Breakfast didn't take that long to eat, but the conversation around the table lingered.

No one was in a hurry to start the discussion about the infinity stones, just then, content to hold off a little longer and not spoil the fact that the guardians were getting a hot, filling, meal – which was a little harder to obtain on a spaceship than one might think just from watching sci-fi shows, Quill told them, not at all embarrassed about asking for more pancakes.

He wasn't the only one.

With the newcomers having told their backstories – edited a bit and condensed for time – they were curious about the Avengers. Most notably, Peter, of course. But since he was also the youngest of the group – and clearly guarded by the people who were sitting with him, Gamora started with Steve and allowed the conversation to flow around the boy's history, just then.

Carol was telling them more about herself when Peter suddenly excused himself, drawing everyone's attention when he stood up, but smiling apologetically.

"I'll be back in a little while," he assured them.

The cloak disengaged itself and floated over to Strange's shoulders, while Tony got up and walked out of the entrance with him, stopping out of sight in the corridor.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Something's coming up, though… I need to leave for a while."

Stark frowned.

"Something you need help with?"

"If I do, I'll call you."

"I could just go with you."

"And find out it was just someone needing help across the street, or something?" he pointed out. "I'll be fine. If not, I'll call and you and Stephen can come help me, then."

Tony might have argued, but Peter had cleverly added Strange's name, knowing that having the magician close would make it much easier for Tony to get to Peter if whatever the boy was feeling was really serious. Not to mention, it was a Saturday morning, and not the time of day most of the real crazies were out.

"Alright. Have Karen stay in touch with Friday."

"I always do."

Peter hurried down the hall, but he must have called the rock to him, because he hadn't even turned the corner before he was suddenly gone. Tony felt just a hint of worry – which he always did when the boy was out of his sight – and then forced it down and turned back to the lounge.

Pepper wasn't the only one watching him when he returned to the table without Peter, but she was the first to speak up.

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah. Just had some business to handle…" he sat down. "It's fine, Pep. He said he'd be back as soon as he could."

"What's his story?" Rocket asked, curiously. "I mean, don't get me wrong; he seems like a good guy and all, but he's pretty scrawny, and took us down a lot easier than he should have."

"Not to mention his connection with the stones," Gamora added.

"And let's not forget the fact that my girlfriend is dreaming about him," Quill said. She scowled at him and he frowned. "What? You are."

Whether he meant the dreaming part, or the girlfriend part was unclear, but since both were true, she didn't say anything. She just turned her attention to Tony, who hesitated. Not because he didn't trust them; he did. Mostly. But because it was Peter. And because he was a little hesitant about telling the boy's story to people who might not really need to know it.

The only problem with that was that they might need to know. It might trigger something with the aliens and the abducted earthling that might help them all know what was coming and they could expect. Which could only be a good thing.

"It's a bit of a story," he finally said, his hand coming to rest on the back of Pepper's chair, just close enough that he could touch her if he needed to. "And it starts before we met."

OOOOOOO

As early fall days went, it was beautiful out.

Peter stood on top of one of the taller buildings in his old neighborhood, looking down on the streets and sidewalks below, his new suit dully trying to reflect back the sunshine that was beating down on him. Luckily, the color of the suit didn't mean that it was sweltering how, and he was comfortable as he tried to understand those tingling sensations that he'd suddenly felt right after breakfast, and where they wanted him to be.

"That's really interesting," Alec said – again. He didn't need to ask Peter how he knew where to be; since he was in Peter's head, he knew that Peter didn't know how he knew. He just knew. "You just get the feelings…"

"Yeah." It was Alec's first time actually experiencing what Peter felt – even though he could access the boy's memories of the past times. "I just wait and see if I can figure out where I'm needed – or what I need to do."

They were silent, then, although Peter didn't really need it to be quiet to be able to feel when the sudden prompting told him that what was coming was getting close. In the past, he would have had to get even higher, maybe, so he could see everything around him, better, and see whatever it was that didn't seem right.

Now, however, he had Karen – and the tech that came with the amazing new suit that Shuri had created for him. Sensors were all over, catching surveillance cameras as many as four or five blocks away. None of that actually told him what was going to happen – but he could see something obvious, if it was heading his way.

Following his inner urgings and feeling Alec actually forcing himself to be still to allow Peter to concentrate, the boy moved along the rooftops toward the north, until he found himself above what looked like a rooftop garden – similar to the one that he and Ned initially found the nutmeg that had almost killed him. There were a few people out, enjoying the nice weather and the quiet of a Saturday morning, and Peter immediately knew what was going to happen when he saw the toddler that was apparently accompanying a woman that was probably her grandmother as she gathered up the tomatoes that were growing near the safety barrier of the rooftop.

He didn't hesitate, and by the time the child had found the box and had carried it over to stand on so she could look over the wall, he was already moving, swinging in to scoop up the child just as her grandmother yelled for her not to move, startling her and making the child fall off the roof. She screamed, and the grandmother screamed, but Peter was quick, and his aim was good.

He caught her with a webbing burst but then followed up with his own hand, which snagged her wrist while he clung to the side of the building.

"It's okay!" he told the terrified woman. "I've got her."

As she watched, Peter pulled the toddler up and over the safety wall and handed her over to her grandmother. Both of them were crying and the woman released one arm that was around the girl long enough to hug Peter, still crying but now thanking him, repeatedly.

He let her; well aware that she'd taken a fright and that she needed to thank him and steal a little comfort from him – even though she didn't know him. When both were calmer, he found himself released, and she asked what she could do to thank him. He simply shook his head, and waved off the need before he launched himself from the top of the building and shot a web to catch himself and swing to the next building and then another, until he was out of sight.

"And she'll never know who saved her little girl…"

"Right."

Peter found a handy roof with an overhanging awning and deactivated the glove covering his left hand. He waited, leaning against the wall for a while, trying to make sure that whatever nudged him was done with him for the day. When he didn't feel anything, he asked Karen to warn Friday, concentrated on the bedroom of his quarters and a moment later found himself there.

A glance at his watch told him that he'd been gone a few hours, and he deactivated the vibranium suit.

"Where are the others?" he asked Karen.

"In the lounge."

"Still?"

As if to confirm it, his watch chirped a warning at him, and he heard Tony.

"You're home?"

"Yeah."

"Safe?"

He smiled, because he knew that Tony would have already asked Friday to verify with Karen that he wasn't hurt. Tony was asking about his mental well-being.

"I'm fine."

"Come join us when you're ready."

"I'll be right there."

OOOOOO

"He's alright?" Pepper asked.

Tony nodded.

"Friday says he is – and he says he is."

"You let him go out by himself?" Gamora asked, incredulous.

She and the other guardians had spent the last hours hearing almost everything that Tony could (and would) tell them about Peter's history. He only left out the part when he'd been turned into the toddler – except to mention that the boy had spent a fair amount of time in the astral plane, where he'd connected with all of the stones at the same time.

"Yes."

"But he's just a baby," Rocket said, looking shocked.

"A baby that beat you up," Drax reminded him.

Rocket rolled his eyes, ignoring the amusement from everyone but Quill.