Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it came from the films or the comics, even if I flatter myself that I've put my own spin on things.

Feedback: All constructive comments or appreciative observations are welcome

AN: This ended up a bit short, but it felt like another good way to build on their characters.

The First and the Last

Even after months of getting used to the idea that Mr Stark wasn't going to be part of his life any more, Peter wondered if there would ever be a time when he stopped wishing that his old mentor was still there. He had managed to get back into his old routine of patrolling New York easily enough, and he still had at least potential access to various facilities because of his role as Tony Stark's 'personal intern' (even if he sometimes felt uncomfortable 'flaunting' that status too much), but it was hard for him to completely shake off the idea that he shouldn't be the one still here after the Snap.

The current situation was a particular example of that. Learning that Ms Potts was pregnant should have been good news, as it meant that some part of Mr Stark's personal legacy had survived. The Iron Man suits were basically tied up in all kind of legal issues to prevent anyone else using any of them apart from Colonel Rhodes' existing use of the War Machine armour, and Stark Enterprises was more of the legacy of Howard Stark rather than his son, but a baby…

It sucked that Mr Stark wasn't here for the moment himself, but Peter chose to be touched that he was invited along anyway. He had been surprised enough that Ms Potts and Colonel Rhodes had assured him he would still have a degree of access to Stark Enterprises resources as Peter Parker as well as Spider-Man's own access as an Avenger, but Ms Potts had assured him that she had faith he would live up to Mr Stark's own expectations. Peter was determined to earn his way by putting in the work necessary, but he wouldn't outright ignore the opportunities Ms Potts gave him either. He didn't plan to use the company's resources to help him in his daily activities as Spider-Man unless he felt that he absolutely had to go that far, but the contacts were useful in helping him keep in touch with Carol in particular.

Carol…

Peter pushed that thought down; he was here to attend a birth, not have… those kind of thoughts about his friend! The new pager had come together pretty well and Carol was apparently taking steps to set up some paperwork in case she wanted to spend more time on Earth outside of meeting with the Avengers, so Peter had to focus on his own life rather than keep making it all about the two of them-

"Hey, kid?"

"Colonel Rhodes?" Peter looked up at the other man with a smile. The leg braces the older man still wore were an uncomfortable reminder of how the Avengers had fallen apart, and there was no way to make them better without Mr Stark, but the man was doing his best to keep some form of team spirit going despite that.

"She's done," the colonel said, indicating the door behind him with a smile. "They're ready for you."

Peter wasn't sure he'd ever been more conscious about how he was moving since he originally realised he had powers. He knew that he had mastered his self-control over the months (coming up on years) since the original spider-bite had changed his body so much, but that short walk along the corridor to Ms Potts' room…

"Hey Peter," Ms Potts said, looking up at him with a smile as he walked through the door. The CEO of Stark Enterprises looked exhausted in a manner that he hadn't seen from her even when she had tried to keep up with her work no matter how far along her pregnancy was, but the proud expression on her face as she looked down at the small bundle in her arms made it clear she wouldn't trade this for anything.

"Hey," Peter said, lost for anything more to say as he looked at the small face poking out from the blankets. He wasn't that familiar with babies, and so far he couldn't see anything that made him think of Mr Stark, but the knowledge that this was Iron Man's kind…

"Morgan," Ms Potts said, raising her arms slightly to give Peter a better look at the baby.

"Morgan?" Peter repeated.

"Tony… the night before everything… he had a dream that we had a baby with that name," Ms Potts explained, her smile faltering at the memory before it grew again as she looked at the bundle. "It just… OK, he thought we'd have a son, but it works either way."

"Uh… sure," Peter said, pushing down the part of himself that immediately thought it sounded more like the villain from that Merlin show; he was talking to the CEO of Stark Enterprises, he didn't really feel like he had the right to criticise her choice of baby names. "So… she's OK?"

"She's fine," Ms Potts said, prompting him over with a jerk of her head, only to quickly pass the bundle over. "Here."

"Whoa…" Peter said, unsure what else to do as he found himself with a baby in his arms. Staring down at the small face poking through the blankets, for a moment Peter had no idea what to do, but then the eyes blinked open and Peter felt a surge of affection he couldn't compare to anything he'd felt before.

"Hey there, Morgan," he said, feeling an urge to say something even if he knew the little girl couldn't understand him. "I… I'm Peter… I knew your dad… and I… well…"

"You'll be there if we need you?" Ms Potts said, an encouraging smile mixed in with a hopeful tone as she held out her arms for her daughter.

"S… sure," Peter nodded in response, unsure what he was fully agreeing to even as he returned the baby to her mother.

He wasn't sure if he could even fully take care of himself at times, and he knew that he had a lot more to do before he even came close to equalling some of Mr Stark's feats as Iron Man, but if Mr Stark's wife wanted him to try and support his mentor's biological kid…

Looking at the now-squirming bundle in Ms Potts' arms, Peter already knew that he was going to do his best for that little girl, no matter what it took.

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

He knew that he had a duty as Spider-Man and an Avenger to help people, and he enjoyed his 'work' most of the time as a way to make a difference even after everything had gone wrong, but there were times when he just wanted to know he could afford to relax…

Carol wondered if she was pushing herself too far with this new approach. After staying away from Earth for so long to protect her planet from reprisals due to her destruction of the Supreme Intelligence, she could acknowledge that she was 'grateful' that the Kree weren't in any condition to go after her right now, but there was a difference between dropping in on Earth and setting up an identity to let her live there.

The strange part was that even though Peter was the inspiration for her decision to pursue a 'secret identity', he wasn't even aware that she'd set up any of the background details yet. She couldn't explain why she'd avoided sharing that particular secret with him, even when she knew he'd approve of anything that involved her spending more time on Earth. The best way she could explain it was that she wanted to be sure she was doing this because she chose to do it, rather than because it was a good way for her to be free to spend more time on Earth.

Granted, there was something a little creepy about basically claiming to be her own daughter, but as Maria had pointed out, if she wanted to blend in with other people for the moment this particular lie was the easiest to sell. The papers allowed her to at least skim over the details regarding the identity of her 'father' (or at least the father of her apparent identity), but that left her with the challenge of blending in and actually making a life for herself. Maria had allowed Carol to stay with her while she sorted out an independent residence, but Carol hated the thought of imposing on her old friend like that, even if Maria made it clear she appreciated the company after Monica was lost in the Snap.

Still, at least things were going better on this new date compared to the last one. William Wagner might not have the clearance to even know what she did for a living, but at least he wasn't as conceited as that Marcus prick had been on the last date. He talked a bit about his business owning a restaurant and working to set up another one, but it was nothing more than responding to Carol's questions about the whole operation rather than him bragging about his accomplishments. He was interested in her cover of working for SWORD without asking too many questions about it that would put her in an awkward position, and seemed to accept that she might have to cancel things at the last minute if something came up at work.

All in all, Carol wouldn't say that William was 'Mr Right', but he was at least more than 'Mr Right Now', and he had potential to be more… and it wasn't as though there was anyone else in her life right now…

It's still not quite… it's not what I'm looking for…

She pushed that thought down, reminding herself that getting picky wouldn't accomplish anything but leave her in the same mess she'd been in for years. She wouldn't say that she'd gotten over her guilt over the conflicts she'd provoked by destroying the Supreme Intelligence all those years ago, but she could at least acknowledge that it was time to move on from that and actually try and let herself live. William was a good man who had a stable life and gave her a good look at regular life back on Earth after she'd spent so long focused on things in space; it wasn't hurting anyone for her to just spend time with him.

Still… with all the chaos in her life, she could appreciate having something straightforward for the moment, even if she still regretted the secrets. She wasn't ready to tell William everything about herself yet, but if she gave it some time… if she let herself get more comfortable with him and tell him about the things she could share with him…

All she really wanted was to find someone who she didn't have to keep any secrets from, and there was nothing to say that William couldn't become that eventually. Maria and the other Avengers were doing a good job making her feel comfortable as she settled back into life on Earth, but it had all been so difficult for the last few years. Maybe it was selfish, but after so long pushing herself, struggling to cope with the challenges of the wider universe and the consequences of her mistakes, Carol just wanted to have one thing in her life that she had complete control over…