Nope, your eyes are not deceiving you. It's Monday and I am updating. There's two reasons. One, I am an update junkie and desparately want you to be able to read this chapter as it's an important one. Two, it's a new week so I am making a new commitment to starting Story V and thought hearing from you all would be good motivation to keep pushing against the wall of writer's block.

Thank you all so much for the reviews, follows and faves. I wasn't sure whether I should continue to post on FFnet after the attacks that came from With Great Power, but I've not had a single nasty review—guest or otherwise—for this story. Thank you for that. I started posting my stories on FFnet in 2011, and I didn't want to leave, but the anxiety with every review was almost overwhelming me. I feel much calmer now when I get the email. Thanks to your kindness and patience, I'm content where I am again.

Chapter Ten

Tony sat with Morgan on his lap, cuddling her close, with Pepper's eyes on them both. Happy had made a run into town to the store to give them privacy for this conversation, but he'd made them swear not to make the call—if they would—without him. He wanted to be there for whatever happened, be it what Tony would call a miracle or a failure.

"So Peter won't talk to me," Morgan said slowly.

"He probably won't," Tony admitted. "But we think he'll be listening."

She frowned, her small brow pinched and lips a thin line. "But if I'm magic, too, he will."

Pepper picked up Morgan's hand and said, "Honey, this isn't about you succeeding or failing. There's a chance that talking to you might make Peter feel better, but it might not, and that won't be your fault. Peter is very tired and very sad, and that makes him feel like not talking."

Tony pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek and said, "You are magic, Maguna, and it's already done something special for Peter. We don't know if it can do it again, and Momma's right—if it doesn't work, it's not your fault.

"But if it does work, can I see him?" she asked. "Will we be able to play again?"

"Not right away," Tony said.

That was something he couldn't promise as they had no idea what Peter's state of mind would be. He would not allow his children to be together until he knew they were both ready.

"What happened to him?" Morgan asked. "He was happy when we played, and then he went on vacation and came back tired and sad."

Tony buried his face in her hair, drawing in the scent of the strawberry shampoo they used for her. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell her even a little of what had happened to Peter, not, without devastating and terrifying her, but he had nothing else to give in place of the truth.

"Peter is sick," Pepper said, giving her hand a brief squeeze.

"Like the flu?" Morgan asked. "When I had flu, you gave me medicine to make me feel better. Have you given him medicine, Daddy?"

"No. There isn't the right kind of medicine for Peter's kind of sick."

Morgan looked down at her lap, her lip caught between her teeth. "This isn't fair. It took ages for him to come back, all my years, and then I had to wait to see him because he was tired, and now he's tired again and sick and…" Her small hands squeezed into fists. "It's not fair."

"No, it's not," Tony agreed.

He was more than aware that it wasn't fair. His son had been through so much, done so much that had hurt him, and now it was hurting his daughter, too. The very first time he held her in his arms, he'd vowed that he'd never let anything or anyone hurt her, but it was happening, and he couldn't do anything about it. He was an Avenger, a supposed hero, and a father, but nothing he could do, no technology he could create, was going to solve this problem.

Morgan looked up and said, determination on her face, "I want to talk to him, even if he won't talk to me."

Tony kissed her and said, "That's great, Maguna. Thank you."

"Are you sure, honey?" Pepper asked. "Because no one, not me, Daddy, or Peter, will be angry if you don't. This might be hard, it might make you sad, and none of us want that."

Morgan shrugged. "Peter's sad, too, so I gotta try."

Tony looked down at his little girl, the child he would find a way to give the moon and stars if she asked, and felt a swell of love and pride. She was four years old, too young to have to face any of this, yet she was showing more strength than he had been able to summon himself. She was far stronger and wiser than her years explained.

It had to be Pepper's influence, and perhaps the circumstances of her life. She'd lived knowing she had a brother that she'd never met and had no hope of ever meeting. Peter, a face on a photograph, a person on YouTube videos, had been her brother from the beginning, and she'd loved him. That had only increased when she met him. Then he'd been gone again, lost from them all, Perhaps that had made her age too soon.

It was all dependent on her now. She was the only hope they had of reaching Peter and bringing him back, and that was a lot of responsibility for a child to have put on them.

Tony hated that it was on her, but he believed she was strong enough for it. He would never allow it to happen otherwise. He had told Pepper he wouldn't hurt her to help Peter, and he meant it. He didn't believe this would hurt her, though. The worst-case scenario was that Peter wouldn't talk back. Morgan could handle that, Tony was sure, but he didn't know if he could. If this didn't work, if they couldn't get Peter back, what would they be able to try next?

Tony's only hope was that the love Peter felt for Morgan would be enough. He was going to cling to that because, without it, he had no hope at all.

Bucky threw the scraps of bread into the lake and said, "And now we've got to wait, bud."

Peter gave nothing in return, not even a twitch, but Bucky didn't allow it to get him down. He just patted Peter's hand where it was planted on his lap.

He stared out at the lake, hoping for something special, and he grinned as the geese appeared above. They flew in a perfect formation, honking, then landing in the water with splashes.

"Look," he said, voice soft. "They're here."

