Avengers Tower

Common Room - Medical Wing

3:29 AM

Happy directs Ned and Morgan to the common room just outside of the medical wing which led to the medbay. Ned immediately takes the seat closest to the hallway and fixes his gaze in that direction. Morgan is far too anxious to sit still, so she finds herself prowling around the room like a cat defending its territory. Her thoughts completely focusing on the night they just endured. The fresh memories of Peter's warm blood oozing through her trembling fingers. His shaky, uneven breathing as she tried desperately to keep him conscious. The frantic beating of her heart as she tried to decide what was the right choice to make.

She doesn't know if she did, but there was no other option.

Ned and Morgan can't treat those wounds, and he can't go to a regular hospital. Morgan wonders what her father thought when he answered that call. She shakes her head at the ridiculous thought. He was probably wondering why his daughter and her friend were in a sketchy warehouse with a dying Spiderman when she was supposed to be safely within the walls of the Parkers' home. There's no way that any of them are getting out of this without Peter's identity getting revealed.

Assuming the Peter lives to see tomorrow, of course.

Suddenly the fear was more palpable, could Peter really die from this? She knew that he has a pretty amazing healing factor, but what it it's not enough? How will she be able to look May in the face if she was involved in getting her nephew killed? Her steps speed up with her rapidly hammering heart. Her lungs feel like they've caught fire, and her throat is contracting in on itself. She can't hardly breath, tears prickle at the corner of her eyes.

What if Peter dies?

The urge to vomit presses in on her as her stomach rolls. She twists and shoves her head into the nearest trash can, spewing up what little dinner she had eaten before shit hit the fan. She eases herself onto the ground, feeling even worse now. Her head is pounding, her throat aches from being sick and the aftertaste in her mouth is just fowl.

"Ned, how're you holding up?" Morgan's voice is rough and scratchy. She winces as talking irritates her tender throat. Ned startles as though he wasn't expecting her to speak. Slowly, he shifts his gaze over to her. The anxious fear in his eyes reflects the feeling that been consuming Morgan since they arrived.

"Pe—" He cuts himself of before restarting, "Spiderman. D-do you think he's still alive?" Ned's voice trembles.

Morgan doesn't know what to say. She wants to comfort him and wants to assure him that Peter was still alive. To tell him they'd all be back at Midtown together in now time, but she doesn't know that. Instead, she tries to be optimistic without denying the possibility of the worst outcome.

"I hope so, Tony Stark has some of the best doctors working for him. If anyone can help Spiderman, it's them." Ned nods, but it's not the same overly enthusiastic nod he usually gives. Morgan doesn't blame him; she is no mood for their usual activities either. All she wants is for someone, anyone, to step outside the room and tell them if Peter's alive or not. Morgan pulls herself up off the cold, hard floor and makes her way over to where Ned is sitting. She settles in beside him and waits.

Another few hours' crawl by with no news. Morgan's eyelids are too heavy, her head feels like mashed potatoes, and she can't stand staring at the clock above the hall anymore, so she rests her head against Ned's shoulder and eventually sleep takes her.

"Morgan, wake up honey," a gentle voice speaks, a hand gently prodding her into consciousness.

She reaches up to rub at her eyes, yawning as she shifts up into a sitting position. Once the sleepiness clears, she instantly recognizes the woman standing before her. Tears spring from her eyes.

Morgan's on her feet in an instant, throwing herself into the woman.

"Mommy!"

...

Avengers Tower

Common Room - Medical Wing

6:02 AM

Pepper Potts was not one for superstitions or believing without so sort of proof, but she knew something had happened before she received the phone call. It was like cold shiver down her spine, then she was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of wrongness. That's how she knew something was amiss. She tried calling Tony, but the line wasn't answered. Pepper tried to talk herself down, not wanting to leave her business retreat if she was overreacting, but the sensation persisted until she couldn't take it anymore

Which is why she was now currently an unemployed, single mother who was driving towards a multimillion-dollar skyscraper at the dawn of the next day. Maybe not so single mother anymore. Not since Tony has revealed that he does have an interest in getting to know their daughter and being a part of her life. Honestly Pepper had been so surprised to see him. She never imagined that he would change his mind, but now she couldn't be happier. Morgan deserved to have a relationship with her father and Tony deserved to have the chance to be the father that he never got to have. They would be good for each other; Pepper was sure of it.

The realization that Tony had be unaware of her pregnancy and had only recently discovered Morgan and Pepper's predicament came as a huge shock, but he seemed committed. Pepper was willing to give him a chance. Plus, now that Pepper was jobless, at least her daughter wouldn't be homeless once the bills started coming in. Even though Pepper couldn't say the same thing about herself. It was dramatic, she wasn't destitute.

Pepper wasn't one to spend obscene amounts of money of frivolous items, so she had quite a bit held back in a savings account. Not enough for her to take a prolonged vacation, but enough to survived for a few months until she managed to find herself a new job. It will be a struggle, but they've managed in much worse circumstances.

Her mind drifts back to her bad feeling.

Pepper's phone is connected to her car, so she tries to call Tony again. Trying to put herself at ease, it's still possible that she's overreacting and has gone and quit her job for nothing. It could be Pepper's own inability to have enough faith to truth Toby to take care of their daughter. The longer the phone rings without answers, the more anxious she gets.

Her palms steadily grow sweatier against the steering wheel the longer the phone rings. She's all but convinced herself that she won't be answered and is about to disconnect the call when the line is picked up.

"Pepper?" Tony's voice comes over the line and Pepper breathes a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Tony. I... I was just checking on you and Morgan. Is everything okay?" Pepper tries to sound casual. The last thing she wants is for Tony to think she doesn't trust him. That wouldn't do. He deserved to be there for Morgan and Pepper needed to put her unease to the side and allow him to have the chance to develop a relationship at his own pace.

Tony is silent before he clears his throat. "Actually no, and before you freak out. Morgan is completely fine. But..."

Pepper is confused. What could be wrong then? If Morgan is alright, why does Tony sound like he's about to confess to running over her dog revealing some bad new to her. Pepper takes a breath to steel herself before asking Tony what's happened in the last few days since she saw them. He tells her about finding footage of Morgan getting attacked in an alleyway by some creeps before being saved by a local Queens vigilante named Spiderman. He tells her that he believes Morgan is working with Spiderman and is aware of his identity. Then he mentions that Morgan was supposed to be spending the night over at Peter's alongside Ned and yet Tony answered a call from Morgan which led to him being in the medbay of his tower with a half-dead Spiderkid and two traumatized teenagers.

Pepper's thoughts are a whirlwind. Morgan has been acting more secretive than usual, often holed up in her bedroom and tinkering with her inventions, but Pepper had attributed those changes with the appearance of Tony and had pushed the strange oddities under a rug. Not examining them too closely. Her thought trail back to Morgan confronting her about Tony Stark being her father. How did she know? Pepper hadn't told her yet and there wasn't an easy paper trail for her to follow.

Nothing was adding up now that Pepper was looking at it through a microscope.

"I'm on my way to the tower. How is Spiderman?"

Tony sighs. "Not great, but better than expected. I need to tell the kids, but I want to make sure he's going to pull through first. It seems like they're all really close and I don't want to give any news that might not be accurate. As soon as I know something do sure, I will tell Morgan and Ted."

"Ned," Pepper corrects.

"Yeah," Tony doesn't sound bothered by saying the kids name wrong. "I'll let Happy know you're coming. See you soon."

"Goodbye."

It takes Pepper three hours to get to Avengers Tower. She hurries through the door and takes the personal elevator to the upper floors. Her foot taps against the hard floors as the number slowly climbs. The AI knows where she wants to go, not even needing to ask. The elevator opens and Pepper steps out and spots Ned and Morgan right away.

Ned head is tipped back on the couch, snoring. Morgan is tipped sideway, her head resting against Ned's shoulder. Her little girl looks as though she's had an awful night and from what Tony has told her, that's exactly what happened. Pepper doesn't understand what Morgan's connection to Spiderman is, but she'll have time to find out later. Right now, all that matter to Pepper is making sure that her little girl is alright.

Pepper gently nudges her daughter's shoulder, trying to wake her.

"Morgan, wake up honey."

Authors Note

Here's the next chapter. It's only three years late... Honestly that last three years has been awful. I planned to get back to writing the next chapter for another fanfiction I was working on a couple of years ago, but then my dad died. After that, I didn't really have much interest in writing anything. I'm a bit rusty so if this chapter is terrible, that's why. As for anyone reading my Penny Parker fanfiction, it will be getting an update, eventually. The next chapter is kicking my ass and since I'm so rusty, it's not going well.

Thanks for all your patience and hopefully chapter 16 won't take nearly as long