Epilogue

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The crowd wasn't a big one. Fifteen people standing on the edge of a small parking lot. Two firetrucks and a lot of activity, water spraying everywhere and firemen running around obeying orders being shouted at them by their chief.

Peter turned from the burning building and looked over at Tony, who was standing beside him.

"Are you going to tell Pepper?"

Stark hesitated, but then he shrugged and nodded.

"She's going to find out one way or another."

With a somewhat murky – not quite clean, but not spotless – bill of health, Peter had been allowed to return to school. And to being Spiderman. His first few days of both had been difficult. The students at his school were well aware of his newfound status as Tony Stark's son. It was hard not to be when it had been Tony that drove him in the first days, and Stark who also picked him up after, anxious to hear how things had gone as he drove him to the tower so pepper could hear how things had gone, as well.

There was some jealousy – kids snubbed him because they assumed that he would think he was too good for them – and a lot of people who tried to become friends that were unsuccessful. Not that Peter was rude to anyone, but he had already established way back when he was unpopular who his friends were, and as shy as he was, he tended to stick with them almost exclusively. He had been snubbed before, so he didn't mind.

But he did tend to spend most of his time with Ned, and occasionally with MJ.

He had been relieved that first day to find that he wasn't as behind as missing so much school might have made him. The copious amounts of homework that he'd done had kept him up with his fellow classmates and the few times that he'd faltered that first week back, the Mind stone had provided him an answer before he'd had a chance to panic. It wasn't in his head all the time - or even most of the time - but it hadn't abandoned him by any means, and he wasn't sure, but he thought that he could feel it right on the edge of his consciousness sometimes.

Once they were sure he was settled in his classes, Pepper had somewhat hesitantly approved him going back to patrolling his old neighborhood as Spiderman. Not that he had to have her permission, but Tony had pulled him aside and had explained that it would just be easier all around if she were on board with the idea, and had suggested that his first few times out, he keep things low key to avoid stressing her.

Peter agreed, of course. He wasn't going to go out of his way to upset anyone – especially Pepper.

He'd hang around the neighborhood – literally – after school and return to the safehouse and change back into unassuming Peter Parker once he was sure there wasn't anything that needed his attention. Then he would simply catch a bus to the tower and spend time in his rooms there, working on homework or playing pinball – sometimes against Happy or one of the many people who worked or lived in the tower, and sometimes alone. Or he would hang out in Pepper's office while she worked, just enjoying time with her.

Every now and then he'd take the new camera out onto the deck and take advantage of the high-quality lenses and take photos of the other buildings, or the activity on the streets below. He wasn't the picture taker that Ned was – very few people were, really – but he was enjoying the new hobby, and Pepper and Tony both approved, since it kept him out of trouble.

Once Pepper was finished working, she'd drive them home where Tony would be waiting, leaning on Peter's Pontiac when they pulled into the garage. They'd eat dinner as a family, and sometimes play games with the others – and Dr. Strange when he was around – or on occasion, Peter would feel that familiar tingle that would drive him to get his teleportation stone and head back to the city for a few hours.

Aware that they worried – Pepper more than Tony, since he could keep track of Peter through the integration of their AIs – Peter always checked in when he returned to his quarters, to make sure Pepper knew he was safe and sound and would be able to sleep that night.

Life was settling fairly well, with Peter thriving in his environment. He was still sleepwalking, occasionally, but it wasn't often, and never beyond the confines of the compound. By the time a month had gone by without any meltdowns, Pepper had reminded Tony that he was supposed to be running a field trip at the compound for Peter's friends, which had made Stark roll his eyes. (He'd privately hoped that everyone would have forgotten about it, and Peter hadn't been in any hurry to press the issue).

Then, hoping to distract them both, Tony had reminded Peter that he had a gift certificate for a cooking class that they were supposed to use up. Pepper had smiled, not at all fooled, and had advised them both that she would call and set up the times for the class, and had handed Tony a phone number for Peter's Academic Decathlon teacher/advisor and had suggested that he get started on getting the field trip set up since there would be a lot of permission slips and waivers that would need to be filled out. As well as activities for the students to keep them engaged while they were at the compound. Stark had simply sighed and taken the paper from her and started making calls.

The cooking class was promising to be much more interesting – and he'd been right, certainly.

OOOOOOO

The owner/instructor of the cooking school walked by, wringing her hands and watching the firemen at work.

"I'll take care of everything," Stark said to her.

She smiled, and put a hand on his arm.

"We have insurance," she assured him. "You're not the first person to catch a stove on fire."

"The first person to try to put it out with a glass of vodka, though, I bet," Peter said, earning a sour look from Tony, and a smile from the cooking instructor.

"I thought it was water."

It had been on the counter – and was being used by the two intrepid cooks at the station next to the one Peter and Tony had been assigned to use. Peter didn't know what recipe they were making that required vodka, but he thought it was probably more interesting than the tuna casserole that he and Tony had been trying to make.

The stove had gone up quickly, and Stark had activated his Ironman suit, but there wasn't a fire extinguisher attachment on the thing, and while Peter had been quick to grab the fire extinguisher off the wall, the two men in the station beside him and Tony had waved towels at the flames to put them out and had only succeeded in setting the towels on fire and fanning the flames to higher levels, catching the walls, next.

"Don't worry, Mr. Stark," she said, obviously trying to reassure him. "It wasn't completely your fault – and could happen to anyone."

Peter was just glad that he wasn't the one that had been adding the oil to the boiling water and had poured it onto the open flames of the stovetop. The woman was waved over by one of the firemen, and Tony looked at Peter.

"You heard her. It could happen to anyone. I expect you to tell Pepper that."

"She's never going to let us cook anything, now. You know that, right?"

"Yeah." Tony shrugged, and then sighed and put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "That's what take out is for."

Peter rolled his eyes, amused, and moved out of the way when another firetruck pulled up.

The End

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A/N: So another story down, and it was a fun one for me to write. I have another in mind, but I have to wonder if I overwhelm with updates and they come too soon, or if readers would prefer less chapters coming at them. Anyway, I hope it was fun and watch for the next one to begin in the next day or two and thanks for reading!