Thank you so much Prongs100 for pre-reading. You're a star.

You have all blown me away with the support your showing this story. Thanks to you, I managed 2k of Story IV on Monday which was the most I'd managed in a couple weeks. Knowing you're reading and enjoying is what drives me to keep going on the days I struggle.

This chapter is an angsty one, but I promise things get better from here on out. If you start to sag under the sadness, remember that Story III has a very different feel. You will see Peter and the Stones working together to achieve things some of you have been talking about since With Great Power. Get through this sadness and we will reach that happy place. You've obviously trusted me this far, so stick with me a little longer. I just did final edits of Chapter 15 of this story, and it has an ending that makes me smile like a fool and buzz with excitement for Story III.

Chapter Eleven

Peter was lost.

No. Lost was the wrong word—Peter was hiding. But in this place, surrounded by the rainbow lights, he was safe; he couldn't hurt anyone.

He didn't know how long it had been, but it felt like forever. He didn't mind that, though. As long as he was here, everyone he cared about was safe. The world was protected. Ross couldn't reach him again.

A voice came into his place, as they sometimes did, muffled, but it grew clearer, echoing in his ear. He flinched. He knew that voice, and he knew what had happened the last time he'd heard it—how it had almost taken him away from here.

"Peter… Daddy…" Morgan said, the words coming in and out but so loud. "…says you're tired and sad… talk to you…"

"No,' Peter moaned weakly, curling into a tighter ball. "Please don't, Mo. I love you, but please don't do this to me."

"You can do this, Peter," Mind said, and Peter looked up to see him standing in front of him.

'I can't," he moaned. "Don't make me."

"I can't make you do anything. If I could, I would never have let you use us like this."

Morgan's voice went on choppily. "…went to the lake… didn't… go swimming… thirsty, but Daddy…"

Peter flinched and tanged his fingers in his hair. "Make her stop," he begged. "Please, someone, make her stop."

But it was too late. Just like last time, Peter could feel his mind clearing. Shapes formed outside of the light, moved through it, and came at him. One was Bucky, and the other was Steve. They were in front of him, but he couldn't make out their expressions in the round moons of their blurred faces.

"Please don't make me," he said. "I can't."

Morgan's voice continued, talking about how she'd found bugs and wanted them as pets, and Peter felt the draw out of the voice grow even stronger. It pulled at his chest in a way similar to how he felt when people were reaching for him. This time there was a difference. It seemed to pull him out of this place and to them. Two were stronger, and they seemed to connect to the voices that spoke next.

"Pete. You're okay." That was Rhodey, and he spoke with a need that matched the pulse in Peter's chest.

"You are." Bucky now—the pull was tugging at him with his words and pressure on his shoulder. "We're here."

"Wanda." A new voice. A wary one. Steve? He was nervous. Scared? Peter was scared. "Be ready."

Then there was a new sensation, warmth around his head, and Wanda's form became clear beside him, as did the sounds. Peter began to shake so much it was like a palsy.

"And Momma made a suit for Albert, so he looks like you." Morgan's voice came clearer now. "She made it with her special scarves. She says he'll be the best-dressed teddy in the world—and the most expensive, but that's okay. Daddy said he'll buy her the whole store if she wants."

The warmth around his head grew stronger, as did the pull to come out himself. He felt he was being torn in two. Part of him was fighting to stay, to be safe and to protect, but the other part of him wanted to be there—he missed them all and had the whole time he was there.

That was wrong, though, he knew. Just because there were people he loved out there that he wanted to see, it didn't mean it was the right thing to do. The fact he loved them made it even more important that he stay away. He was dangerous, a weapon.

"You're not," Power said, annoyance in his voice. "You are in control."

"Please help me," he moaned.

"We can't," Soul said, and her voice was mournful. "This is what has to happen."

"Peter!" Wanda's voice was urgent, and Peter struggled to get away from it and the draw.

His hands came to his face, and he dug in his fingers as hard as he could, trying to ground himself in this place and not the outside that wanted him. "Help me," he begged the Stones.

"No," Space said implacably.

Wanda's face cleared in front of him, and she said, "I'm here, Peter. I'll help you."

Peter shook his head, and then the red light pulsed from her and into him. It flooded his mind, and he thought he might have screamed as the force flew from his chest like a punch.

His eyes flew open. He was sitting on a couch, and the people around him—Steve and Bucky, Rhodey and Wanda—were flying away.

Peter jumped to his feet, eyes darting around and taking in what had happened. He was really back; he could see, hear, and smell everything. His hands were fisted at his chest as if that could stop the power being used again. He felt a swell of desperate sadness as he recognized the fact he was truly there, no longer safe and protected, a threat.

"Peter," Rhodey said, taking a step towards him with his hands held up to show he wasn't a threat. "You're okay."

Peter looked at him, seeing his friend's face, his stress, and he spoke in a moan that held all the pain he was feeling. "Why would you do this?"

Why would they drag him back? Why would they let Wanda do it? He wasn't safe around them anymore. This was more than the threat of the Stones that had worried him for so long. This was so much bigger. He wasn't in control of his own mind and power anymore.

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

Peter shook his head. That wasn't what mattered. He was safe, but they weren't. He looked to Wanda, who was getting to her feet, her eyes on him with what looked like a concern that didn't belong.

"Why would you?" he asked, unable to keep the accusation from his voice. "I helped you. I told you he felt love." He'd given her something, a gift, and she'd stolen him out of his safe place and dragged him back to a place he could never relax.

Wanda's eyes filled with tears, and he thought, at last, that she understood what she had done. "I thought you wanted me to."

"No," Peter sobbed, unable to control it. "I was safer there."

"You're safe here, Pete," Rhodey said emphatically. He came closer, placed his hands on Peter's shoulders, and turned him so that they were face to face. He could feel the pressure against his chest of Rhodey reaching for him. "No one is going to hurt you."

Peter met his eyes, and the pain rose in him. "But I'm not safe for you."

"You are," Rhodey said, cupping his face.

"He's right," Bucky agreed, reaching for Peter and then dropping his hand as if it was weighted. "The fact you don't think it means you are. You're in control, kid."

Peter's lip trembled, and he felt tears threatening. He couldn't bear this. He felt like he'd been violated on some deep level of himself that had never been reached before. Being here, with them, made him feel like he was on fire. He had to get away.

He pulled away from Rhodey, skirted around Bucky and ran from the room, down the hall, and into his bedroom. He slammed the door closed, turned the lock, and then staggered over the bed and fell onto it, curling into a ball. Sobs ripped from him, and tears streamed from his eyes. All he could hear was the rushing of his pulse in his head, and he gasped for air.

They had done this to him, and now they were all in danger.

'You are in control," Mind said. 'You would not be here otherwise.'

Peter spoke through his teeth. "I am here because Wanda dragged me here and you didn't stop her!"

'You know what, I am done!' Power said angrily. 'We're talking about this.'

Peter felt himself tipping back, and then he was back in the room with the Stones. They were all seated, and Peter was, too, but he lurched to his feet at once and slammed his fist down on the table. "Why would you do this?" he shouted. "Why did you let it happen?"

Power rose to his feet, too, and his hands slapped down on the table. "Because you wanted it, kid! The Scarlet Witch could never have done it otherwise!"

"Wanted? You think I…" Peter sputtered. "This is not what I wanted."

"Yes, it is!" Power shouted. "Dammit, kid, when are you going to stop doubting yourself. We have said it, and you have proved it—you're Worthy! We chose you for a reason, and I am sick of this crap."

"Calm down," Mind said carefully, "both of you."

Power picked up his chair and dropped back into it. "Seriously, though, what is it going to take you to make the dumbass believe us?"

Peter stared at him a moment and then righted his chair and sat down. "You left me because I wasn't worthy."

"Because you gave us no choice," Space stated. "You weren't willing to defend yourself, and if they had managed to overpower your mind and made you act on their demands, the threat that you posed would have been massive."

"I couldn't defend myself. They would have killed Morgan. Do you think I wanted to go through that? How deep were you buried when you left me? Did you know how scared I was, how much it hurt to be shocked over and over, starved, and never able to get even a little water without waiting to be doused with it so they could hurt me all over again? Do you know how those words felt, rooting deeper and deeper into my mind?"

"Yes," Soul whispered. "And we couldn't stop it. Do you know how that felt for us to be helpless?"

Peter's fast breaths and racing thoughts stopped, and he stared at her. He never imagined that they would actually feel anything. They were the Infinity Stones—endless and omnipotent. He was just the one they'd chosen to do good with. Why would they care about anything but the threat he posed?

"You don't know," she said with a small smile.

"Why would he?" Power said. "He's too busy angsting over crap that's not going to happen."

"Peter," Soul said. "Your friends aren't the only ones that care about you. We are sentient, and you are Worthy. That means something to us that you can't even imagine."

Peter hid his face in his hands and just breathed for a moment, focusing only on bringing the air in and out of his lungs.

"You stopped protecting me," he said, lowering his hands and looking from face to face. "You could have stopped Wanda."

"Because you'd hidden long enough," Time said calmly. "You were ready to come back, and you needed to. We allowed you to move through the worst of the pain and suffering as your body recovered. We gave your mind time to recover. It was the right thing to do to stop letting you use us."

"We would have done it sooner," Power said, still glaring at him. "But you are a stubborn idiot and we didn't want to hurt you, which we would have if we'd used force. We needed the witch's help. And now you're not going back. Like it or not, kid, you're here, and you're staying."

Peter squeezed his eyes closed. "I don't want to stay."

"Tough luck," Power said simply. "You don't get to choose anymore. We're not going to help."

Mind held up a hand. "We will not help you hide, Peter, but we will help you feel safe. If it helps you to know it, we will be on guard. If the conditioning comes back—"

"Which it won't," Space interjected. "Since the only one that knows the words here is Bucky Barnes, and he's already vowed never to use them." He smirked at Peter's surprised look. "Just because you weren't listening to what was happening around you, it doesn't mean we weren't."

Power smirked. "Yeah, you're in for a couple of shocks, kid. Stark is pretty huggy now, and you and Barnes have a good thing going on."

"We do?" Peter asked.

Mind nodded. "You actually do. You are probably unaware of it, but Sergeant Barnes was reaching for you as much as Colonel Rhodes when you were coming back to yourself, and he has been for a while."

Peter found himself smiling in spite of himself. "Uh… I guess that's good. I mean, he seems nice and all."

Soul smiled. "Yes, he is. He loves you very much."

"And he will be able to ease your fears," Reality said. "He's been in the same position you were in with the conditioning. His lasted a lot longer, was much stronger, and he had to fight harder to break free of it. The fact that you were able to break it and turn the gun on yourself was a true show of strength and power—power that has nothing to do with us."

Peter sighed. "Sure. More power. Great."

"Okay, since I'm out of my supply of patience and you're still hiding here, it's time you got your ass back out there and spoke to them," Power said. "Get your ass in gear and do it."

"Wait," Mind said, holding up a hand that made Power scoff. "There is something we need to say. We will be on guard. If the words are used, you lose control of yourself, we will withdraw again, and the threat will only be the strength you possess now."

"Really?" Peter asked hopefully. "You promise?"

"Yes," Mind said patiently. "We can do that."

"But we're not going to need to," Space said confidently. "You are—"

"Worthy," Peter said. "I heard you."

"Actually, I was going to say strong," Space replied. "But you're that, too."

Peter sighed. "Thanks."

He felt exhausted and overwhelmed. He felt safer knowing that he wouldn't be able to take the Stones' power and use it on someone else—or the world—but he was still a threat. He was Spider-Man, with all the strength that came with it. If he was controlled again, he could hurt someone.

"Right," Power said. "Get the hell out of here before I kick your ass back."

"I don't think I—"

Before Peter could finish, Power was flicking his fingers, and Peter felt himself being thrown back, off his tipping chair. He gasped, finding himself was back in his bedroom with distant voices coming from beyond the door.

He could hear his name being mentioned, worry and fear in the voices, but he didn't know if it was fear of or for him.

He rolled onto his side, drew up his knees, and started to cry again.

