Hi Everyone! I want to thank everyone who took the time to review the first chapter. I really appreciate it!

Here is chapter 2 for you all. It's kind of long, which most of you probably like. I can't promise all the chapters will be this long.

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 2

Tony Stark, sat in his office chair, at the Avengers Facility in Upstate New York. His tired face resting in both hands, fingers gently rolling circles into his eye sockets in an attempt to ward off the migraine he'd been fighting for the last hour. He'd just gotten off the phone with another phone call with the new Secretary of State.

After several months of being unable to apprehend the rogue Avengers, and the amount of public complaints the government has been dealing with in regard to enhanced individuals roaming around unchecked. Secretary Ross was finally asked to step down and was immediately replaced. At first Tony thought that this was not going to make things any better; figuring that if Ross was replaced because he was unable to get a handle on the enhanced population than the new guy would most certainly be a ruthless dictator. Tony imagined another holocaust, where crowds would be rounded up, tested for enhancements then those that came out positive would be locked away on the raft.

Surprisingly none of that happened. The new Secretary of State, Jullian Grant decided to follow a more diplomatic approach to the problem. On his first day in office, he immediately made a statement to the public, saying that, "Just because someone is enhanced, doesn't mean they are dangerous." The following days included a lot of speeches about his plans on keeping tabs on enhanced individuals without alienating them. He also announced that he would pardon all the rogue Avengers who were willing to work with him.

So far the public has responded well to the new Secretary, and everything seemed to be going great. So why was Tony so stressed out right now, looking like he's had next to no sleep, and trying to prevent an oncoming migraine?

Because having the rogues pardoned means that they are coming out of hiding. Clint was choosing to retire and went home to his farm life. Scott Lang, who Tony now knew as the giant tiny guy from the airport in Germany, went home with his family as well. Wanda had not resurfaced yet and was either choosing to remain hidden or was dead. Vision, who was never an official rogue, had gone offline and Tony had not heard from him in months. His parents' murderer Bucky Barnes has also remained hidden. Steve claims to know nothing of his whereabouts, but Tony doesn't quite believe him. He's the only one from the whole "Civil War" ordeal that still has an official arrest warrant. Secretary Grant says they're still deciding on whether he needs to be convicted of the crimes he did while under the control of Hydra.

That left Steve, Natasha and Wilson who had all chosen to move back into the Avengers Compound. This alone was causing Tony most of his stress. Yes the daily phone calls from Grant about revisions on the accords was a little grating at times, but the idea of living under the same roof as Steve Rogers again… well Tony wasn't sure he was ready for that. Wasn't quite sure he was ready to forgive and forget.

He did make the first move, however. Raising the white flag, so to speak by announcing that any of the Rogues were welcome to return if they wanted to. It was a start he supposed.

A vibrating sound next to him on the desk, brought Tony out of his thoughts. It was his phone ringing. A scowl came over his face; this better not be Grant calling back again. It wouldn't be the first time he called multiple times within an hour. The look softened when he turned the phone over and read the caller ID as "P Parker (Spiderling)."

Having the kid call him at this moment was better than many of the alternatives; but Tony wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with an over excited teenager telling him about the cat he saved from a tree and how many old ladies he helped this evening. But there was always the chance he was in trouble or injured. To quickly make sure, he pulled up the stats from the Spiderman suits A.I. What did the kid name her again? Katherine?

One look at the stats showed Tony that Peter wasn't even wearing the suit right now. Which means it's very unlikely the kid is in any trouble. So, ignoring his first instinct to ignore the call, and get back to the teen later; Tony chose to answer it and try to make the conversion quick. "Hey kid," he said into the phone's speaker. "This really isn't a good-" Tony broke off at the sound of heavy breathing and sobs coming from the other end of the call. "Pete?"

"Mr…. S-Stark…" Tony could just make out Peter's stuttering words through the phone speaker.

At the sound of the boy's broken voice, all other worries instantly took a backseat in Tony's mind. Peter was always looking to impress him one way or another, and usually did anything possible to hide his emotions, injuries, weariness, or anything that would show weakness. A quality in the kid that reminded Tony way too much of himself. So to hear the kid so openly upset while knowing he was on the phone with his Idol Tony Stark; it had to be bad. Tony leaned his tense body over the front of the desk in front of him, ready to call his suit if needed. "Kid! What's wrong?" This question was answered by an incoherent jumble of sobs, hiccups, and broken words. The man could not make heads or tails of it. "Woah, woah, hold up a moment kid. I'm not understanding a word you're saying."

What followed next, was a flurry of harsh sobs and hitching broken gasps. Tony was on his feet at this point. Gathering up his essentials. "FRIDAY, track the kids phone," he called out to his A.I. He had heard enough to know that he needed to get over to the kid sooner rather than later. "I need you to take some deep breaths for me kid," he next spoke back into the phone.

Tony really needed to get the kid to calm down, so that he had an idea of what he was dealing with. Was the kid under attack right now? That would require his Ironman Suit where he would need to get there quickly with guns blazing. Was he injured, which would mean getting a medical team ready for him. Or maybe this was just some kind of teenage angst because his girlfriend broke up with him. That would require emotional support that was probably out of his league. He'd still head over to Queens so he could help but would probably just drive himself, so he had time to call Pepper for advice. Luckily the kid did what he said and took some deep breaths so the next words he spoke, though still thick with emotion, was still understandable. "Its.. I-It's… M-M-May…"

Those few words stopped Tony completely in his tracks. No… it couldn't be… Not yet! "Is she ok?" Tony's words were steady, even though his mind raced along with his own emotions beginning to spiral. This wasn't supposed to happen yet! When Peter began sobbing hysterically once again, and with a sinking feeling Tony knew. Whether they were ready or not, the time had come.

About three months ago, May got a call from her doctor. She had been having frequent migraines, which medication didn't help with. A brain scan showed a large tumor, which was later found to be cancerous. The moment Peter had told him about her diagnosis, Tony had offered to pay for her treatment. Hire the best doctors in the world. But of course, the woman had declined; not wanting to be "Tony Stark's charity case." But when May's doctor said that her tumor was inoperable, she was forced to swallow her pride and accept his help. Unfortunately, even the best surgeon Tony could find was unable to completely remove the tumor. But she had been responding well to the chemo and radiation therapy. Spiderman had taken a backseat in Peter's priorities after the diagnosis, and in the last month he'd felt comfortable getting back into it again. May must have taken a turn for the worst. "Tell me what happened Pete."

Peter had calmed down quite a bit since he hung up with Mr. Stark. Listening to his mentor's strong confident voice gave him a steady foundation to hold on to. Just hearing him say that everything was going to be alright, was enough to make him believe it. Peter was old enough to know that when adults say stuff like that, they can't always guarantee their words to be true. But knowing that Tony Stark was on his way to see him, gave the young teen the confidence to believe it to be true. That everything really would be all right. They had to be, because Mr. Stark was Ironman, and Ironman could fix anything.

After explaining everything that had happened with his aunt, Mr. Stark had told him that he was going to make a few calls and come to get him. He assumed one of those calls would be to May's doctor, but the other calls Peter had no idea who else his mentor would be calling. He didn't spend much time wondering though, just remained sitting on the hallway floor trying to stay calm. Maybe he should try knocking on May's door to see if her memory lapse had passed yet. He could tell with his enhanced hearing that she had calmed down quite a bit now. But Mr. Stark told him to stay where he was and to not do anything until he arrived. So, it was probably best to listen to him, and just wait.

When Peter heard the elevator opening sometime later, he looked over expectantly, hoping it was Mr. Stark coming in to save the day. He was disappointed and slightly alarmed to see two police officers exit the elevator. Why were the police here? Did Mr. Stark call them? Why would he do that? May was sick, not a criminal. Maybe it was a neighbor again.

The two officers headed straight to where he sat on the ground, "Are you Peter Parker?" one of them asked in a gruff but not unkind voice.

"Yes sir…" Peter politely replied, getting back up on his feet so as to not look so much like a scared little kid.

"We got a call about your aunt, May Parker. Did she pull a weapon on you?" the second officer bluntly asked.

There was no doubting it anymore. Mr. Stark had to have been the one to call them. He was the only one Peter told about his aunt pointing a gun at him and threatening to shoot. A slight feeling of anger kindled inside Peter towards his mentor. May had only done that because she was sick and not thinking straight. There was no reason for him to call the police on her. How would going to jail help her? "Yes sir, but she's sick right now. She has cancer and isn't herself right now. You don't need-"

"I know son," the first officer gently interrupted. "I remember from the last time I received a call to this residence. Are you injured?"

Peter shook his head in answer and could now recognize the first officer. He had been one of the cops to show up the last time their neighbors called, Officer Mack. That knowledge made him feel a little better; at least it was someone who knew their situation. So Peter cooperated as the two cops asked him questions about the incident. After about ten minutes, the elevator opened up again. Peter broke eye contact with Officer Mack as the door opened, sure that it was Mr. Stark this time. He was disappointed yet again, when it was another police officer that stepped out, this time a female. "Sarah, thanks for coming," Mack greeted as she approached them. She gave a nod to her co-worker then smiled at Peter.

"Peter, this is Sarah Winsten. She's going to stay with you until child protective services gets here," Mack explained.

What? Child protective services. Why were they coming? Surely, they weren't going to take him away from his aunt. She was fine! Sure she pulled a gun on him, but it was just an episode. Peter didn't have long to dwell on this, as Mack and the other cop both turned to head towards their apartment. One of them placed a hand on his gun as if he was expecting the need to pull it out. "W-Wait, what are you going to do?" he asked, voice high pitched with panic. Were they really going to arrest her?

"Just relax Peter," Sarah told him, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from following. "They are going to go help your aunt."

Peter didn't see how drawing a gun was going to help her. That would just cause her to panic again. He resisted the urge to follow the other two officers, not wanting to make the situation worse; but ignored Sarah's attempts to distract him from what was about to happen. He stubbornly kept his eyes on the two cops as they stopped front of the apartment door and knocked loudly, "Police!" Mack shouted in his gruff voice. Peter had a very bad feeling about all of this. What if she opened the door with the gun still in hand or threatened to shoot them. That would give the police cause to shoot her. God only knew what was going through his aunt's head at the moment. And Peter was a sitting duck right now. The spiderman suit was still inside his backpack in the apartment right now, so he couldn't even attempt to intervene as Spiderman.

May did not answer the door right away. In fact, it took three knocks from the two officers before the door cracked open. Peter could see his aunt's terrified face peek out from behind the door. He was relieved to see that she had enough sense to not bring the gun with her. Maybe she'd put it away already. "Y-Yes officers?" she shakily asked.

"Hello ma'am," the officer that Peter still didn't know his name was the one to speak this time. "We received a call about a disturbance at your residence."

Peter saw his aunt's face sag with relief. "Yes! Someone broke into my apartment!" she quickly told them, opening the door a little wider. Peter couldn't help the sting he felt, that May still didn't remember him.

"Have you ever seen him before?" Mack asked her next.

May took a moment to think about that question, and Peter felt his hopes go high. "...No I don't think so."

His hopes were dashed.

"Ma'am do you have any weapons in the apartment right now?" Mack asked.

"Yes I do actually. I just used my husband's gun to scare the guy off."

"May I have that weapon please," Mack phrased it as a question but his tone made it clear it was not a request.

Luckily May seemed to notice as well, as she suddenly looked uncomfortable again. "Um… sure."

She turned around as if to go and grab the gun for him, but Mack put a hand on shoulder to stop her. "No, no. Just stay where you are. Tell me where it is and I'll get it myself." Officer Mack then walked into the apartment, May followed right behind him, and the other officer brought up the rear.

"Is… is everything all righ-" May's sentence was cut off when the apartment door closed. Peter attempted to tune into his enhanced hearing so he could know what was happening inside, but for some reason it wasn't working right now. It must be all the stress right now. Sometimes when he gets overly stressed, some of his powers don't work as well or stop altogether. What a time for it to happen.