He put his arm around Peter and held him close as he watched the geese feed. There was no sign that Peter was aware of them, but Bucky was still pleased he'd been able to lure them there for him.

"They're hungry," he said. "Look at them go."

Two of the geese were squabbling over the scraps, flapping wings at each other. It was amusing to see the show of force in the creatures that were so benign compared to the two people watching them.

He heard the door open behind them, and Steve and Rhodey came out. They looked unusually anxious, but he kept his voice light as he gave Peter a brief squeeze and said, "We've got company, bud."

Rhodes was first to them, his hand falling on Peter's shoulder as he greeted him, and Steve was a few paces behind.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asked.

"Tony called," Rhodes said. "He's spoken to Morgan, and she wants to talk to Peter."

"That's great!" Bucky said, turning Peter's face to his to look into his rainbow eyes as she said, "Hear that, bud? Your sister is going to call. You can talk to Morgan."

He hoped that by using her name, he might get a response, but none came. He patted Peter's cheek, which was a little closer to rounded now Peter was gaining weight again, and sighed.

"How are we doing this?" he asked.

"We've agreed to empty the room a little," Steve said. "If it works, we don't want Peter overwhelmed. It's going to be us three and Wanda."

Bucky frowned. "Wanda?"

"I had an idea," Steve said. "I think if Morgan can get Peter out of himself a little, Wanda can connect with him and encourage him to come all the way back. Tony said it only lasted a moment after Morgan's voice was there last time. We hope that us being there, talking to him, will be enough, but it's more likely that he's going to need a little extra… encouragement."

Bucky considered and nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." He turned his attention to Peter. "You ready to do this, bud?" Peter stared through him, but he smiled and said, "Great."

Rhodey took Peter's elbow and eased him up from the rock, and they walked back towards the door. Bucky fell into step with Steve, whose brow was furrowed and lips a thin line.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm worried it's not going to work," Steve admitted. "And I'm worried about what that's going to do to you, Tony, and Rhodey. I care about Queens, I do, but it's not the same kind of connection you guys have with him. I don't want you getting depressed if it fails."

Bucky smiled. "Thanks, Steve, but you don't need to worry about me. Yeah, I care about Peter, I love him, but I'm not going to break if it doesn't work. I'll just be there for him until we find a different way to get him back."

Steve eyed him a moment. "You know, Queens brings out the best in you. I've not seen you with anyone like this since…" He shrugged. "I don't know."

Bucky ducked his head, cheeks heating under Steve's admiration. "He's a special kid."

"He is. It's good to see you connecting. After everything that happened to you—Hydra, living on the run, the time in Wakanda—no one would blame you if you shut down completely."

Bucky shrugged. "Maybe not, but I'd blame myself if I couldn't do what I'm doing for Peter. He needs me in a way I've never been needed in my life before. He's completely dependent on us." He bit his lip. "It's what comes next that's going to be hard."

Steve frowned. "You mean if we can't get him back?"

"No," Bucky said, then pushed open the door and walked through to the living area without explaining further.

His deep fear was that the connection he had with Peter was going to be lost because Peter was unaware of it forming. It had only happened since he'd shut down. When they got Peter back, however it happened, Bucky was going to be a practical stranger to him again. That was going to be tough when he'd want nothing more than to be there for him again.

He shook off the thought and took in the room. Wanda and Rhodey were either side of Peter on the couch. Rhodey was toying with his phone in his hand and looking anxious.

Bucky sat on the coffee table opposite Peter, and leaned over to squeeze his knee. "You ready for this, bud?"

Peter gave no reaction, but Rhodey nodded and said, "Of course he is. Pete's a champ."

Steve sat beside Bucky and said, "Let's do this."

Rhodey picked up his phone, and said, "Home Base, connect to Tony. One-sided video. They don't see us."

"Understood. Call connecting."

Bucky took the phone and held it on his lap in front of Peter. Rhodey saw Tony's caller ID icon be replaced by the man himself.

Tony's face broke into a wide smile which also carried a lot of relief, possibly the reassurance of seeing his son after two nights apart. "Hey, Pete. How are you doing?"

"We're doing good," Rhodey said. "And we're ready."

"Okay," Tony said. "Here's she comes." He looked over his shoulder and said, "Morgan, Peter's here."

Morgan came into view, a little slower than her usual bouncing pace, and Rhodey saw she looked nervous. Pepper was right behind her, sitting close to Tony as Morgan settled on his lap and leaned back against his chest.

"Is Petey there?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah, he's listening," Tony said. "Say whatever you want."

Rhodey leaned a little closer to Peter and fixed his eyes on his face, wanting to see it happen—if it did.

"Hey, Petey," Morgan said tentatively. "Daddy says you're tired and sad, so won't talk, but I can talk to you, and you'll listen. I… uh… Gerald!" She seemed to become more animated. "He broke out of the paddock and went to the lake. He didn't go swimming, he was only thirsty, but Daddy had to chase him for ages before he could get him back inside. He says he's going to need to go to Wakandy to get some viba… vibri… something special to make a new paddock so he can't break out again."

"Yes," Bucky breathed.

Tony's eyes widened on the video, and he pressed a kiss to Morgan's hair and said, "Keep going, honey."

Rhodey could see it, too. Peter's eyes were clearing, awareness coming back, and his lips were pressing together in a thin line. It was as if he was in pain, though, and Rhodey's heart began to race.

"Pete," he said cautiously. "You're okay."

"You are," Bucky said, placing his hand Peter's knee and squeezing it. "We're here."

"Wanda," Steve said warily. "Be ready."

Wanda nodded and placed her hands on Peter's head. Red light began to dance from her fingers, spreading over his hair and face as he began to tremble.

"And Momma made a suit for Albert, so he looks like you," Morgan went on. "She made it with her…"

Rhodey tuned Morgan out and fixed his attention on Peter and Wanda; they both seemed to be struggling. Peter was shaking, his jaw clenched, but Rhodey saw a storm of emotion in his eyes that made Rhodey sure he was fighting to come back. Wanda's jaw was tight.

"Peter!" she said urgently at the same moment Peter's eyes squeezed closed, and he spoke in a groan. "No. Please…"

"It's okay, Peter," Rhodey said, putting his arm around his shoulders. "We're here."

Peter's hands came to his face and pressed his fingers in hard, speaking in a plea. "Help me."

Wanda gave a small gasp. "I'm here, Peter. I'll help you."

There was a pulse of red light from her hands, into Peter, and the room erupted with noise and cries of shock.

Peter jumped to his feet, his eyes wide and darting around the room, as they were all thrown back by a pulse of energy. Wanda and Rhodey were thrown sideways against the arms of the couch, Bucky and Steve skidded backwards off of the coffee table, shoulders hitting the couch behind, and Bruce and Sam raced into the room.

"Peter," Bucky said cautiously, hands held in front of him as he got to his feet. "You're okay."

Peter looked at him, eyes full of emotion and unquestionable awareness. His voice was a moan of pain as said, "Why would you do this?"

"Do what?" Rhodey asked, bewildered. "You're okay, Pete. You're safe. No one is going to hurt you."

Peter shook his head and looked over to Wanda, who was getting to her feet, looking back at him with caution. "Why would you do this to me?" he asked. "I helped you. I told you he felt love."

Wanda's eyes filled with tears, and she said, "I thought you wanted me to."

"No," Peter said, the word coming as a sob. "I was safer there."

"You're safe here, Pete," Rhodey said, getting close enough to touch him. He put his hands on Peter's shoulders and turned him. "No one is going to hurt you."

Peter's eyes met his, seeming to hold so much pain that it stole Rhodey's breath. "But I'm not safe for you."

"You are," Rhodey said, his hands coming to Peter's face and cupping it.

"He's right," Bucky agreed, getting to his feet and reaching for Peter. "The fact you don't think so means you are. You're in control, kid."

Peter looked at him, his lip trembling, and then pulled away from Rhodey and ran out of the room. Rhodey hurried after him in time to see the door to Peter's bedroom slam closed and the lock engage.

He placed his hand on the door for a moment, head bowed as he tried to find the words to say to Peter to help, and then shook his head and went back to where the others were dusting themselves off and sitting down.

He dropped onto the couch and put his head in his hands. "What happened, Wanda? What did you do?"

Wanda's face fell. "I could hear him in there. It sounded like he was fighting; he was asking for help." She bit her lip. "I thought he meant me, but I think now that he was talking to the Stones—he wanted them to help him hide. But when I felt him there, I just caught him and…"

"Dragged him out of himself," Bucky snapped. "Yeah, easy mistake to make."

"It wasn't her fault, Buck," Steve said, placing a hand on his arm. "This is good—Peter's back, which is what we all wanted.

"All of us but Peter apparently," Rhodey said. "Damn. Poor kid." He raised his head. "Friday, what's Peter doing?"

"Peter is currently crying," Friday reported. "I suspect an anxiety attack is impending."

Bucky cursed and got to his feet. "We can't leave him like this."

"I think we have to," Steve said. "He needs space." When Bucky opened his mouth to argue, he rushed on. "He's vulnerable and scared right now. He said he doesn't feel safe with us, so we've got to give him space to get used to us."

"Peter is now unaware," Friday reported.

Bucky's head jerked up. "He's what? You mean he's shut down again?"

There was a pause, and Rhodey's heart slammed against his ribs.

"No. This is what Boss called a 'Stones Moment.' I believe it means he's communing with the Infinity Stones."

Rhodey relaxed a little and said, "Hopefully, they can get through to him when we can't."

"You think they can?" Bucky asked, his doubt evident.

Rhodey shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know." He pressed his fingertips to the corners of his eyes. "I've got to call Tony back. He's going to be losing his mind."

He bent and picked up his phone from the floor. It didn't seem damaged by the force of the Stones' blow—Stark Phones were tough.

He tapped the screen, said, "Home Base, call Tony," and braced himself for his friend's worry and pain.

So… Peter's back! He's not remotely happy about it, of course, but I've got a plan for that. We're two-thirds of the way through the story now, five chapters to go, and it's less about recovery and more about bonds and acceptance.

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx