Thank you all so much for reviewing. I saw a couple new names with the last update which was awesome. I love hearing from you. Right now, I am plotting out Story IV, and it's honestly kicking my ass, so your support means a lot to me. Story IV has the most intricate plot so far—which is saying something considering everything that happens in Story III—and I'm struggling to make sense of my thoughts and make the decisions needed. I'm working on it, though, and am eager to actually start writing. More than anything, that's because I know so many of you are as eager to read it as I am myself.

With the completion of Story III I have the next three months worth of twice-weekly updates done which means I don't have massive pressure on me to be writing so I can keep delivering. That is good as it means I can take my time to work out the details of Story IV and not feel rushed to get writing and leave the story lacking in quality. It also means I have lots of updates to look forward to posting—and I really do. Wednesdays and Saturdays are my favourites as I get to share yet another piece of the story with you.

Prongs100 pre-read this chapter, and Snarkymuch gave it her stamp of approval. We have the promised visit from two of the Stones in this one, and I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Seven

"Just a little longer, bud, then we need to get you fed," Bucky said. "Then maybe you can sit in the kitchen while I make lunch for the rest of us. I'm not sure what everyone wants, but I was thinking grilled cheese would be good." His arm, wrapped around Peter's shoulders, hugged him a little closer. "You know that smells pretty good when it's cooking, so it'll be special for you, too."

Steve smiled. They'd been out by the lake for an hour, sitting on the rocks, and Steve was enjoying both his friend's pleasure in the company and the fact that they now knew Peter was getting something out of this. The light on the water, their voices and contact, all added up to make the moment more poignant.

"I could help with lunch," Steve offered.

Bucky snorted. "You really think I'd risk our lunch like that? Do you hear him, bud? Captain America thinks I'm letting him loose in our kitchen."

Steve scowled. "I can handle slicing cheddar, Buck. I'm not completely useless."

Bucky grinned. "Not completely, no, but in the kitchen, yes." He ducked his head and spoke to Peter again. "Seriously, bud, you wouldn't believe how big a mess someone as smart and skilled as him can make."

"Sure, laugh it up," Steve said, though there was no heat in his words. He was conscious of keeping the mood around them light in case Peter was absorbing it.

"I will," Bucky said, getting to his feet and stretching. "Let's get you fed, bud." He eased Peter up beside him and took his hand.

Peter followed him obediently into the living room where Wanda was sitting with her legs curled under her and a book open on her lap. Bruce and Rhodey were playing pool, and Sam was watching the news on the TV.

They all looked up to greet Peter as was their habit now, and Rhodey set his cue down and said, "Time to eat?"

"Yep," Bucky said. "Me and Steve can take care of it. You finish your game."

"Nah, I've won anyway."

"You've not won until the black ball is pocketed," Bruce said, setting down his own cue and crossing his large arms over his chest. "So technically, you're forfeiting the game."

Rhodey shrugged. "I don't mind." He looked back to Steve and Bucky. "I'll get the gear."

He wandered into the kitchen, and Bucky led Peter into his bedroom, Steve following. Bucky settled Peter onto the bed, placed a blanket on his lap, and then sat beside him with his legs stretched out in front of him. Steve perched on the cot opposite and watched Peter as his fingers began to move back and forth on the soft blanket.

Tony hadn't explained it very well, so Steve wondered what it was like for Peter to have that stimulation. It was hard to imagine how it would feel for him to be inside himself like that, behind the Stones. No matter what direction Steve came at it, how he reminded himself it was something Peter was doing intentionally, he couldn't imagine that it was a positive feeling.

Rhodey came in with the jug of feed, which he poured into the syringe as Bucky tugged up Peter's t-shirt and then secured the syringe into the port and held it up.

"Grilled cheese for lunch?" Bucky said conversationally. "And then I was thinking we could maybe watch a movie. We've not tried that before, but it's a lot of stimulation."

Rhodey nodded, looking eager. "Yeah. What do you want to watch, Pete?"

"What does he like?" Steve asked.

Rhodey and Bucky exchanged a glance and then shrugged in unison.

"No idea," Rhodey said. "Well, he likes what he calls 'old' movies, which I think means the classics, and I know he likes Empire Strike Back. Friday, you got Star Wars on your drive?"

"Yes, Colonel Rhodes," she replied. "And Mister Parker enjoys Star Wars, but not the prequels. He once told Boss that they were an insult to the saga."

Steve laughed. "That sounds like him."

Rhodey nodded fondly. "Okay, Friday, line up the first original for when we're ready."

"Done," she replied.

Steve settled back and listened as Rhodey began to explain the Star Wars prequels to a bewildered Bucky, then he sat up, breath catching, as something shifted in Peter's eyes. The empty stare was gone, and he was looking down at the syringe feeding the tube into his stomach with a pinched brow.

"Can you please remove that," Peter asked, his voice strangely formal.

"Pete!" Rhodey gasped.