With a defeated sigh, Peter slid down the wall to sit on the floor again. The female police officer gave him a patronizing smile but didn't say anything. The elevator opened yet again. It had to be Mr. Stark this time!

May's doctor walked out of the elevator. He stopped briefly at Peter to give him a small smile and tell him, "Don't worry, everything's going to be ok." Then continued down the hall. He stopped in front of the apartment door and knocked. He was let inside a moment later. Apparently, everyone but him was allowed inside. The boy sighed again. Was Mr. Stark even coming?

Tony felt like he'd been on the phone nonstop for hours by this point. Ever since he hung up with Peter, his phone had been practically glued to his ear. He started off with calling May Parker's doctor, and it took being transferred through several different departments before the billionaire got fed up and said to the person, he was speaking to that he was Tony Stark and if the next person he spoke to wasn't May Parker's doctor, he would sue the whole hospital. That finally worked. The Doctor said he was on his way to the apartment, and to contact the police. That one had at least been a short conversation.

After that was all done, he needed to work out the legal custody part of all this. He was thanking a God he didn't quite believe in, that he and May had worked out a custody plan for him to take in Peter if she ever became too ill to take care of him. They had only signed the official paperwork two weeks ago. Talk about timing it right. Even with the official legal paperwork signed, he still had to talk to CPS, and get transferred to multiple other departments, each different conversion taking 10 minutes at minimum. Tony had lost count of how many different people he spoke to in the last two hours. Finally, someone told him that everything looked good, and he officially had legal custody of Peter Benjamin Parker.

After that was all done, he had to call back Secretary Grant, who had been trying to call him during this whole mess and had been forced to ignore the calls. Priorities, right? He ended up being on the phone with the new secretary for almost 45 minutes while Happy drove him to Queens. He finally had to tell Grant that he was dealing with a big mess right now and would need to call him back another day.

Just as they were pulling up to Peter's apartment, his phone rang again. Caller ID ready Steve Rogers. Tony ignored the call. That was definitely something he was not dealing with right now. "Want me to wait here boss?" Happy asked as Tony opened his door.

"Probably a good idea," the billionaire responded. He had no idea what sort of craziness was going on upstairs. He saw two cop cars parked nearby which could mean anything. He also didn't know what state of mind Peter would be in right now. "Keep the car warm for us," he told Happy before shutting the door.

It had been a very long time since he'd been to the Parker apartment. Usually, Peter came to him when they met up, and even when he'd meet up with May they usually met at some public place. In fact, if he included the time he recruited the kid to Germany, this was the third time he'd been here. He wondered, while standing in the rickety old elevator, if he'd be able to remember what apartment number they were. By the time the elevator stopped at the 7th floor, Tony realized that his wonders were unnecessary. Peter was sitting on the floor a few feet from the elevator in a fetal position; his head was resting on his arms that were wrapped around his scrunched-up knees. A female police officer was standing next to him. No one else was in sight. Peter made no acknowledgement of his presence as the billionaire approached, which meant he was either asleep or so lost in thoughts he didn't notice. "Hey kid, sorry it took so long."

It turned out to be the latter as the boy's head shot up to look at him with surprise at hearing his mentor's voice. The expression the kid was making, made Tony wonder if the kid somehow forgot that he was coming. It looked like he almost couldn't believe his eyes.

"Mr. Stark?" The female officer looked just as surprised as Peter did. "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think your services are required. We have this covered."

"I'm here to pick up Peter Parker," Tony informed the woman, making a nod at the teen who had yet to move.

The woman frowned at him, "My instructions were to wait here, and release him to Child Protective Services."

"Well things have changed. I'm his legal guardian now," Tony said matter of factly.

The policewoman looked from Tony back to Peter, as if to check if the kid was going to corroborate his claim. Peter was still sitting still as a statue, looking like a star struck kid. Which really wasn't helping his case. Come on kid, pull it together! "I'll need to make a call to confirm," The woman finally said.

"Be my guest," Tony said, trying to sound pleasant, but it came out a bit sharper than intended. "You'll find everything in order."

She gave Tony a stern glare before stating, "Neither of you are allowed to leave until I get back." With that she pulled out her phone and took a few steps away, to make the phone call. Tony noted that she still made sure to keep them both in sight. Not that it was necessary, as the billionaire had no intension of running off with the kid right now. He did however take a couple steps closer to the teen who still hadn't moved. "Hey Pete," he gave what he hoped was an encouraging smile and reached a handout to help him up.

This motion seemed to break the kid out of his trance, as he accepted the offered hand and allowed Tony to help him to his feet. "M-Mr. Stark, what-"

Peter's sentence was interrupted by another disturbance from down the hall. A door opened up, and two male Police officers stepped out, followed by May Parker who was carrying a suitcase, and lastly came a man who Tony recognized as the doctor he had hired for May's care. This sight caused sudden major distress for Peter. "Wha-What's going on? Aunt May? Where are you- wait, where are you taking her!" The boy made to run over to them, but Tony grabbed his arm to stop him. Peter could have easily overpowered the billionaire, but luckily chose not to do so and allowed Tony to hold him back.

None of the group that came out of the apartment responded to his cries, which only made him get more hysterical. The two cops and the Doctor all had grim looks on their faces. May looked dazed and confused like she didn't totally understand what was happening right now. Which might have been exactly what was happening. Tony noted that the Doctor had a hand on May's back as if he were guiding her. "May please!" Peter continued to cry out, tears beginning to fall from his already red eyes. "Please tell me where you're going, someone please tell me why you're doing this! May! May!"

The group passed them by without words. Walking into the open elevator. When the doors closed, Peter rounded on Tony a look of desperation in his glassy tear filled eyes. "I don't understand! Why did they take her? She did nothing wrong!"

"Pete buddy…" Tony never would have thought his heart would break over a kid, but it was happening now. How he wished he could press a button and just fix all of this. But he couldn't, and Peter knew that as well. It still didn't stop him from begging with his eyes. "They're going to take her somewhere where they can help her."

"But what about me? Why can't I go with her?"

Tony didn't know how to answer that. How was he supposed to explain to a 15-year-old kid that he was no longer safe staying with his last remaining relative. He wasn't going to try and explain now. "Because you're going to stay with me now."

"N-No…" renewed tears began to fall down the boy's flushed face. Tony had no idea what to do to comfort the kid. He really didn't do emotions or the touchy-feely thing, and there was usually Pepper or Rhodey around during the few occasions Peter or someone else got all weepy or emotional. They would handle the mushy comfort thing, then he would come in later to be the solid rock that brings everything back to normal again. Neither were here at the moment, which meant he had to do the mushy part. Unless he called Happy up to do it… no that would probably end very badly. Happy was almost as bad with emotions as he was.

Resigning himself to his fate, Tony took a step closer to the kid and awkwardly wrapped his arms around the crying teen. He supposed that he better get used to it, since he was now Peter's legal guardian. Luckily the kid made things easy, and the awkwardness quickly went away as the kid melted into his embrace, crying into his shirt while saying, "No, no, no," over and over again.

Tony couldn't even get offended by this being the kids' response to finding out that he's going to be living with Ironman. It's not that Peter didn't know what he and May did. He was aware of it, in fact the boy was present when they signed the papers. It's just that in all their minds it was supposed to be a precaution; something that probably wouldn't happen, but a safety net just in case May died before Peter turned 18. That was less than 3 years away. May's doctor said she still had 3 to 5 years left. It was not supposed to happen this way. Tony's arms squeezed a bit tighter about the sobbing boy in his arms. Peter may not yet understand why everything happened the way it did; but one thing both were certain of. Neither of them were ready for this.

I know things have been pretty intense for the start of a story. But please bear with me, its going to slow down a lot in the next chapter.

I also have no idea how things would really go down if this situation happened in real life. I didn't do any research on this topic. I normally do research before hand to make my stories be as accurate as possible. But this here is a self indulgent story and I don't plan to take much time with research or characterization. I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies. This story is a trope combo of a sickfic/Tony becomes Peters legal guardian/Peter meets the avengers for the first time all rolled into one. I know… very original