Hi everyone and welcome to chapter 4 of Finding Family: Foundations! A quick note before you start the chapter. My schedule changes next week and I will not be able to keep up with the every Thursday schedule that I've been trying to keep. So I'm just gonna start updating on Fridays instead. It's my free(ish) day and its just before the weekend so you guys get a chapter to start off the best part of the week!

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Avengers or Spiderman, nor do I seek to make any monetary gain from the publication of this story. I simply like to borrow the characters and mess with their heads. I'll return them (mostly) unharmed when I'm done.

Happy reading!


The four had headed off to the mall once Peter had gotten dressed in the outfit Pepper brought with her for him and Gwen had calmed down. The boys had wisely decided not to comment on Gwen's sudden exit from the kitchen when she walked out of her room behind Natasha.

They had started with Peter, him being the easier of the two to shop for. Pepper went crazy with Tony's credit card and Gwen had winced when she'd seen the final price. New sneakers, jeans and t-shirts, a heavy winter coat and gloves and hat, everything that she had desperately wished to get him. Dressed in all new clothes, he was hardly recognizable.

Once Peter's shopping was done, Pepper took him and went off exploring the mall. Natasha could see the conflict in Gwen, torn between wanting to keep her brother at her side at all costs, and the knowledge that he was safe now.

"He won't get hurt," Natasha murmured to Gwen as they watched Pepper and Peter walk away, holding hands. "We've had bodyguards tailing us all day. If anyone comes looking for you two, he won't get hurt."

Gwen nodded as she allowed Natasha to lead her away.

It took Natasha all of two minutes to realize how hard the shopping trip was going to be. Gwen was sticking to plain clothes, scouring the sales and clearance racks for the cheapest things she could find. While Gwen was in the dressing rooms, Natasha went back to the clothes section, grabbing the items she'd seen the girl eyeing, but not pick up. She wasn't prepared for the sight that met her when Gwen stepped out of the fitting room in the first outfit.

"How old are you Gwen?" Natasha asked.

"I'll be sixteen soon," Gwen replied, looking very, very uncomfortable in her own skin.

Up until that moment, the girl had been wearing clothes that were too big for her frame. Now she was wearing close cut jeans and a shirt that formed to her body. She was skinny, unhealthily so. Her wrist was bony and Natasha could see the bottom of her ribs sticking out through the shirt.

"You guys really had it bad, didn't you?" Natasha asked quietly as she tugged at the clothes to check the fit.

"I was thin even before. Da always said I ate like a bird. I was a size six but I seemed to have shrunk."

"Try these on," Natasha said, shoving the things she had gathered into Gwen's arms. "When we're done here we have a few more places to go."

Gwen was sulking as they left the store.

"You didn't have to buy those things. We've bought so much already-"

"You looked great in it and how many times do I have to tell you that whatever we spend today is going to be a drop in the bucket compared to the money that Tony's got?"

"But, still-"

"No buts."

It had been funny to see Gwen's face when they stopped in front of the next store. Natasha hadn't known humans could turn that color red.

"Do you know what size you are?" she asked Gwen as she drug her into the pink themed store.

"Not any more," Gwen said, mortified at her surroundings.

"Alright, then you'll need to be fitted." Natasha frowned, suddenly thinking of something. "Wait, what are you wearing now?"

"There was an old t-shirt that was beyond hope of being able to wear. I cut it up and used it to bind them down."

Gwen had been very happy to leave that particular store.

They got into an argument at the shoe store. Natasha had wanted to get Gwen several pairs of shoes, including some heels. Gwen had stubbornly stood her ground, saying that all she needed was a single pair of sturdy sneakers. They walked out of the store with three pairs of shoes; sneakers, boots and a pair of low heels.

They met up with Pepper and Peter going into the bookstore. One look at Gwen's face told Natasha that they had a bookworm on their hands. She wasn't wrong.

After making sure that Peter was safe and happy in the kids section, Gwen had made a beeline for the rest of the store. The fiction section got stopped at first where Natasha let Gwen talk herself into asking for three books. Then Gwen let herself get lost in the rest of the store. Natasha eyebrows had risen at her choice in reading, some history books, science, one math book and a couple very heavy books on philosophy.

"I can get all this, right?" Gwen asked her shyly.

"Money spent on furthering knowledge is never wasted," Natasha replied.

They walked out of the store after checking out and had unanimously voted for ice cream. Gwen had dug out one of her new books and was reading as she ate. Peter was playing on a new handheld gaming system that had given his sister a heart attack when he'd first pulled it out.

"I bought it for him as a surprise," Pepper said before Gwen could completely blow a gasket. "He didn't ask me for it and no, I'm not going to take it back." The personal assistant had used the tone of voice she used on Tony when he was being particularly stubborn. Gwen had backed down and that had been the end of that.

Pepper and Natasha had been about to suggest they call it quits for the day when Peter stiffened and tugged on his sister's arm urgently.

"Gwen." The girl had looked up, taken one look at her brother's face and shut her book with a loud snap.

"Something's here," she said to Natasha and Pepper as she scanned the crowd. "Peter's danger sense is never wrong. If he's sensing something, then I trust him."

Natasha instantly went for the gun that she'd kept in her purse while Pepper called the bodyguard team to alert them that something was wrong. Gwen had gathered Peter and all their bags and they'd hurriedly made their way to the car.

On the way back to the tower, Gwen wouldn't stop looking out the back window of the car.


"I just got a call from Happy," Tony said as they stepped off the elevator. "He said that something happened at the mall. Did something attack?"

The rest of the team was looking just as frantic. Clint had a bow in hand and was in the process of strapping his high tech quiver to his back. Steve had his shield in hand and looked ready to throw it at a moment's notice. The clouds around the tower had grown dark and thunder started to rumble.

"Peter got a bad feeling," Pepper started.

"There were Lab Rats there," Gwen cut her off. "Don't try to lie, I saw what happened. There were three of them that followed us from the bookstore."

"I thought we got you out of there before you could see that," Pepper said.

The sound of 'Another One Bites the Dust' rang through the air, dispelling the tension in the room. "Stark," Tony said, flipping the phone open and pressing it to his ear. "Coulson, now is not a good time."

"Well make it a good time because I'm here," came a man's voice from the elevator behind them.

Gwen turned to find a man in his late thirties and impeccably dressed stepping out of the elevator car, phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other. On instinct, she pulled Peter behind her.

"Security Breach," Tony said, throwing his hands up in the air. "How do you keep hacking JARVIS? I just updated his software."

"S.H.I.E.L.D has its ways," the man said evasively. "Who are the kids?"

Gwen looked around the room. It was obvious that the Avengers knew the man, but whether he was friend or foe, she couldn't tell. Tony looked less than pleased at the man who had invaded his home while Clint and Natasha looked almost happy to see him. She observed the man warily, weighing her options and trying to decide if she should remove Peter from the situation.

"None of your or SHIELD's concern," Tony said. "What do you want?"

"Fury wants to know why there are currently two civilian minors residing in Avengers Tower."

"Well tell him to shove it and-"

"What Tony means," Steve cut Tony off before he could curse in front of the young child present in the room, "is that he doesn't believe it is SHIELD's business who resides in the tower or that it warrants an inquiry and official visit."

"No, but it is our business if the Avengers suddenly decide to suit up and go on an unauthorized mission," the man said.

Peter began to peek out from behind Gwen's legs. His danger sense wasn't going off, that was good, she supposed. Her older sister instincts, however, were still labeling this man as a potential threat until someone or something convinced her otherwise.

She bent her knees a little and held her arms behind her back a little bit. Peter knew this signal, he clambered up onto his sister's back. Gwen felt her little brother's arms latch around her neck and his legs lock around her midsection. He was strong enough that she didn't need to hold onto him anymore to keep him on. This way, Gwen knew where Peter was at all times, simultaneously keeping him out of trouble and protecting him. She couldn't keep count of the times that she'd fought like this.

She barely registered the argument that broke out between Tony, Steve and the new man. She was watching the rest of the team for any sign of hostility, any sign of them reaching for a weapon or shifting into a fighting stance. If that happened, it would be her signal to get someplace safe as fast as possible. Subtly, she shifted her weight to the balls of her feet and slid one foot ever so slightly behind the other. Peter tightened his grip, being careful not to choke her.

"Her name is Gwen and the boy's name is Peter," Tony all but shouted. "There, are you happy now? You got what you came for, now go back and tell your boss."

The man in the suit froze when he heard their names. Slowly, he turned to face them, his face between incredulous and shock. "Parker?" he asked.

Gwen didn't take the time to tell her body to react, it did that of its own accord. As soon as the man said their last name, she bolted out the nearest exit. The elevator doors were still open from when the man had stepped off them, she took them, then pressed the 'down' button.

As soon as the doors closed, she jumped and grabbed the emergency exit on the roof of the elevator car. Kicking it open and swinging herself out of it as the car started to move, Gwen took stock of the situation.

"Peter, can you web us to the top floor?"

In response, one of her brother's hands unlatched from around her neck and he aimed it for the roof of the shaft. In a few seconds, they were up in the air. They stopped at the last set of doors.

"Help me with the door Pete," Gwen said. Peter slid off her back and together they managed to wrestle the doors open.

They stepped out onto a floor that looked like the penthouse. Gwen was looking for an easily defend-able place when her eyes lighted on an air vent in the ceiling. It was bigger than a normal vent, but that was all the better because that meant she could fit without a problem. She leapt up and managed to latch onto it, she fell to the ground and brought the grate with her.

It was a testimony to how well they knew each other that Peter didn't even have to ask what the plan was. He took a running leap, using his sister's back as a launching pad, and landed in the air vent. Gwen leapt again and pulled herself into the ventilation system beside her brother. Peter shot a web at the grate and pulled it up so his sister could put it back in place.

They had to go single file, crawling on all fours in the vent system. It was dark, not like in the movies where the hero had light to see and make their way by. The only light they had were from the places where there were grates leading to other rooms in the tower.

"Sis," Peter said in a whisper, "what's going to happen now?"

"Don't know Pete," Gwen replied truthfully. "I don't know."


Natasha could have punched Coulson. So, for that matter, could any of the other Avengers. She had seen the way Gwen and Peter reacted when the SHIELD agent had stepped off the elevator. Peter had been curious, but wary. Gwen had geared up for fight or flight.

Natasha had been careful to broadcast signs to Gwen that this man could be trusted. She'd allowed a slight smile on her face and had kept her hands at ease. Clint picked up on it and did the same. He had slung his bow across his back and stood easy and open. Gwen had been on the fence and Natasha had hoped to diffuse the situation, until Coulson had opened his big mouth.

The girl had been off like a shot, rocketing into the elevator faster than she had been able to comprehend. The numbers soon started descending, they were probably going to try for the exit on the ground floor.

It was seconds later when everyone else caught up with what had happened.

"JARVIS, lock down the tower. No one goes in or out," Tony called into the air. "And go through the security cameras, see if you can find where they are in the building." The hard look in Tony Stark's eyes was a look that Tasha hoped would never be turned on her. He balled up his hand and reared back to slug the agent.

Steve beat him to it.

"Thor, Bruce, take the other elevator and head for the ground floor, intercept them if that's where they are. Tony, control room watching the security feed. Natasha, Clint and I will search the rest of the building for them. Pepper, why don't you escort our guest out." Calmly, as if he hadn't just punched a man in the jaw, Steve turned on his heel and made his way for the stairs.

"Go Captain," Clint murmured beside her. "Where do you wanna start?"

"I'll take the floors just below us," Natasha replied. "They might only be hiding, not looking to escape. Why don't you try the offices?"

Everyone went their separate ways to their assignments.


They'd been in the air vents for hours. Peter was getting bored, but he knew better than to start making noises. Gwen was on her side, back to the cool, hard metal of the tunnel and Peter had tucked himself up against her chest.

She had gone to sleep after they had crawled around for an hour or so. They were at a junction where three tunnels met, clear lines of sight on all sides. She'd made sure to go to a different floor too, in case someone noticed that the vent they'd come in through had been opened. Once she'd found a suitable spot, she'd willed herself to sleep. Peter had called up her shield and settled in for watch duty.

They'd done this several times before. Gwen was only able to call up her shield when she was asleep so as soon as she found a defend-able location, she'd go to sleep and Peter would invoke her power. Then he'd watch for a few hours until he either sensed danger and needed to wake his sister, or he felt sleepy and needed Gwen to take over.

He was grateful for the feeling of his sister's power surrounding them, like the security blanket he'd had when he was little. Nothing could hurt him when he was in the bubble. Gwen wouldn't let anything thing hurt him.

Peter had been so scared when the strange man had said their name. Was he from Oscorp? Was he going to take them back to Goblin Man? A lot of business people wore suits, he knew that much. He didn't look like a Lab Rat though. Was Goblin Man trying something new? A new tac-tic. That was what his sister called it.

From the left, there was a strange noise. What was it? It sounded like fabric swishing.

Peter tilted his head so he could see. The sound was getting louder, and closer. Had someone found their hiding place? Shadows bounced on the metal walls and suddenly, there was a bright light in his eyes. He blinked the spots out of his eyes and caught sight of a hunched up figure crawling towards them.

He poked Gwen in the side to wake her up. She squirmed a little bit, but her eyes didn't open. The figure was getting closer now. He couldn't see a face because of the light. Peter pinched Gwen's arm. That worked. Her body went stiff behind him, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Gwen? Peter? Is that you?" That was Sharp Sti- Arrow Man's voice. He was crawling towards them, a light on a band around his head. "Guys, I've got them. No injuries that I can see. Gwen, Peter, are you alright?"

Gwen didn't answer the man as he stopped beside them, knowing better than to try and touch the shield. Peter could see he was relieved to see them.

"Gwen's got a shield up and isn't responding to me." There was no one there with Arrow Man. Who was he talking to? "Tasha, any advice?" The man seemed to stop and listen for a moment before he spoke again. "Gwen, talk to me please. I need to at least know that you and Peter are alright. You don't have to take the shield down. Just answer yes or no."

"We're fine," was Gwen's clipped answer.

"We've been worried sick. You've been gone for nearly six hours. Banner's on the verge of hulking out again and Thor's about to go flying through the city to find you guys. Pepper's beside herself. Can we get out of here? Head back to the others and check you guys over?"

"What's SHIELD?" Gwen asked.

"Top secret government organization that we work for. Coulson is a friend of sorts. He wasn't going to hurt you."

"There are more ways than one to hurt someone," Gwen retorted.

"He's not going to give you back to Osbourne either," Arrow man said. "I think Tony would rip him apart if he tried."

"Gwen? Peter? Clint?" Another figure crawled towards the group. This one slimmer and more graceful. Natasha.

Peter felt Gwen relax when she heard the woman's voice. Peter wasn't sure what nice lady had done to earn her trust, but if Gwen trusted her, he did too.

"Gwen, let the shield down," Nice lady said. "Let's get out of this vent. You can't hold out much longer and Peter needs food."

The bubble of power didn't go away.

"No strings attached Gwen," Natasha said, her voice gentler. "We swore on our hearts, remember? Let's get out of here."

With an exhausted sigh, the shield surrounding Peter and Gwen went particulate and disappeared. Natasha smiled as Peter shuffled out of his sister's grasp. Gwen's movements were slow and jerky, almost like a robot's. Peter knew the signs of Gwen's imminent exhaustion collapse. Holding up the shield didn't take all that much out of her, but it still took some. She'd been on alert since early afternoon and had yet to let down her guard. That coupled with the fact that she hadn't eaten or gotten very much sleep the night before meant that she was going to crash very soon.

Arrow man lead them to a vent grate and kicked it out, then lowered himself to the ground. He reached up his arms and Peter found himself being lowered very gently out of the opening. Once his feet were safely back on solid ground, Gwen was passed down. She wobbled a bit when her feet touched down, but kept her balance. Nice lady leapt down, landing silently.

"Come on guys," Arrow man said. He picked Peter up and lead the way to the elevator. When the door opened, they stepped in and Natasha pressed the button for the floor they wanted.

"You guys had everyone very worried," Natasha said. "Are you sure you're alright? No scratches or bruises or anything?"

Both Peter and Gwen shook their heads. Gwen clasped onto the railing of the elevator car with white knuckles.

"Gwen," Peter said, "You gonna be ok?"

His sister didn't answer him. Instead, she turned to Natasha.

"Nothing's going to happen right?" she asked. "You aren't going to send us away or give us to SHIELD?"

"We swore, didn't we Gwen?" Nice Lady replied. "We're going to keep you two safe."

"Good," Gwen said as the elevator doors opened. She moved to follow Arrow man, but didn't make it for more than a step before she collapsed.

"Gwen!" Natasha knelt down next to the unconscious girl, checking her pulse and looking for any sign of injury.

"Natasha, what happened?" The man who was not a Lab Rat was there, kneeling next to Nice Lady and asking her questions.

"She just collapsed. She said that they weren't hurt but she wasn't looking so good. Her face was pale and she was sweating. She could barely stand upright."

"She did too much." Everyone looked at Peter when he spoke up. "She barely ate today. She's been using her powers since the mall and she hasn't slept too well lately. It happens when she forgets to take care of herself. She'll be fine when she wakes up."

"Are you sure Peter?" Lab Rat man asked him. "You're sure that's all it is? She didn't hurt herself when you guys were running or anything?"

"I'm positive," Peter said, indignant. "I may be five but I'm not stupid. This has happened before. Once she wakes up, she'll be fine."


And that's it for chapter 4. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please, take a moment or three to review and tell me what you think. Thanks to everyone so far who has reviewed, favorited or added this story to your alert lists!

Until next chapter!
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