NEW YORK

Tony puffed out his cheeks and rested his head on the back of the sofa. He didn't think he'd remembered feeling this exhausted in a long time. Oh, he'd experienced fatigue plenty of times in his life. God knew he'd felt completely wiped out, empty and emotionally drained before but this time was different. He'd never felt the weight of the world on his shoulders quite like this. Being responsible for another human being was a pretty heavy realization. This must have been what his mother had felt when she looked at him. Only the last time he'd seen his mother, he was sure all he saw was the disappointment in her eyes. He just never was able to live up to his potential. He grimaced at the memories.

He did feel relief though. Telling Pepper everything about what he'd done regarding Peter, including carelessly and selfishly dragging the kid to Germany had been cathartic. Telling her about feeling responsible for the teen boy and how he'd even kicked the kid's backside to try and keep him in line. He still couldn't believe he'd done it and wondered what the boy's aunt would do about it if she ever found out. Pepper had quite literally gasped out loud at that reality. He plowed through it and onto another topic before she could comment. He'd finished by telling her about Peter's enhanced suit and how the smartassed kid kept breaking through his security protocols. He left her with Jocasta and the permanent location device on the kid's wrist before he was completely exhausted.

"Wow, Tony, that's a lot to take in," whispered Pepper, her eyes shining with compassion but also sprinkled with anger. Tony sat up and accepted the look. He deserved it. Hell, he deserved much worse.

"Yah. It gets worse, Pep," he said, trying to swallow down the guilt he felt.

"I'm not sure how much worse it can get."

Tony sniffed. "I haven't told you about Cap yet."

Pepper reached out and placed a warm hand on his forearm. Her eyes turned much warmer and she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I already know about Steve."

Tony couldn't have been more surprised than if Pepper had slapped him. How would Pepper know what happened between him and Steve? He hadn't confided in many people about that, except Nat and even then he's only said the bare minimum.

Pepper kept her hand on his arm. "Don't be angry," she began.

No sooner did the words fall off her lips did Tony begin to feel his back go up. He couldn't help it. He had no right and it was just a flippant reaction but still he knew it showed on his face.

Pepper pulled away and wrapped her arms around her legs as she pulled them up to her chin. Her long auburn hair fell over her knees and her eyes pleaded with him to listen.

"Steve called me…"

At the mention of his ex-friends name, Tony was on his feet pacing and trying very hard to stay calm. What happened between the two of them had hurt. Hell, hurt was an understatement. Apart from the physical wounds, he'd been left with a gaping hole in his heart.

"Tony, you need to call Steve and talk to him. I can see how much this is eating you up inside. Steve is your friend…"

"No, that's where you're wrong, Pepper. Steve was my friend until he decided to choose his cryogenic buddy over me. Did he tell you what Barnes did to my parents?" Tony's voice caught in his throat. "To my mother?" Tears burned the back of his eyes as his mind filled with the footage of their murders. His life was so hard after his parents died. Being abandoned as a teenager at such a young, impressionable age was catastrophic. He'd had no one to care for his needs. Anyone involved in his care afterwards only did it out of obligation and for a piece of the pie.

Peeper was on her feet and at his side in an instant, pulling him closer to comfort him. No one knew him better than Pepper. She had watched him nearly self-destruct over the years as he tried to reconcile with the loss of his parents. He had only started to accept their deaths and heal because of Pepper and the atoning he did as Ironman.

"Tony, I know your parent's death haunts you every day. I can't imagine how it must have felt to watch them murdered in front of your eyes. It must have been the most devastating thing that's ever happened to you and like reliving it all over again. I wish I could have been there for you afterward. Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you tell me?"

Tony drew Pepper in closer and held onto her for all he was worth. God knew he'd wanted to call her. He'd wanted to die too.

"I couldn't, Pep. I've already hurt you enough. I put my wants and needs ahead of yours and I…" Tony swallowed hard. He was used to hiding behind his sarcasm and humour. This serious real garbage was not his style and yet, he knew he needed to be genuine. He pushed her away and looked into her eyes, love and sincerity shining in his own. "I'm sorry, Pepper. I'm sorry for everything I've done to you. I'm sorry for hurting you and for just generally being an asshole…"

Pepper reached up and put a finger to his lips. "It's okay, Tony. I forgive you. I'm here, aren't I? I've had time to do a lot of thinking. As much as I thought I could live my life without you, I can't. I can't separate who I am without you. You're in my blood, under my skin and part of my being. I love you, Tony."

Tears spilled over Tony's lids and down his cheeks. He was an idiot, a selfish bastard, a no good scoundrel, hopeless and destined to live alone. Why the hell was he being given another chance at this?

Tony leaned in and kissed Pepper tenderly. She gave herself to him completely. Tony could feel her eagerness and it would have been so easy to lift her up into his arms and carry her to the bedroom where they could spend the rest of the day and night lost in each other's arms. For a fraction of a second, he was willing to let himself give in to the temptation but he couldn't. He wouldn't. Not until they cleared the air about everything. Peter, Steve, Barnes…and anything else that still held a wedge between them. He forced himself to pull away and come up for air. Pepper's lips were still partially parted as he brushed his fingers over her mouth, her beautiful, luscious mouth.

"Geez, if only you knew what you did to me," he moaned.

Pepper eyed him playfully, looking him up and down. "Oh, trust me, I know."

Tony had to chuckle and shake his head. "I thought you were the one who was supposed to be level-headed. Why are you making me be the bad guy here?"

Pepper shrugged her shoulders and licked her lips, still enticing him until he groaned out loud and pulled her back into a hungry kiss. Pepper wrapped her arms and one leg around him making him weak at the knees. Maybe they needed the release before they could talk more. So much passion was built up inside him, he felt like he would explode. It wasn't just lust either; he longed to feel Pepper's warm body next to his and just feel her wrapped around every part of him.

"I love you, Pepper Potts," he mumbled between kisses, gently pulling on her bottom lip with his teeth. "Don't ever leave me again. I stopped breathing when you left." Her tongue found him and he groaned again. He was going to spontaneously combust if they didn't stop. He hoisted her up into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He began to make his way down the hallway towards his bedroom when his cell phone rang. He kept kissing her and she eagerly accepted his every touch and caress. Their breathing was rapid and heavy as he fumbled with the door handle. The phone continued to ring.

"Tony," she gasped. "Should you answer that?"

He shook his head. Whoever or whatever it was could wait. He'd made Pepper wait too long and he was done putting others before her. From now on, he would make Pepper first in his life. The phone kept ringing. Why didn't it go to voicemail?

Pepper reached down and Tony moaned out loud in expectation but realized his body was taking over his common sense when Pepper pulled out the cell phone. She kissed him again, a little peck this time and slide her feet to the floor.

"I'll change into something more comfortable and you take this call." Pepper smiled and licked her lips seductively before disappearing into the adjoining bathroom.

Tony heaved a frustrated sigh as he made himself look at the caller ID on his phone. Peter Parker. He'd forgotten about the kid. Peter had said he was going on a school field trip with his debate team. Tony hadn't cared really, but he always wanted to the kid to check in with him whenever he left the area. That way, Tony could keep an eye on his Spiderman activity in other places. He never outright banned the kid from being Spiderman when he was away but he certainly tried to discourage it. Things were too crazy with the Accords. People were very sensitive about the Avengers and any enhanced beings. And not everyone was on their side, despite the fact that the Avengers always did good things. It was the havoc left behind that lingered in people's minds.

Tony had made the kid promise to call him when he got home. Then Tony frowned as he glanced at the time. It'd been close to two days since Peter had returned home. Why had it taken the kid so long to call him? He tapped his phone and accepted the call.

"Yo, kid, what took you so long?"

Silence greeted him. He could hear the kid breathing but Peter didn't say anything.

"Pete?" Tony began to feel worried.

"Sorry, Mr. Stark, I kinda forgot to call." Something in Peter's voice sounded off.

"Well, don't let it happen again, kid or I'll send Happy after you. You know how grumpy he can get." Tony expected Peter to chuckle but received no reaction. Tony cleared his throat. "So, how was the debate? Did you beat them?"

"Yah, yah, we did. It was good stuff."

Tony could tell Peter was hedging about something. The boy didn't want to tell him something and was stressing over it.

"Anything else you want to talk about, kid?"

"No, no, I'm good. Just calling you like you asked me too. Wanted to keep my part of the bargain and all; you know how it is."

Tony pinched his nose. The kid was a bad liar at the best of times, and when he was guilty or nervous, it was even more obvious. "So, should I come over and bust your tail now or will you come clean tomorrow when you come for your internship?"

"W-what are y-you talking about, Mr. Stark?" asked Peter, the customary stutter to his speech when he was super nervous.

Tony chuckled out loud this time. Maybe it was because he was such a horrible, rotten teenager as a kid, but Tony could read Peter like a book most of the time. "C'mon, Petey, come clean. You know I already know anyway," Tony smirked as he nailed the final words. Social media was Spiderman's arch nemesis. If Peter had done something he shouldn't have as Spiderman, Tony would find out eventually and the kid knew that. Tony was the only one who could run interference anyway.

Tony heard the kid gasp and then fall silent again before speaking. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, don't be mad, okay, I can fix it myself….it just might take a bit time is all. I kinda think maybe…ummm…well…it might…"

Tony sighed impatiently. This wasn't going to work. Peter would play this game all night if Tony allowed it. Peter was the master at beating around the bush and it was exhausting.

"Okay, Underoos, I'm sending my driver to get you. Aunt May home?"

"N-no…"

"Okay, leave a note, bring some clothes to spend the night. You and I are going to hash this out."

Tony could hear Peter sigh loudly. "B-but…"

"The only butt I wanna see is yours in an hour. Don't make me come to get you, Pete. You won't like it if I do. My driver will be there in 20 minutes. Be ready." Tony hung up.

So much for a romantic evening with Pepper. He hoped she'd understand. Damn, irritating kid had lousy timing, thought Tony as he searched his phone for May's number. He'd might as well tell May where the kid was going to be so she wouldn't worry. Tony wished the woman didn't work all the time. It wasn't good or healthy for Peter to be alone so much.

WAKANDA

Clint watched her stoop over and pick up another heavy piece of wood, setting it on the pile beside her. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand and sat down on the ground with a loud, protesting groan. He brought his axe down forcefully, chopping the log in half with a single blow. It felt good to do some hard, physical work. It made him feel useful and like he was doing something worthwhile for once. He'd offered to clean up after the mess Wanda had made in the meadow, not because he thought he had too but because it gave him something to do. Not many Wakandians ventured out this far, but he would have felt terrible if a child was injured.

"Remind me again why you're chopping wood in the middle of Africa?" said Wanda, batting some bugs out of her face as she stared at him. Her face was flushed and she looked more than a little annoyed. "It's a billion degrees. I highly doubt anyone needs firewood in Wakanda."

Clint set the axe head down on the ground and leaned against it, as he pulled a rag out of his back pocket and wiped his brow. "You weren't doing your school work and you were being a saucepot to Steve, and he wasn't doing anything about it."

Wanda made a sour face. "Then why didn't you punish him instead of me?"

Clint chuckled. "Because he's bigger than me."

Wanda stood up, brushing off the back of her shorts. "Pffft, whatever, you could take him any day. I'm going back. The bugs are eating me alive, and it's too hot out here for man or beast."

"Not yet, you're not!" Clint pinned her with a look that made her groan.

"C'mon, Clint," she whined. "This is nuts. It's way too hot to be chopping and stacking wood."

Clint picked up his axe again and carried it over to the utility vehicle they had driven out and grabbed some bottles of water out of the cooler. He tossed a bottle of water at Wanda who caught it and scowled at him.

"What? No thanks?"

She sighed and sat down again, swatting at bugs and looking disgusted.

"Better drink it, kiddo. I figure we have at least a few more hours work here before supper."

"I'd rather being working on my trigonometry," she grumbled.

Clint took a long draught from his bottle of water before acknowledging that he'd heard her. "I'd have rather you weren't so disrespectful, but I guess we both don't get what we want, do we?"

