents, so I should help. He bought Momma Gerald for her birthday, but she said it was really a gift for him, a stupid whim. For her anniversary, he made her special suit, but she only ever wore it one time."

Tony tousled her hair. "She may have only worn it once, but she was a superhero when she did."

Morgan smiled. "Daddy's gonna made me a special suit one day."

Tony choked and placed a hand on his chest. "He's really not."

Morgan nodded and whispered confidingly to Peter. "He will, but I think I have to wait until I'm really big to get it."

Tony turned stricken eyes on Peter, and he met them with his own. The idea of Morgan in a suit, in battle, was terrifying. She was never going to be a part of that world, with that kind of responsibility on her shoulders. Peter would fight the world, the universe, to protect her from that.

"You want to talk about it, Pete?" he asked.

Peter looked pointedly at Morgan and said, "No, I'm fine. It was just a dream."

Tony frowned but said, "Okay, kid, but I'm here if you need me."

Peter smiled his thanks.

He couldn't tell Tony about the dream, not without worrying him, and what was the point? It was another dream, another scar, and another change in time. He was fine apart from the shakiness of remaining anxiety. All he would do by telling other people was share the fear, and that wasn't fair.

He sighed and wrapped his arm around Morgan's back. With the mystery and the shadow of his dream still in his mind, he thought Morgan was right.

He was having a Peter Day, after all.

Peter was outside under the sun, talking with the Stones. Nothing significant was being imparted, and he was not with them; they were just talking. He'd not spent much time with them in the month since coming home, which was fine for him as there was no real need. Apart from the questions he'd asked after his nightmare that had left scars, he'd been content with what he already knew. And he was doing better now; what Morgan called a Peter Day had loosened its grips on him.

He shot out a web to the side of the monkey bars he was hanging from and tugged, making his web hammock swing. He was thinking of napping for a while when he heard the door open behind him and footsteps.

"Peter, can we talk to you?"

Peter turned his head and saw Wanda and Vision coming towards him, hand in hand.

"Sure." He rolled out of the web hammock and landed on the balls of his feet. "What's up?"

"There is something we wanted to talk to you about," Vision said gently.

Vision was so human now. Even though he knew Vision wasn't Mind, the voice was exactly the same. Peter wondered how it felt for the others, the ones that knew Vision best, to see him like this. It was different for him as he had minimal contact with him before—only the fight in Germany. Knowing who he was then to how he was now was strange. Peter was overjoyed to have him there, though, as his presence made Wanda ecstatic with happiness. They spent most of their time secluded away together, but when they joined everyone else, they still seemed to be in their own bubble. It was one of the things Peter was proudest of to have done with the Stones—reuniting them.

"Go ahead," Peter said, giving them an encouraging smile.

Wanda fixed her eyes on Peter. "We would like to ask you something. We have discussed it, and we would like to go away together—to travel. We were in Europe together before Thanos came, in Scotland, and we'd like to go back."

"We want to go everywhere," Vision added, an intense look in his eyes.

"Sounds good," Peter said. "What's the problem? Do you need a ride? Traveling around earth is much easier on passengers than in Space, which made Ross really sick. So, I can drop you off, no problem. I can look around Scotland while I'm there. I haven't been before. I did a little earth travel when I was away—the Bahamas to warm up for a while, and I might have spent a night camping out on the top of the Eiffel Tower." He chuckled, remembering that strange but fun night. "So, yeah, when do you want to leave?"

Wanda laughed softly and held up a hand. "No, Peter, we do not need you to take us. We wanted to ask if you would prefer us to stay with you."

Peter frowned. "With me? Why?"

"The Stones," Vision explained. "Wanda told me everything of what happened to you before my return, and though things are different now, I too know the weight of bearing a Stone. If you need us here to support you, we would be happy to stay. After everything you have done for us, we want to be here for you."

Peter felt oddly touched, though he supposed he shouldn't have been as Wanda had shown how kind she was when he'd gone back to see his weeks of 'absence' and before. He'd watched her sitting with him, showing him things on the tablet, fixing his hair, walking around the Tool Shed with him. She'd been there with him so much, and he should have expected her to want to be there now.

"No!" he said quickly. "Really, guys, I'm fine. You should go. I know how hard it was for you when you weren't together, so you absolutely need time alone. Besides, you're not the only ones heading out now. Steve and Rhodey will be heading off to do the press and public tour tomorrow, and Sam is going back to work with veterans in DC. It'll only be me, Bucky, Bruce, and Tony here with Morgan and Pepper—and Nat sometimes, I guess."

"Exactly," Wanda said. "You won't have everyone here to help you."

Peter smiled. "I can handle it, totally. Really, the Stones are fine now; no burden at all. I'm happy."

Vision's face formed into a soft look of concern and said, "But you might need us for something else…"

Peter smiled at him. "What I need is for you two to have your time together." He addressed Wanda. "It's not the same anymore, Wanda; I'm not lost or scared. I've got the Stones, so I can take care of anything that comes along."

Wanda gave him an assessing look, then smiled and took Vision's hand. "Thank you, Peter," she said. "We will go, but we can come back the moment you or anyone else needs us."

"I'll make sure you know if we do," Peter said with a nod. "I'll even swing by and pick you up."

Wanda smiled. "As long as you promise to tell us if you need help."

Peter made a diagonal cross over his heart. "I promise you'll be the first to know. You two go and have this; don't worry about us."

Wanda stepped forward and kissed his cheek. Peter felt heat flush his cheeks. It was nothing more than a friendly action, but with Vision watching, a fond look in his eyes, he felt self-conscious.

"We'll leave tomorrow," Wanda said.

"Great. We can make the farewell party for you two tonight, as well. I think Tony was talking about pizza and beer."

Wanda nodded, then she and Vision turned and walked back into the compound. Peter looked up at his hammock again and decided to let it dissolve instead of using it again. He wanted to be with people.

He was touched by Wanda and Vision's concern, even though he knew it was misplaced. He could take care of any problem that came along, and he would handle any other issue that occurred with the dreams that they knew nothing about.

He would miss the others when they were gone, but it was also a good sign that they were leaving. Things were going back to normal, or as normal as he imagined they'd been before he was an Avenger with them. There would be fewer people around to talk to and spend time with, but it'd give him a chance to spend more time with those who remained.

He wandered back towards the compound and then stopped as he heard a squeal of his name. He braced himself for impact, and a moment later, Morgan was jumping up into his arms. He caught her as her legs wrapped around his waist and her head settled on his shoulder. Pepper came out at a more sedate pace, smiling at Peter and greeting him with an amused look as Morgan cuddled close to him.

"Hey, Mo," he said. "What are you doing?"

"We're going on a walk," she announced. "I've got to make a collage for school." She rolled her eyes.

"We're doing nature studies today," Pepper explained. "Identifying trees from leaves and seeing if we can find any wildlife."

"Do you want to come?" Morgan asked.

Peter glanced at Pepper, who nodded and smiled, then he said, "I'd love to, but don't think you can cheat off me, Mo. I'm a New Yorker—all I know about trees is that they grow tall and they're fun to climb."

Morgan giggled. "Then you can cheat off of mine. I know some of the trees at home. Momma said there are some new ones here."

"Great," Peter said. "We can be study buddies."

He loosened his grip, and Morgan dropped down to stand and grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

She led Peter across the lawn and into the distant trees, Pepper at her other side.

Peter prepared himself for a lesson with Morgan. It was his first time having a part of her schooling, and he felt himself smile. If the world was as it should be, he would be studying now, too, going to school with Ned and MJ. The world was not as it should be, though, he was not the person he was. He was going to embrace his new normal for now, then reassess in a few years, maybe.

So… How was that? I know it wasn't the most action-packed chapter, but I felt it was necessary to show some of the emotional journey Peter is going on. I also wanted to show Wanda and Vision's decision as this is a part of things going back to normal for them all.

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx