Ok, first of all, I'm so incredibly sorry for the…Jesus, three month delay. My desktop, holding every fic and set of notes I have ever written, including this which was completely written out decided it didn't want to turn on one day, and in attempting to fix it, it imploded in on itself and lays broken and thrown against the wall. I've had to re-write the notes for this, which was originally over thirty pages long, and I can only remember enough to fill twenty-three. That's what I've been doing for the past three months, that and trying to find the will to write again.
Secondly, I couldn't find a place called 'Central City' in California, but I found a place called Stockton which is apparently where it's supposed to be near, so I'm using that for where Sue and Johnny Storm live. Apparently it's a really rough area…awesome.
Disclaimer: Words cannot express how much I don't own them.
Twenty minutes later, Pepper and Happy found themselves in the large foyer of The Daily Bugle Building. Taking no time to admire the interior, they marched up to the receptionist and demanded to speak to Peter Parker.
The receptionist, a fifty-something woman by the name of Hazel, did not take kindly to demands, and as such curtly told Pepper that 'Parker doesn't work here, he's freelance'.
"Well then do you know where he lives?" Pepper asked. "It's imperative that we speak to him."
"Listen young lady," Hazel said in her most bitchy voice. "Parker is freelance. We don't have any records for him. We don't even have a phone number for him." She turned back to her computer. "He comes in every now and then with pictures of Spider-Man and then he disappears."
Pepper was gearing herself up to reply but Happy grabbed her arm and shook his head, pulling her away. He led her out of the building and into the street.
"Happy, what are you doing?" Pepper asked, tugging her arm from his grip.
"Pepper, they don't know where to find him, so there's no point starting fights with people." Happy sighed.
"I was not starting a fight." Pepper said. "She was. And we can't just give up Happy, we need to find-"
She was cut off when a tall, geeky looking man barrelled into her, spilling the folders he was carrying all across the pavement. Pepper stumbled into Happy, who caught her and then immediately went into bodyguard mode, pushing Pepper behind him and squaring up to the man.
"Hey pal, watch where your flinging yourself." He barked at the man who was now stooping to pick up his folders.
"I'm sorry." The man mumbled, scrambling to gather his folders and the documents that had fallen out of them. "I'm really sorry, I wasn't concentrating."
"Yeah, well maybe you should-" Happy started, but Pepper grabbed his arm and gasped. She pointed at the documents he was still collecting. Some of them were photographs, and all of those were of Spider-Man.
"Peter?" Pepper asked tentatively. The man stopped grabbing his folders and looked up at them.
"Uh, yes?" he replied, puzzled.
"Peter Parker?" Happy asked. The man frowned.
"Do I know you?" he stood up, tucking the folders under his arm.
Pepper stepped from behind Happy. "We need to find Spider-Man." She said, lowering her voice.
Peter shifted uncomfortably. "Well, ya know, I don't really know him, I just photograph him sometimes. I can't really track him down."
"You don't understand." Happy said, stepping forwards into Peter's personal space. "We need to find him. It's really important."
"I'm sure it is." Peter said, standing his ground. "But like I said, I don't know the guy."
"Look," Pepper said, pulling Happy away and throwing all her eggs in this one basket. "We're friends of Tony Stark and he needs Spider-Man's help.
"What?" Peter hissed. "Tony's still alive?" his hazel eyes widened in shock. He didn't wait for either Pepper or Happy to reply before gesturing for them to follow him down an alleyway at the side of the Bugle Building.
When they had gotten far enough down it, Peter turned back to them and started unbuttoning his shirt. Pepper froze and Happy spluttered in shock.
"Whoa, hey, what the hell are you-" he faltered as what Peter was wearing underneath came into view.
It was Spider-Man's costume.
"Oh my God." Pepper mumbled, eyes flitting from Peter's face to the red and blue costume beneath his shirt.
"Whatever Tony's plan is, count me in." Peter said, removing his shirt completely. "I take it he'll be needing a little more help than just little old me?" he asked. Pepper nodded, still mesmerised. "Ok, I think I can round up some of the X-Men, but I can't guarantee it. Where is he holding up?" he fumbled with the back of the costume and pulled his mask over his head like a hoody and began removing his pants.
Pepper snapped out of her daze and re-focused on the young man before her. "We're back in Malibu." She said quietly.
"Ok." Peter said, glancing around to either side of the alley as people rushed by. "Hey, here." He ripped off a corner of one of the documents in the folder and scribbled down an address, handing it to Pepper. "Go to this house in Stockton, I heard that's where Sue and Johnny Storm are hiding out. Sue's husband Reed works for SHIELD, she may be able to help us."
Pepper blinked as she took the scrap of paper and then at the fully transformed Spider-Man in front of her.
"I can't believe Tony's alive." Peter said, quite clearly ecstatic. "Tell him I'll be there as soon as possible." He saluted to the pair, raised his hand to the building above them and shot out a web, instantly sticking it to the ledge. Before Pepper or Happy could say another word, he flew upwards and over the top of the building, vanishing out of sight.
"Did that…really just happen?" Happy asked, turning to Pepper.
Pepper smiled and folded the scrap of paper, tucking it into her pocket.
"I think it's safe to say we found Spider-Man."
"I don't think this was the best idea." Happy said to Pepper nervously as he drove up a dilapidated street, trying to find the address Peter had given them the previous day.
Pepper, who was staring out of the window, straining her eyes to see the numbers on the doors of the dimly lit street, sighed and glanced at the paper again.
"We'll be fine, Happy. Most of these houses look deserted anyway."
Happy nodded and shot a sidelong glance at Pepper, noting the stressed look she was trying to mask. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel briefly and took a deep breath before speaking.
"This –Tony coming back- it's really messed you up hasn't it?"
He saw her jaw tense involuntarily but she shook her head.
"I'm fine, Happy. I'm only helping him so he'll leave quicker; I don't think anything about him any more."
Happy nodded and turned his gaze back to the road and the houses.
"It's gotta be weird though, right?" he continued after a few moments. "I mean, he's a dead man walking."
Pepper sighed again and turned towards him.
"Happy, can we drop this? I just want to find these people and go home."
Happy bit his lip and nodded again, mumbling an apology and staring out of the window. He stopped the car after a few minutes and pointed to a house with boarded up windows and chunks missing from the door.
"403, this is it." Pepper said, folding the piece of paper into her bag and stepping out of the car. She and Happy made their way up the dark path toward the front door. Weeds stuck out and hooked on to Pepper's skirt as she walked and when they reached the door, they saw that the number four had fallen from one of its hooks and was hanging upside down. Happy shuffled nervously next to Pepper.
"I really don't like this, Pep." He said in a hushed voice. "How do we know we can even trust these people?"
Pepper considered this for a moment. Someone that she had only met yesterday had told her to go an abandoned cul-de-sac in search of two people who may not even live there. No one knew where she was, Robert thought she was still at her 'meeting' in New York, common sense was screaming at her to turn around before the shit hit the fan. But a small voice spoke over her common sense, a voice telling her that Tony would never send her into danger unintentionally. He always made sure they both knew the risks, and even then, she was always the first to offer assistance. Pepper sighed, praying she was right, and knocked on the door.
The knock seemed to echo around the whole cul-de-sac and both Pepper and Happy stood frozen, staring at the door. They heard footsteps almost immediately, quickly approaching the door from the inside and it was flung open to reveal…nothing. Happy stepped back a little and stared into the house. All they could see was a set of dusty stairs to the right and an old bookcase, sans books, propped up against the opposing wall. Pepper moved to step forward but Happy grabbed her arm and shook his head, eyes wide in fright. She turned back to the house, trying to peer further into the darkness.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out, mentally slapping herself for asking such a stupid question.
"Who are you?" a woman's voice asked back. Happy jumped a foot in the air and clutched at his chest while Pepper let out a little yelp and looked around.
"Um…m-my name is Pepper Potts, I'm trying to find Sue and Johnny Storm." Pepper said nervously, her eyes flitting around, trying to find the source of the voice.
A floorboard creaked in front of them and both heads snapped towards the noise as the voice sounded again.
"What do you want with them?" it asked.
Pepper swallowed nervously and cleared her throat. "We need to talk to them about Tony Stark."
The voice was silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Tony Stark is dead, and I don't know anything else about these people." The door began to swing shut but Pepper held a hand up to stop it.
"Please!" she said loudly. "Please, he's not dead and he needs their help. Peter Parker sent us, he gave us this address."
The door froze and then opened again to reveal a blonde woman standing behind it, a faint blue glow surrounding her. Happy let out a yell of surprise and covered his mouth.
"Peter sent you?" she asked, eying Pepper suspiciously.
Pepper nodded. "Yes, we just arrived from New York; he's gone to see if he can get any more people to help us."
The woman stared at them for a moment before stepping back and allowing them to enter the house, where they followed her into what must have at one stage been the lounge.
"Don't mind the glow." The woman said, turning to them and gesturing to herself. "It's a safety precaution. Can't be too careful these days."
Pepper nodded and looked around the scruffy room before setting her gaze back on the woman. "So you must be Sue Storm."
Sue sighed and nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Johnny's not here right now, but whatever it is, you can't count us out of it."
Pepper blinked. "Um…"
"This is about Project 42 right?" she asked. At Pepper's nod, Sue sighed again. "Look, it's nothing personal against Tony." She continued. "My husband still works for SHIELD, we spent months fighting about this registration business verbally, I can't do it physically, and there's no way in hell I'm letting my brother do it either."
Pepper stared at her disbelievingly. "You're not going to help? We've just flown across country to find you and you won't even hear the plan?"
Sue stood up a little straighter. "Look around you, Miss Potts, look at how I'm living, how I've been living for the past seven years. This is what that registration act has done to us. The fighting has ripped my family apart, and I am not willing to make any more casualties. I hope for all our sakes you're able to stop it, but we can't help you. I'm sorry." She finished, indicating that the conversation was now over. Pepper stared at her again for a second before relenting.
"Fine," she said "We'll see ourselves out."
She walked briskly out of the lounge, Happy jumping into step immediately, following her out to the car.
"What now Pepper?" he asked tentatively.
Pepper sighed and looked back at the house. "That was our last lead." She said sadly. "I guess now…we go home."
TBC