Wong was willing, and left for the safehouse only a moment after Tony called Ned to tell him to stay away from the magician's preferred landing spot.

"I wonder what that's all about…" Clint murmured. "Why in the world would Peter bring an alien girl to-"

He was interrupted by Stephen's arrival at the door, and everyone came to their feet, immediately, surprised to see him. It hadn't been that long, after all. Which made Tony – at least – fear the worst. Especially since the doctor looked so concerned.

"Stephen?"

Tony's question was laced with his worry, and Pepper took his hand – giving support and taking it.

"He's alive," Strange told them, brushing his hand against the heavy fabric of the cloak when the ancient relic moved over to attach to his collar, caressing him.

The thing was still somewhat charred, but more animated than it had been, before, and it had stopped smoking.

"How is he?" Natasha asked.

Alive wasn't very specific – although they all breathed a sigh of relief at that.

"I'm not completely sure, I have to admit. The energies of the stones created damages that I've never seen – and he definitely shouldn't have survived. It's Peter, though, and we know he's tougher than he looks. His heart stopped more than once as we were trying to stabilize him, but Doctor Thompson kept him with us while Doctor Adams and I took care of the injuries that we could deal with."

"Who?"

"The National Guard surgeon," Strange told Tony. "Smart guy; knows his stuff. Peter has burns over a large percentage of his body – the serious ones are his right hand, arm and shoulder. His chest and stomach are less serious, but worrisome, and we're not sure we're going to be able to save his hand. I've put him in a medically induced coma – for now – until we had a chance to discuss possible therapies. And to keep him from waking up and hurting himself, further."

"Shuri," Tony said, his hand tightening in Pepper's grasp at the list of injuries. "She has more success with nanites used in the healing process than we do, here."

"That was my thought, as well," Stephen agreed. "I'm not going to move him, though – not even through a portal. We have him stable and I want to keep him that way – and that means no stress to his system."

"So, we bring her here and see what she can do."

Both men looked at Pepper, silently asking her if she had any objections to allowing her son's primary healer be a sixteen-year-old girl, but Pepper only nodded. Shuri had long since proven herself as mature beyond her years – most of the time.

"Can I see him?"

The doctor hesitated, but nodded.

"Of course." He turned to Tony. "The sooner we get Shuri here, the better. See your son and reassure yourself that he's still with us, and then I'd advise you talk to T'Challa and make sure he's on board with the idea of brining her here. If he says yes, I'll open a portal so she can bring any equipment that she might need."

"Thank you, Stephen."

Tony left with Pepper, heading for the operating room, and Strange turned to Natasha, his intense gaze going to her forehead where the terrible wound had been.

"How are you?"

Romanoff shook her head.

"I'm fine. Not even a bruise."

"Yes." He couldn't help but reach out and brush his fingers along her forehead, though, as if to prove it to himself that she really wasn't injured. He'd seen it, himself, after all. "There's a lot of that going around. The doctors are unnerved – and not surprisingly. Having a patient on your operating table suddenly sit up and push your scalpel away as a gaping chest wound closes in front of you can do that."

"That really happened?" Clint asked.

"Yes. I'm glad I wasn't here." He held up his hand, showing it to Natasha. "Apparently new injuries weren't the only ones to be healed…"

She frowned and then her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. She took his hand in hers, examining it, intently.

"That's incredible."

Clint looked over at Fury, who had been silent – mainly because he was listening to all of the radio chatter going on as the army, SHIELD and the National Guard were all getting themselves sorted out – and the SHIELD director knew what he was asking without a word being said. He shook his head.

"The eye's still gone."

The scarring was gone, too, though, they could see. It was weird seeing Nick without it – although the eye patch still gave him the familiar sinister appearance they were all familiar with.

"That's so-"

Another interruption. This time it was Wong, who walked into the room with a young woman following him. She was pretty, with a slightly alien cast to her features and was wearing an oversized jacket over what was obviously a scanty outfit – and she looked terrified.

"How's Peter?" Wong asked, seeing Strange – and not seeing Tony or Pepper, who he assumed were checking on the boy.

"He's badly hurt. Who's this?"

The magician smirked.

"This is Sirah. From what little Ned and she have told me, Peter found her stranded on a planet, took her master's jewel from her and brought her home with him. Ned said that Peter asked him to keep an eye on her for him."

"Her master?" Natasha echoed.

"Peter's taste in souvenirs is definitely getting better," Clint said, amused at the confusion they were all feeling.

The girl had been hiding behind Wong, but her eyes widened when she saw Gamora.

"You were on my world," she exclaimed. "Speaking with my master. With the tree – and the talking beaver. And Star Lord."

Everyone turned to Gamora.

"You know her?"

"Is your master the Collector?" Gamora asked the girl.

"Some call him that," she agreed.

Gamora looked at the others.

"Now we know how Peter found the reality stone."

"Yes," Stephen said. "I just don't understand why he brought Sirah home with him."

"I begged him not to leave me," she admitted. "I might have cried…"

Natasha smiled, too.

"That would explain it."

Peter wouldn't have had any defense against someone who was afraid and crying. Of course he brought her home.

"What do we do with her?" Fury asked, looking maybe a little less sinister with Nutmeg sleeping tucked under his arm.

"We'll figure that out, later," Romanoff decided. She looked at the girl. "Are you injured?"

"No."

"Ned told me that he made her a TV dinner," Wong reported. "He asked me to pass on that if his mother is awake when he gets home, he'd like to be buried in the suit he got for homecoming, and that he's glad that he had a chance to see Montana…"

Whatever that meant.

OOOOOOOO

There were several people in the room. Of course, with a full compliment of medical personnel and only one injured person in the compound, they probably shouldn't be surprised. Tony was surprised, though, when he saw the man in the green scrubs who was standing near the door, talking to Doctor Adams. He realized that he recognized him – and the man knew him, immediately, of course.

"Mr. Stark," he said, softly – in deference to Peter's sleeping form. "It's good to see you, again."

Tony took the hand that was offered, and nodded his agreement.

"Doctor Thompson. I didn't know you were in the military."

The man nodded.

"Colonel Thompson when I'm in uniform," he said with a self-depreciating smile. He turned to Pepper. "Mrs. Stark."

Pepper realized that the man was Flash's father. She had seen him before, too. Of course. She took his hand.

"You're taking care of Peter?"

"No. I was in on his initial care, but burns aren't my specialty. I'm a heart surgeon. There are many talented people here, so I'll turn his care over to them."

Tony turned his attention to Doctor Adams, who he knew much better – and who knew Peter – and his special abilities. He was certain that Dr. Thompson hadn't been told about any of them.

"Stephen said he's in a coma?"

"Medically induced," she confirmed, walking over to the bed with Tony and Pepper right behind her. "He's badly injured and we didn't want him moving any more than necessary until we can get him more stable."

Pepper looked down at Peter while the doctor spoke. The boy was propped slightly on his left side, asleep, and swathed in bandages that covered his right arm and hand, completely, and some of his chest. His face was pale, and sheened with perspiration and there were a number of monitors and wires, tubes and machines of all sorts attached to various places on his body. A warm blanket was covering him from the chest down, but he looked vulnerable, and Pepper felt her eyes watering at the sight.

"How long will you keep him in the coma?" she heard Tony ask as she leaned over and brushed her fingers, carefully, against his forehead, moving his bangs from his face.

He was burning up, but she decided that that should have been expected. It was magic, after all, and they already knew how badly he reacted to all things magical.

"As long as we need to," came Adams' reply. "Stephen suggested a high-tech treatment out of Wakanda…"

"Yes, he told me. We're on board with that," Tony agreed, moving to stand near Pepper and as close to Peter as he could without pushing his wife aside. Pepper felt his hand come to the small of her back and she looked up at him. His face was resolute and worried, but he caressed her back, reassuringly. "Don't worry, Pep. He's a tough guy, right? He's pulled through some pretty serious stuff, already. He'll be fine."

She nodded, trying to look less concerned than she was, to give him one less person to worry about.

"I know. Let's talk to T'Challa, though."

The sooner they got Shuri here, the better, as far as she was concerned.