Wanda tightened her lips and rolled her eyes. "You've got to admit that he's a little old-fashioned. I mean I get he's from another time in history but he treats me like a kid."

"News Flash, Wanda, you are a kid!" Clint looked at her incredulously. "And, he loves you. He doesn't have any family, in case you haven't noticed, but he's chosen to be a dad to you. I think that's pretty noble. He knows what it's like to be alone."

"I never asked him," she countered.

Clint sighed and sat down across from her, waving his hand in the air to shoo away the insects buzzing around his head. Wanda wasn't been kidding about the heat. It was so hot, it was oppressive.

"Honey, you didn't have to ask him or me for that matter. If you stopped fighting us, you'd soon realize that we care about you. We're here because we want to be, not because we have to be…"

Wanda scowled. "Whatever! We're stuck here because we have nowhere else to go. If we go back to the avenger's compound, we'll be locked up again. It has nothing to do with being where we want to be."

Clint stared at her. He couldn't decide if she was purposely being dumb or if she really hadn't understood what he meant. He was quiet for a moment, debating on how he should proceed. He wasn't getting anywhere with her, and he needed another plan of attack. He rubbed his eyes. Maybe the girl was right about the heat, though. Perhaps they should call it a day and seek the coolness of the indoors. The heat was starting to get to him too.

"Wanda, do you have a middle name?" he said as he finished off his water.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the change of topic. "Yah, why?"

"I just wondered is all. What is it?"

"Isabella," she whispered.

Clint smiled. "That's a pretty name. Do you know why your parents choose it?"

Wanda frowned and shrugged, tears forming in her eyes. "My mother's name was Isabella."

Clint reached out and squeezed her hand gently. "I'm sorry about what happened to your parents, sweetie. I know you must miss your mother."

Tears rolled down Wanda's cheeks, and Clint reached out to brush them off her cheek. She didn't say anything but he could tell she was lost in thought, possibly remembering a time long gone. He found himself becoming more endeared to the girl as the days in Wakanda wore on. He didn't enjoy her sass and stubbornness, but he knew he could tame her if Steve allowed him too. Steve seemed so caught up in propriety and how things were done in his time that he couldn't see past it. They had yet to sit down and discuss it, and Clint didn't want to step on the old man's toes and end up in a bad spot. He'd discussed Wanda with Laura almost every evening now. Laura had shared her thoughts and ideas, and he had his own too. Laura and he didn't always see eye to eye on discipline, but she was always good to defer to his better judgement. Would Cap? Would Cap trust him enough to let him step in or would they end up arguing?

Even today when Clint had walked in, Wanda had been all but screaming at the blond haired hero. Wanda showed no fear and she didn't think twice about talking back to Steve. Steve continued to speak softly and patiently to her but didn't get up off his ass and put a stop to the disrespect. Kids needed boundaries and if you didn't set them, they would run amok and why not? If Clint could do whatever he wanted when he wanted and tell people exactly what he thought, he would too, but life didn't work that way. Kids had to be taught that they couldn't have their way all the time. They had to learn to submit to authority. Wanda needed to be taught that. Hell, even as an Avenger, she needed to be trusted to follow orders without comment. Sometimes, you just had to do what you were told without arguing whether you disagreed or not.

Clint looked at Wanda who seemed to be still lost in thought. "Well, I have to agree with you that it's hot. I could use a shower." Wanda seemed to perk up at his words. He raised a finger and pointed it around the area. "But, this meadow is your responsibility to clean up. You created this mess and I want you to be the one to remedy that. Do you get me?"

Wanda swallowed slowly and nodded. Clint could tell she was willing to say anything to appease him because she wanted to get out of the bugs and heat.

"Okay, Bella, let's go home." Clint stood to his feet and reached his hand out to Wanda. She stood staring up at him. "What?" he said.

Wanda accepted his hand and he pulled her up. She stood looking at him in astonishment. Clint didn't let her hand go but pulled her closer to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

"My father used to call me that."

Clint smiled and winked at her, cupping her cheek with his hand. "It suits you."

Wanda tipped her head into his hand and rewarded him with a big grin. They lingered like that a moment before she pulled away and walked towards the utility vehicle.