Bucky dropped the syringe onto Peter's lap in shock and squatted in front of Peter, hands on his face and voice eager as he said, "Peter! Bud, did you just talk?"

Peter gave a small sigh and said, "Please remove that thing. I don't know how long I have."

"Pete?" Rhodey said doubtfully.

It clicked in Steve's mind what he was hearing as he remembered now when he'd heard that voice before. It was on the battlefield, when Peter had been unconscious and deathly ill, and the voice had spoken in his mind as it made the pronouncement that started it all. 'Worthy,'

"That's not Queens," he said. "Give him some space."

Bucky moved back, face wary, and Rhodey leaned away from Peter, shocked eyes wide and brows high. Steve disconnected the tube from the port, and Peter tugged down his t-shirt.

"Which one are you?" Steve asked.

Peter looked up at him, his eyes shocking in their awareness after so long but without the warmth that was all him, and said, "I am Mind."

"Damn," Bucky muttered.

Peter—No, Mind—got to his feet and walked to the window where he stood for a moment, looked out, and then turned and said, "Is Mr. Stark here?"

"No," Rhodey said, his sadness that this wasn't Peter speaking evident in his voice.

"Then you should call him so I can speak to you all at once or be prepared to relay the message." He pressed a hand to his forehead for a moment, closed his eyes, and said, "Yes, we have time."

"How the hell are you doing this?" Bucky asked.

Peter's brows pinched together, and he said, "I am an Infinity Stone." The inflection made it clear he thought Bucky was stupid to ask. "Please, contact Mr. Stark."

"My phone's not here," Rhodey said, getting quickly to his feet.

"Then get it," Peter said.

He walked out of the room, footsteps sure and steady, into the living room where Steve heard Bruce say, "Uh… What's going…" and Wanda's gasp of, "Peter!"

"No," Peter replied.

Steve rushed in after him, Rhodey and Bucky following him, to find Peter standing with his back to the window, hands in front of him and an impatient look in his eyes.

"It's Mind," Steve explained. "He's got something to tell us."

Rhodey grabbed his phone from where it was charging and said, "Home Base, call Tony."

The call connected, and Tony's face filled the hologram. "Rhodey, what's going on?"

"Are you alone?" Rhodey asked. "Is Morgan there?"

"Yes. Hang on." The video became shaky as Tony moved away and then steadied with him outside. "What's going on?"

"I need to speak to you, Mr. Stark," Peter said.

"Pete!" Tony's eyes widened and his breaths came quick.

"It's not him," Bucky said, standing beside Rhodey so he was in view. "It's Mind."

Tony cursed, and then his voice turned dark. "Where is Peter while you're doing this? Are you hurting him?

Peter's eyes narrowed. "Do you really think I would? Do you think any of us would hurt the one we found Worthy? We have tried to help him."

"You let Thuri hurt him," Bucky accused. "Where were you when he was being brainwashed and starved?"

Peter's lips turned down, and his eyes became sorrowful. "We were withdrawn with Peter's knowledge and agreement. We knew what they were going to do to him, and he refused to use us to defend himself. His fear for the child was too great for him to risk using us, and we knew how great the threat would be if he was controlled and free to use our power. We did the right thing and took ourselves beyond his reach."

Steve squeezed his eyes shut. Peter really had been alone in that place, without even the Stones to help him.

"Sounds like you hurt him a lot to me," Sam said.

Peter gave his head a brisk shake. It was so strange to see Peter so animated after so long, and so jarring to know it wasn't him. "You don't have time for this," he said. "If you want to help him—"

"Of course we do!" Tony shouted.

"Then you will listen to me, Tony Stark!"

Tony's face reddened, and Rhodey held up a hand and said, "We're listening, so talk. You said you don't have long."

"I don't. Peter is drifting at the moment, so I took advantage of the chance to speak to you once a connection with Sergeant Barnes was made."

Bucky sucked in a breath and flexed his metal hand, bringing it to his chest.

"Peter is using us in a way that we neither like nor condone, but he is the one in control of us. The power of will he possesses is like nothing we've experienced. We want him to stop, to be with you again, but we cannot break him out of this without causing him great pain, and we will not do that."

"So, it's down to us?" Bruce asked.

Peter nodded, and then his eyes became distant, and he said, "No. I do not think that is the best idea. I am telling them— Fine." He gave a small shudder, and then his eyes darkened, and he spoke, his voice not formal anymore—more biting and angry. "You know what, for people that save the world, you're all so damn dumb."

"Excuse me?" Tony said. "Who the hell are you?"

"Really, dumb," he went on. "And I'm Power. Listen up now, because if the kid comes back and feels threatened, he's going to shut down even harder, and we won't have a chance again. You want to help him, great, but you need to fix him right. Mind thinks he can be reached by the power of love, which is a sweet idea, but bullshit. He's going to need a lot more than that to come out of this. You have two jobs." He raised one finger. "One, make him feel safe, which you're already working on, kinda, but try harder. Two, fix what he's scared of. You've had him a month and still haven't done anything about the mindfuck that asshole did on him. Stark, you're a genius—according to the kid, you're the genius—so get to work. The rest of you… I guess you do what you're already doing. You need to connect to him in a way that he can't resist. You need someone he loves."

"Who?" Rhodey asked. "If he's not connecting to Tony and his aunt is dead, who is there?"

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose. "I swear to god… Dumb doesn't even begin to cover it. He thinks you're all so damn awesome, so brave and clever, and he loves you so much that he's given up everything for you. He's doing this to himself to protect you, and you can't even work out what he needs!"

"Then tell us!" Bucky asked, his voice rising. "We love him, too, and we want him back, so help us do it!"

Peter smirked. "You're new. Huh. Impressive connection. How did that happen?" He shook his head. "Okay, if you connect with him, get him out of himself—and if you don't actually start working the problem, you won't— you've got to keep him. He is going to want to leave you, so find something big enough to stay for."

"How do we do that?" Tony asked.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Do you know him at all, Iron Man? I mean, really, do you? You had all that time with him before he got snapped away, so what do you think he would stay for?"

The silence of the room was answer enough. Not even Tony knew, and he was the one closest to Peter. The rest of them hardly had a chance to know him at all. Bucky, who was so close to Peter now, hadn't spoken to him much before they got him back, so his connection was all about what had been built since Peter shut down.

"I have no idea why he loves you all so much," Peter said, glaring around at them. "Seriously. You don't know him at all."

"Then tell us!" Bucky roared, advancing on Peter with his hands fisted. "You know so much, tell us how to fix him!"

Peter glared back at him, and then his hands came to his hair and his breath quickened.

"No, kid," he said in a rasp. "I'm trying to…" His knees buckled, and he dropped. He scrambled backward until his back was pressed to the window, and there he curled into a ball, face hidden against his knees and his whole body shaking.

Power was gone. This was Peter. And he was terrified.

Bucky cursed and took a step forwards, but Steve grabbed his arm and said, "Maybe not right now, Buck."

Bucky's face fell, but he seemed to agree with what Steve was saying as he moved back, hands raised.

It was his voice that Peter had heard shouting, perhaps; it was the stimulation that came from him that had set Peter off, at least. Rhodey made his way to Peter slowly, Tony's voice coming over the phone as he called to Peter and demanded to know what was happening. Rhodey sank slowly to the floor and pulled Peter against his side. Peter didn't relax into him at all; he remained curled into a ball.

Steve picked up the phone as Rhodey began to speak softly to Peter, soothingly, and said, "We're taking care of it, Tony. We'll call you back. I think we need a few less people in here at the moment."

Tony started to protest, but Steve ended the call, then gestured to the others and said, "Let's leave Rhodey to it. Give them some space."

With reluctant sighs and nods, they filed out of the room and into the kitchen. Sam went to the coffee maker as Wanda slid into a seat and buried her face in her hands.

"Well, that was a mess," Bruce said darkly.

"It was," Steve agreed.

"Am I the only one thinking those Stones are assholes?" Sam asked. "They're supposed to care about Peter, but Power was too busy making us feel like crap to say anything helpful."

"I think they do care," Wanda said quietly. "And I think that's the problem. If they can't do anything to help Peter, it's on us, and they're frustrated. And Power is right. Peter's been back over a month, and we've gotten nowhere.

"We're trying," Bucky said defensively.

"We are," Steve agreed, giving his shoulder a brief squeeze and then dropping his hand. "And we'll keep trying. Maybe that Mind one will have another chance to talk. He was a little more helpful than Power."

"Gotta say," Bruce said. "For an Infinity Stone, Power is nothing like I expected. Imagine being trapped in your head with that."

Steve frowned and tried to remember what Peter had said when he explained the Stones. "Power… He was one of those Guardians, right? The one Queens and Tony met on Titan?"

"Yes," Wanda said.

"Which figures," Rhodey said from the doorway, leading a now calm but closed off Peter with him. "Tony said he was an ass then, too." He steered Peter into a seat and said, "Bucky, you said something about making lunch. Me and Pete thought it sounded good."

Bucky stared at Peter a moment, his face a picture of pain and guilt, and then he nodded, patted Peter's back, and said, "Yeah, we agreed on grilled cheese, right, bud?" He looked at Peter as if awaiting a reply and said, "I'll get right to it."

Steve sat down and watched as Bucky took the things he'd need out of the fridge, chattering to Peter about what he was doing, and he felt a wave of affection for his friend. There was a time in which his outburst and Peter's consequent breakdown would have sent Bucky spiraling down with guilt, but he'd mastered it and was getting back to helping in the only way any of them knew how.

Which would be the only way until, perhaps, they could speak to Mind again.

So… Power! I admit I really enjoyed that scene. He's so much fun to write. I think it's because he has that attitude and snark that reminds me of my Supernatural stories. Peter, precious little bean that he is, doesn't have that bite. Tony is snarky, but I can never seem to get his voice right—I'm sure you've noticed :-)

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx