By the time the movie was over, and the Whos in Whoville were dancing and singing, Peter had regained his equilibrium enough that he was turned around on Tony's lap and watching the movie with the others. He was still holding, tightly, to the watch, but the tears were gone, now, and he smiled at the little dog being treated to a bone.

"That was pretty good," he said when the lights turned back on and the display went black.

"You never saw it before?" Rhodes asked, incredulously. "Every kid has to see it, I think."

"I have, now," the boy pointed out with a slight smile that Tony was pleased to see.

"It was good," Steve said, leaning over and shaking Sam's shoulder to wake him, since he'd dozed off sometime during the sleigh ride down the mountain. "But it's getting late."

"I wasn't sleeping," Wilson said, automatically, looking around. "Just resting my eyes."

"It's past Peter's bedtime, too," Tony told them, handing the boy over to Pepper so he could stand up and stretch his legs. "It was a good night, though."

"Best Christmas Eve I've had in a long time," Fury agreed.

"What are you doing for New Years?" Natasha asked with a smile, looking down at Peter.

"We'll let you know," the billionaire assured her.

Peter climbed off Pepper's lap and went into his room where everyone's jackets and coats had been tossed on the bed, while they all gathered up their gifts, putting them into bags to make carrying them, easier. Everyone but Pepper, who was going to stay a while longer.

They bundled up and said goodbyes to Tony, but all of them had a hug for the child, who hugged each of them back, happily.

"Merry Christmas," Natasha murmured, holding him close. "Thank you for letting me come over."

"You're welcome."

She smiled, glancing at Tony, before turning her attention back to the boy.

"And thank you for the dress."

"Yeah," Wilson said. "Definitely thank you for that dress. I can't wait to see her in it."

Romanoff shook her head, and released Peter to give Tony a hug, too. Not something she was really into, but as she pressed a kiss against his cheek, she whispered in his ear, not loud enough for anyone to hear but him.

"Let me know how tomorrow goes."

He smiled, pulling away.

"I will."

Stark held the door for the others, and then smiled down at Peter.

"Go get ready for bed."

The boy nodded, and vanished into his bedroom, closing the door behind him, and Tony went back to the sofa and sat down with an only slightly exaggerated sigh of exhaustion.

Pepper smiled.

"Tired?"

"Yeah."

"You realize you still have a couple of toys to assemble?"

"Why do you think you're still here?" He smiled, though. "It was a good night."

"Yes, it was." She looked at the door Peter had disappeared behind and lowered her voice. "Where did the watch come from?"

"You heard Nick. It was Santa."

She rolled her eyes and they sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Peter joined them, dressed in pajamas, and climbing over the back of the couch to drop down onto Tony's shoulders.

"Did you brush your teeth?"

"No."

"But you will, right?"

"Yes."

"Did you guys get cookies for Santa?" Pepper asked.

"A lot of them," Peter confirmed. "We didn't know what kind he'd want. Tony said he probably likes Oreos, so we got different kinds."

"Do you think you can get the plate together?" Stark asked the boy. "Or do you want my help?"

"I can do the plate," Peter assured him. "Probably not the milk, though."

The jug wasn't too heavy – he could lift a lot of weight, after all – but he had an eight year old's coordination, and that meant milk didn't always find its way into the glass on the first try. Or the cereal bowl, for that matter, as they both knew.

"I'll help you, then," he said.

"I'll do it," Pepper offered, getting up and plucking Peter from Tony's shoulders. She toted him into the kitchen with her, and then set him on his feet. She didn't need to ask where they kept their glasses, and the milk was obviously in the fridge. "Did you get enough cookies for the reindeer, too?"

The boy laughed.

"Reindeer don't eat cookies. We have carrots."

"You thought of everything."

"Tony did. I asked why we have to bribe him, when he's already bringing what we asked for, and he said it isn't a bribe; it's a rest break."

"That makes sense."

"Yeah."

Peter arranged three different kinds of chocolate cookies on the plate in a circle and took the carrots that Pepper found in the crisper drawer and set them in the middle. Then he stuffed an Oreo into his mouth, mumbling happily to himself as he chewed it while closing the cookies back up and putting them away.

Pepper carried the glass of milk into the living room, leaving the cookies for Peter, and they set them on the coffee table.

"Should probably leave him a note…" Tony suggested. "So he knows they're his?"

"JARVIS can tell him."

"Good point." Tony smiled and put Peter up on his lap. "Ground rules for tomorrow morning…"

Peter smiled, leaning back against Tony's hands, which were holding him in place.

"Yeah?"

"You're going to have ground rules on Christmas?" Pepper asked, rolling her eyes.

"Tony has ground rules for everything," Peter told her.

"And why do we have them?" Stark asked the boy, his eyes warm.

"To keep me safe and you sane."

The way he said it made Pepper chuckle. It was clear that they'd gone over it enough times that it was practically a mantra, by then.

"Exactly." Tony smiled. "So… while I am normally fine with you being up early, tomorrow is different. I want you in bed and doing your best to sleep until JARVIS says that it's time. Then you can come out and we'll see what the old guy left you."

Peter wriggled, excitedly.

"Okay."

"And you have to eat breakfast before you start gobbling down candy."

"Okay."

"Anything else?" he asked, looking at Pepper.

She shook her head.

"Can't think of anything."

Tony nodded, turning back to Peter.

"Off to bed, mister."

The boy giggled and rolled backward, tumbling himself out of Tony's lap – narrowly avoiding braining himself on the coffee table – and making Pepper automatically reach for him, although Tony wasn't even fazed. Peter was a physical kid and liked moving in different directions like that. He was getting used to it.

"Good night," he said to Pepper, leaning onto her knees, cheerfully.

She smiled and leaned over to kiss his forehead.

"Merry Christmas, Peter."

That made his eyes light up, and he turned and headed for his room.

"Brush your teeth," Tony reminded him.

"I will."

The door closed behind him, and Tony smirked, reaching for one of the Oreos on the plate.

"A much different Christmas Eve than last year."

Pepper took a cookie, too, and dipped it in the milk.

"Much," she agreed. "As I recall you got drunk at the party and ended up passing out in the limo on the way home…"

"I don't remember that."

But that didn't mean that it didn't happen, of course.

"What happens, now?"

She'd never played Santa, either, after all, but she was sure Tony had done some research.

"We wait until he's asleep and then I go get all the things that are hidden in my room. You fill up the stocking while I put together the robot. Everything else is already wrapped and just needs to go under the tree."

"You're ready for tomorrow?"

He nodded.

"Except for the robot."

"I meant the important thing…"

Tony nodded, leaning back.

"Ready to change my life, completely? Pull someone else in to be the center of my world, rather than myself?" He smiled. "I'm looking forward to it, really."

Which made Pepper smile. He didn't look nervous, at all, and he wasn't jittery. She knew him well enough to know that he meant what he was saying, and she put her hand on his leg.

"For what it's worth, I think you're going to do great."

"Presuming he says yes," Tony pointed out.

"There is that."

OOOOOOOO

They watched another Christmas cartoon, giving Peter time to fall asleep, and munching on the cookies, milk and nibbling artfully on the carrots, but leaving just enough on the plate to make it look realistic. Once the movie was over, Tony double-checked with JARVIS who assured them Peter was asleep, and then they went to work.

A small mountain of presents emerged from the closet in the billionaire's bedroom – along with a large box that rattled as he carried it over to set it on the coffee table in front of the couch. The stocking that Peter had hung on the mantel of the gas fireplace was retrieved, and Pepper sat beside Tony, opening boxes of candies and fruits and stuffing it full of the small toys and gifts that Tony had ordered for Peter. Things that he couldn't buy while he and the boy had been shopping, together, obviously.

While Pepper did that, Tony put together a small robot. Nothing as incredible as his suit, or his AI, of course, but an interesting piece of technology that was supposed to allow Peter to interact with it on a limited scale. If he liked it, Tony thought that maybe he'd develop an AI for Peter, as well. Not as advanced as JARVIS, of course, but maybe something that would cater to Peter's young mind, and give him his own character to bounce ideas off.

It was something to think about.

The robot went under the tree, next to the piano/clarinet, and the stocking went back up on the hook by the fireplace.

"This was fun," Pepper said, softly, as they looked around at the sight of the living room filled with everything that could make Peter's first Christmas with Tony unforgettable. "Thank you for inviting me to share it."

He reached for her hand.

"It's late…" he pointed out. "You could stay."

Her smile was tender – as was her expression.

"No. But thank you."

"I meant in my bed. But I would take the couch," he added. "Or, if that wasn't comfortable, I could always cuddle up next to Peter in his bed. He wouldn't care."

"It might confuse him," Pepper pointed out. "I know it would confuse me. Besides, tomorrow morning should be for just the two of you."

Tony looked like he wanted to argue with her, but he shrugged, and went to get her coat to help her into it. Then he handed her the bag of gifts that she'd unwrapped, earlier. Presents from him, or from Peter – and a couple from them both.

"Drive safe."

"I will." She hesitated, and then pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Call me, tomorrow, and let me know what happened."

"You'll be the first to know."

She left and Tony went around the room, picking up wrappers, and tossing everything into the garbage with the trash from their gifts, earlier in the evening. To make sure there was no evidence, he then stuffed it all in the compactor.

"JARVIS? Is he still asleep?"

"He is, sir."

"Wake me when he wakes up, will you?"

"Yes."

Tired, but feeling pretty at peace with the world, Tony went to bed, too.