Happy Saturday!

No rambling this time – just enjoy xxx

Steve was woken by a clatter in the kitchen which sounded like someone had dropped a pan. He rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. It wasn't unknown for those of them that remained to cook for themselves now they didn't have Sam and Bucky providing them with excellent meals, though they did eat more takeout and sandwiches now. Still, they usually made less noise than this, and it was early.

He rolled out of bed and padded across the room to grab a sweatshirt to pull on over his sweats. He made his way out of his bedroom and to the communal kitchen, meeting Natasha on the way who looked guarded, which was her usual response to the unexpected.

Before they reached it, a song began playing from Friday's overhead speakers, a song Steve had heard before and loathed. It was the song Peter had done the viral dance to on the ceiling the first time he'd come to the compound.

Not sure what he was going to find, but secretly hoping, he sped his pace into the kitchen and stopped dead in the doorway, Natasha pushing past him and then coming to a stop, too.

Peter was there, too long hair flying around his face as he danced, rainbow eyes half closed, and a skillet in one hand and a package of bacon in the other.

He would have heard them come in, but he continued to dance for another moment while Steve and Nat stared at him in awe.

Steve had known as soon as he saw the butterflies at Tony and Pepper's wedding that Peter was there, and he'd been desparate to see him, but he knew he had to let that day be about Tony and Pepper reuniting with their son. But now… now Peter was dancing in their kitchen at six-am. and Steve was frozen by shock and happiness.

Natasha rushed past him and grabbed Peter as he danced, pulling him into her arms and saying, "What the hell took you so long?"

Peter laughed, hugging her back, the skillet pressing into the small of her back, and said, "Honestly, I really wasn't going to come, but I saw Tony and Pepper, and Morgan, who is the most amazing thing I've ever seen, and they persuaded me to change my plans a little."

"Pepper had the baby?" Natasha asked.

Peter nodded eagerly, released her and set the pan down, and gestured with his hands to show the size of her, which seemed impossibly small. "She's so tiny, but so beautiful and her hair is so soft and she's…"

Steve was listening, hearing his excitement as he talked of his sister as a baby for the first time, but that didn't hold him back when his inertia broke and he rushed towards him, dragging him into a hug and then lifting him bodily.

Peter laughed and said, "Hey, Brooklyn!"

Steve set him down and tousled his hair. "Damn, it's good to see you."

"You, too," Peter said. "I've got so much to tell you! But first, breakfast, since I'm starving."

Steve looked him up and down, seeing that he looked as healthy and well-built as the last time he'd seen him before the nightmare began in 2023. "You've been eating?" he asked. "When have you been eating? I mean, all that time before you came to us last year, which was like a year on its own, how did you eat? I thought you were busy watching."

Peter nodded and went to the counter, putting the skillet on the stove and tearing open the bacon. "Well, for that first year, nope, didn't eat. It wasn't a problem since the Stones basically put by body in statis, too. Imagine if they didn't, you'd have come back and I've have aged two years. Crazy. This is what we plan to do to stop me aging so I don't end up a wrinkly, crone-looking thing in a century. But when I started getting up and around," he grinned, "I ate everything. Like, I went to Delmar's in alternate universes a bunch of times, and I learned to cook some more when me and Franklin were together. I ate loads. But I spent the day with Tony, Pepper, and Morgan yesterday, and I hung out in…" He stopped and frowned.

"Hung out where?" Natasha asked.

Peter looked from face to face then said, "Okay, this is big, and you all need to know. Who else is here?"

"Clint, Bruce, and Rhodey," Steve said. "And Rocket and Okoye are around. Carol Danvers was here, but after Thor took Thanos out, she took off for space again to deal with the aftermath of the Snap. Thor is with the Asgardians, but he stays in touch."

"Then I'll make breakfast and we can all talk when they're up," Peter said.

Steve could tell Natasha wanted to know more, but she was patient enough to allow Peter to do it in his own time. She grabbed a bowl and began to crack eggs into it as Peter started frying the bacon.

"I'll get the coffee going," Steve said.

"Great," Peter said. "Friday, tell whoever's here that breakfast is being made and they need to get their butts out of bed."

"Already done, Peter," Friday said. "And it's nice to see you again. I missed you."

Peter beamed. "I missed you, too, Fri."

Steve smiled and shook his head. As much as he anticipated whatever it was Peter was going to tell them, it was the mere fact he was here at all which made him so happy.

It had been a long six months in this grief-stricken world without him.

"Colonel Rhodes, Captain Rogers says breakfast is ready," Friday announced.

Rhodey lifted his head from his pillow and said, "Steve cooked?" His stomach was already clenching at the thought of what disaster Steve could serve.

"He assisted," she replied, a pronounced smirk in her voice.

"Assisted who? Nat?"

"That information has been classified, so I suggest you get dressed and go to the kitchen."

Curious, Rhodey got out of bed and went into the bathroom to clean up quickly, brush his teeth, then dressed and headed to the kitchen.

He heard voices before he reached it, happy and excited voices, and one of them made him stop dead and then rush in to see if his ears were hearing what he hoped they were.

They were.

Peter was grinning as Bruce hugged him while also scolding him for staying away too long, and Steve, Natasha, and Clint were watching them fondly. When Bruce released him. Clint clapped Peter on the back and said, "Took you long enough to come back. What, were you busy flying around space and making friends?"

"Kinda," Peter said happily, then his eyes moved right and spotted Rhodey. A wide smile spread across his face, rainbow eyes shining, and then he was crossing the room and throwing his arms around Rhodey.

Rhodey gripped him in return, feeling a deep inner peace at the sight of his nephew for the first time in months. There was no disparity in the version he'd met and grown to love in 2016 compared to the rainbow-eyed and long-haired version he had now. They were one and the same.

"Hey, Pete."

"Hey, Rhodey," he said happily, giving him one more squeeze then releasing him. "I made breakfast—and I have news. Well, I don't, but Tony does, so you need to call him.

Rhodey frowned. "Is it good news?"

Peter hugged his arms around himself. "Uhuh."

Thinking he knew what the news was, Rhodey asked Friday to make the call, connecting it to the TV on the wall. It rang for a long time, and then Tony appeared on the screen, looking exhausted but exhilarated.

"Hey, Tone. You okay?"

Tony nodded, spread his arms, and said, "Morgan is here!"

Rhodey's lips spread with a broad smile. "She is?"

"Yes!" Tony said joyfully. "Six-pounds four-ounces, healthy, beautiful, and perfect!"

Rhodey ran a hand over his hair. "Tone, that's just… I'm so happy for you. How's Pepper doing?"

"She's exhausted, partially because my little girl apparently objects to sleep, which I guess I forgot over the years. She's in the shower right now, and Morgan is in her crib. Not sleeping, of course, but she seems happy enough right now."

Rhodey grinned. "That's so good. I'll get there and see you as soon as I can. Is there any kind of schedule for visitors?"

"Nope, it took you a few days last time, as everything was crazy chaotic at work, but with the way you're dealing with it now, you're around, you can come whenever. I can't wait for you all to meet my girl. Honestly, Rhodey, she's just… perfect?"

Rhodey glanced right and saw that Peter was nodding eagerly, Steve's arm around his shoulders.

"Okay, I'll come tomorrow," Rhodey said. "Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Just yourself," Tony said, then smirked. "And maybe Benji

"Who the hell is Benji?"

Tony winked and ended the call.

Bewildered, Rhodey turned to Peter and asked, "You got any insight on this?"

Peter nodded, "Yeah, but it's not fixed, so you take whatever you think she'd like."

Rhodey was already planning to go buy the baby a toy of some sort, but it was strange for him to think it already existed and was loved in another timeline. He liked the fact Peter was letting him choose it himself, though.

The news of Morgan had come many, many months ago, and though he had no insight of her from the future, he could not wait to meet her. The fact Tony had been able to keep her a secret from them for so long was miraculous, and Rhodey admired him for doing it, when he had must have missed his daughter for the two years they were apart like a missing limb.

Peter went back to the stove and began sliding pancakes onto a platter which Steve was holding, who then added it to the spread of food already there waiting to be served.

"Okay, grab a plate and help yourselves," Peter said. "Don't forget the fruit since it's full of vitamins and Steve prepared it."

Clint tilted her head to the side and examined the plate of chopped fruit. "I guess he can be trusted to manage that."

Steve scoffed. "I'm not a complete disaster, Clint. I can chop fruit."

"Good," Rocket said, coming around the counter with Okoye, who had been watching the reunions with an almost analytical look in their eyes. "Because I am starving."

They all filled plates, Peter going last and stacking his as high as Steve had, then they took seats at the table and dived in.

"This is really good, Pete," Rhodey said, swallowing his mouthful of fluffy pancake.

"Thanks," Peter said.

"Yeah, it's all good," Rocket said. "But is someone going to do introductions. Obviously, we know who you are, Savior of the Universe and all that, but hi?"

Peter set down his knife and fork and held out a hand to Rocket and then Okoye to shake, which they did.

"Yeah, sorry," he said. "It's just, well, I kinda already know you. But, yeah, I'm Peter. I'm here from 2023 since the me that belongs here was one of the Vanished. Which…" He looked from face to face and said, "I have news about that."

Okoye leaned forwards. "Can you bring them back now?"

Peter shook his head, eyes mournful. "I can't. The Snaps and battle are locked in time. Yeah, we could work out where Scott's van is, and get the Quantum Tunnel, but it wouldn't work for whatever reason. We couldn't recreate the Snap to bring them back and can't until 2023. I'm sorry, I know it sucks and you probably think I should be able to do it since I've got the Infinity Stones, but I really can't."

"It's okay, Queens," Steve said. "We know it's not your fault, and we know you're going to come through for us when it's time."

That was true, it was locked, but it might tear apart their worlds anyway. If Peter was not worthy when it mattered, they would die. None of them knew exactly what would happen, if time would snap back to the moment he sent Tony, Natasha, Steve, and Bucky back and he'd not be there, or if there would be some kind of reset in which they all found themselves back at the Snap without him.

Rhodey hated the idea he might not live. He loved Peter and couldn't bear the thought that they would lose him, but he knew it was too late for them to change anything now. They just had to hope and pray it worked when it was time.

"What's your news then?" Rocket asked.

Peter smiled. "Okay, after the Snap, all the Vanished ended up in the Soul Plane. Not the personal places like you had, Nat, but alone. Well, they were alone." His smile became a full-blown grin. "I got them all together. Bucky, Sam, Wanda and Vision are in Wakanda with T'Challa and Shuri. Quill, Groot, Mantis and Drax are in their version of space, and"— he looked at Rocket—"Gamora is there, too."

Rocket's mouth dropped open. "Gamora is there?"

Peter nodded eagerly. "Yep. I gave her the choice, obviously, but she wanted to be there instead of her own place, so I got them together."

Okoye murmured her thanks for the news and cast her eyes down to her plate, her eyes a little misty.

"So, they're okay?" Steve asked. "I mean, they're happy."

Peter considered his answer carefully. "Yeah, mostly happy. It gets tough to be there sometimes away from everyone else, but we have good times, too. That's where I've been most of the time."

"What about you?" Rhodey asked. "The other you I mean."

Peter looked a little sad. "I took him to be with May and Ben. He's happy with them now. They're taking care of him."

Rhodey nodded, relieved to hear it. Even though Peter had recovered from his loss, mostly, he'd still missed his aunt and none of them had been able to heal that loss for him fully.

"And what about you now?" Bruce asked. "Are you happy?"

"I am," Peter said. "I feel a little guilty, since this is probably easier for me than anyone at all, since I get to see you and them, and I'll be able to see Morgan grow. Yeah, what's coming will come, I might not live through the Snap, but it's actually easier for me now than it ever was before Thanos came."

"We're glad," Steve said. "We know how hard it was for you. And what's coming will come, and you will live through it."

Peter nodded and smiled, but Rhodey could tell he didn't believe it. None of them knew for sure how it would end, but Rhodey was going to concentrate on having Peter with them here and now, and face fate when it came.

So… Now everyone's seen Peter so things can settle into the plan. We've got more Baby Morgan in the next chapter.

Until next time…

Jadey xxx