Rhodey came back into the living room, dropped his phone down on the table, and said, "I managed to persuade Tony to stay home a little longer. It wasn't easy, but Morgan's upset, which helped sway him."

"Poor guy's probably never been so torn in his life," Sam said.

Rhodey grunted. "You think? Both his kids need him more than anything right now, and he can only be with one of them."

That had been the crux of how he'd been able to persuade Tony to stay home. Morgan was upset, scared that something had happened to Peter after the call that had cut the moment everything went to hell. She'd heard Peter sounding distressed, and Pepper had apparently whisked her away, but not in time to shield her from it.

Rhodey's heart ached when he thought of what the little girl would be feeling now after what happened. At least she had her parents with her. Tony was committed to staying at least one more night, and Pepper would be there. Peter was alone right now, which was apparently what he wanted.

Rhodey had never felt more torn either. He wanted to be with Peter, helping him, but the locked door between them was a clear message that he wanted to be alone. Peter had been able to make no choices for weeks, since before he'd been taken by Ross, and this was a choice he could make—to be alone. Rhodey was split between what he wanted and what Peter wanted, which need to serve. Ultimately, Peter was the one that got to decide unless he was in danger.

Rhodey sank down onto the couch and said, "Tony has also asked that you all give Peter space until he gets back tomorrow." That hadn't been exactly what he said; there were a lot more curses in Tony's words and threats of what would happen if they upset Peter again, Wanda especially. "He wants me and Bucky to take care of whatever he needs."

Barnes nodded, a relieved smile twitching the corners of his mouth for a moment before it became a thin line of worry again.

"He's angry," Bruce stated.

Before Rhodey could answer, Bucky spoke up. "Do you blame him?"

"I thought I was helping," Wanda said, no defensiveness in her voice, only sadness. "He asked for help."

"He did," Bruce said, planting a huge hand on her shoulder and squeezing it. "And we all would have done the same thing."

"Would we?" Bucky asked. "I think I'd have asked him a couple questions before I ripped him out of his own head."

Steve shot him a sharp look, and Bucky looked back at him impassively.

"None of us knew what was really happening, Buck," Steve said. "We thought he was trying to get back. You did, too."

Bucky nodded. "I did. I wanted him back, but I wouldn't have taken a kid whose mind had been violated again and again and drag him out of himself. He felt safe there, and now he's back and scared."

"Why didn't you stop me then?" Wanda asked, her eyebrow raised.

"We all messed up," Steve said. "None of us knew what was going on in his head because we had no way to know. Wanda did what she thought was right at the time. And this is the best-case scenario. Peter is back, which is what we all wanted."

Rhodey sighed. "It is, but…" He squeezed his eyes closed. "Friday, how's Peter?"

"He is aware again and currently crying," Friday reported. "I do not detect an anxiety attack, though. I have been programmed to remind you that Peter will need to be fed soon, though."

Bucky groaned. "Dammit. Bruce, how long can we leave it?"

Bruce rubbed his chin. "Theoretically, we can leave it a day without harm, but he will need sustenance for his health. He will be uncomfortable within a few hours without a feed, too."

"Then we give him an hour," Bucky said. "Let him just work through it for a while and breathe, and then we'll take him in a feed. Actually—" His eyes snapped to Bruce. "Can he eat regular food while he's still got the tube?"

"Absolutely," Bruce said. "It won't hurt him, though we might want to keep the portions small at first. It was never a physical reason for him to be unable to eat solid food. I suggest something soft and not too seasoned."

Rhodey smiled in spite of himself and said, "Mac and cheese. I'll make it." It was what he had planned to be Peter's meal the day he came home. It was delayed by weeks, times of pain and suffering for them all, but he was finally going to be able to give it to him. He would create a meal for the kid he loved, and he would see him eat it.

Then maybe, just maybe, he could talk to Peter again and make him understand he was safe and home. He didn't think that was something he could do alone. He had a feeling it was going to take Bucky, who had once feared himself, too, to reach Peter.

So… Peter POV, finally! I originally planned to have some of his POV before now, while he was absent, but it never felt like the right time. I think it's better than the first time we hear from him is when he's back with them.

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx