Happy Saturday. Welcome to August's update. I hope you enjoy xxx

4. Return

Bucky looked up from his hand of cards as Morgan barreled into the room, jumped onto the couch beside Steve and announced, "Peter will come home in five minutes and dinner is almost ready!"

Steve chuckled. "She's got her priorities right—Queens first and then dinner."

"Like you're any different," Bucky scoffed.

They'd all spent an hour on edge, waiting for Peter and Natasha to get home; and the strange part of it was that it was only an hour. Yet to Bucky, it felt as though this was the longest he'd ever been parted from Peter. There was a simple explanation for that, which they all knew—for Peter and Natasha, it had been a lifetime.

Bucky set his cards down, abandoning the game of poker he'd been playing with Steve, Clint, and Wanda.

"You missed your brother, huh, Morgan?" Clint said.

Morgan heaved a sigh that seemed too big for her small body. "I did. He was gone a long time."

Bucky noted her insight and guessed it was because of the emotional note to their farewells. Morgan was a bright kid, unsurprisingly with who her parents were, and she'd experienced many of their ups and downs since Peter's Snap, though Tony and Pepper did everything they could to shield her from it. Of course she knew this wasn't Peter running an errand.

The door swung open and Happy rushed in. "Did I miss it? Is he back?"

Tony smiled. "Not yet, a few minutes left. I didn't know you were coming."

Happy shrugged. "Pepper let me know he'd gone, and I wanted to get here for when he got back."

"How?" Tony asked. "You were in the city."

Happy's cheeks colored a little and he mumbled something about having helicopters on standby for a reason.

Tony laughed and patted his shoulder. "I don't blame you, Hap. If it'd been me stuck there while he went off, I'd have flown here in the suit. And you're just in time for dinner."

"We're having cheeseburgers," Morgan said, jumping from the couch and walking to the window to look outside.

Bucky looked out, too, wondering whether Peter would appear in one of his light shows or a more discreet arrival. There didn't seem to be any common theme to how he came and went, and Bucky had a feeling he just enjoyed showing off with The Stones sometimes.

Bucky felt a rousing in his mind, and he held his breath as he waited to see if it would be Peter or one of The Stones. He was a little disappointed when he heard Power chime in, and then he took in the meaning of the words, "Brace yourself, Barnes!"

"He's on his way!" he announced to the room with a wide smile.

Tony started to answer, but almost at the exact same moment there was a wordless outcry of happiness as Peter arrived in their midst. Bucky wondered where he would go, who he would reunite with first, and then he laughed as Peter flew at Morgan and swooped her into his arms.

Morgan squealed and threw her arms around Peter's neck, crying, "You're home!"

"I'm home!" Peter said jubilantly. "Wow, yes, thank god, I'm home." He buried his face in her hair, and Bucky heard his wordless joy in his mind as Peter's control slipped and he started to broadcast to him.

"Hey, Nat," Clint said.

Bucky looked around, noticing Carol and Natasha for the first time, having been consumed with Peter. They both had a strange energy about them, which was unexpected as Bucky had imagined them coming home exhausted. They were watching Peter swing Morgan gently from side to side, and then they grinned as Tony apparently lost patience waiting for his hug and threw his arms around both his children with a soft, "God, Pete…"

"Hey, Clint," Natasha said, the same energy and a certain softness in her eyes.

Bucky tried to put himself in her position, to imagine how it felt to be back among the people she loved and that loved her after being away for countless years. He couldn't do it. One reference he had was the two years he'd been alone after the Triskelion incident, after dragging Steve out of The Hudson. A shorter but more understandable reference was the year they'd spent after Peter sent them from 2016 before his 2023-self had made an appearance. That had been tough, but they'd had the younger Peter for some of it.

Morgan wriggled, and with a laugh that sounded like a sigh, Peter set her on her feet and then returned Tony's embrace, lifting an arm to wrap around Pepper as she joined them, tears in her eyes.

Bucky sat back, enjoying the good feeling of the room, and smiled as Tony released Peter and Pepper and turned to wipe at his face. Pepper wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders, and he looked around at them all, his eyes shining with happiness and also that energy Carol and Natasha had.

"Hey, bud," Bucky said.

Peter's smile grew and he crossed the room, pulling Steve and Bucky into a hug, both at the same time, arms tangling. Bucky embraced him, absorbing the relief that he was home. What seemed too soon, Peter released them and moved on to greet Rhodey, Wanda and Vision, and on until he'd reunited with everyone.

"Welcome home, Queens," Steve said as Peter was set down on his feet by Bruce, who had lifted him into the air with his greeting, and looked around at them all.

Peter exhaled hugely. "Home. You have no idea how good that sounds."

"I bet," Sam said. "Did you count days?"

"Nope," Natasha said cheerfully. "But days were on repeat, so there wasn't really a way."

"What was it like?" Clint asked curiously. "I mean, what did it look like?"

"Boring," Peter sighed. "So, so, so boring."

Carol and Natasha exchanged a knowing look, and Natasha said, "Not boring. It was…"

"Incredible," Carol finished.

Clint raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Imagine a planet," Carol said.

Clint snorted. "Okay, done."

"Now imagine it's covered in mountains," Carol went on.

Bucky frowned, not sure where they were going with this, by describing where they'd been. "Okay…"

"Mountains come, mountains go," Carol said smugly.

"And by go we mean crushed to dust," Natasha added. "And then Time reset it and he started all over again."

"You crushed mountains, Pete?" Sam asked, tone a little doubtful.

Peter gave Morgan a pointed look and said, "I did some stuff," evasively.

Morgan seemed disinterested in the conversation, holding onto one of Peter's hands with both of hers and swinging it back and forth. Bucky thought it was safe to venture his question, "Do you feel ready now for… anything?"

A look came into Peter's eyes that Bucky had never seen before. If it was not the kid he knew inside out and loved more than anything, it would have been an intimidating look. As it was, it was a little disconcerting. "I'm ready," he said darkly.

"So is dinner," Morgan said. "Right, Daddy?"

"It is," Tony said, giving his head a small shake, as though he'd been in the same tangled thoughts as Bucky. "And I'm guessing you three are hungry."

"Yeah," Natasha said emphatically, and Carol nodded eagerly.

Tony laughed. "Okay, you three sit down and relax; me and Miss Maguna will serve."

Morgan gave Peter a fleeting hug and then bounced out of the room with her father following.

Peter watched her go, a smile on his face, and then he looked to Bucky, his rainbow eyes shining, and he roused in Bucky's mind, "Thank you for taking care of them."

"I didn't do anything."

"Maybe not," Peter said. "But thanks to you, The Stones were here while I was gone, and because of that, I could concentrate on what I needed to do."

"Was it hard?" Bucky asked.

Peter didn't answer aloud, he just nodded and shot Carol and Natasha a concerned look. As much as Bucky had wished he could have gone with him, he knew his place was with the other people Peter loved, protecting them in Peter's absence.

And now Peter was back, he said he was ready, so he wasn't going to leave them again.

The day felt like it had lasted a lifetime to Rhodey, and that amused him a little as he knew what they'd done and been through compared to Peter, Natasha, and Carol was nothing. However, Peter and Natasha apparently still had energy. While the rest of them were having a break after dinner, sitting outside and enjoying a beer, Peter and Natasha were playing soccer with Bruce and Morgan.

Peter and Morgan were playing against Natasha and Bruce, and it was amusing to see Bruce dancing around the grass when Morgan came at him, careful to never even brush her with his bulk. Natasha danced, too, but that was just her style of play. She was also razzing Peter in a way that made Rhodey laugh and Morgan rush to defend her brother.

The way Peter was, so happy and free, wasn't what Rhodey had expected when Peter had gone away. He thought that much time combined with that much pressure—learning to use The Stones for what amounted to warfare, would have dampened his shine somewhat that he'd come back more somber and prepared to fight. He hadn't. Rhodey didn't doubt Peter was ready to fight—it was just that he'd held onto the brightness, that freedom throughout.

Tony nudged his ankle with his foot and said, "What's got you all frowny?"

Rhodey chuckled. "Nothing bad. I was just thinking."

"About?" Tony pressed.

"Just Pete."

Tony looked across the grass to where Peter and Morgan were preparing to take a penalty. "He's good," he said with satisfaction.

"He is," Rhodey agreed.

"Really good," Bucky said with a contented smile. "He's happy."

"He telling you that?" Steve asked, tapping his temple.

"Not telling as much as a feeling," Bucky said.

Tony smiled and nodded. Rhodey would have expected there to be a certain amount of resentment that Bucky and Peter shared that connection and Tony didn't, but there wasn't. Tony was just grateful for Bucky for allowing that connection to stack the odds in Peter's favor, even though he was Peter's father and wanted to be all the things he needed.

Rhodey thought it was better that it was Bucky that Peter was bound to, and not only for the obvious reasons that Peter needed more in his life than just Tony's love. Bucky and Peter's lives were entwined now—as long as Peter lived, Bucky would live. As much as Tony would want to be there and that for his son, it would mean a life without his wife and daughter one day, and Rhodey didn't think Tony could bear that.

Rhodey had once tangled with dark thoughts about Peter's future, what his life would be when even his little sister was gone, and he knew Tony had, too. Now Peter and Bucky were bound, neither of them would ever be alone again. And Bucky was the right person to have that future with Peter. He would do anything it took to protect Peter, do anything he asked without reservation. Different even to his relationship with Steve, Peter was the center of Bucky's world.

"He's a happy kid," Carol said, drawing their eyes. "I know he's not always. Things got dark in Wakanda after he fought Nemesis in 2017, and he says he's put you all through a lot with The Stones and after he lost his aunt, but he's… happy. When we were together, when he was training, he was the one that kept us smiling."

"What was it like?" Tony asked curiously. "I know you said he was crushing mountains, which is…"—he waved a hand— "insane… but how did you handle all that time like that."

Carol's eyes became distant, and her voice was thoughtful as she answered. "I can't tell you how long we were gone, and not just because days repeated. It just felt… different. There was no need to follow days coming and going, times passing; there was no hunger or thirst."

Rhodey blew out a breath. "Didn't you just miss food?"

Carol laughed. "We did. Me and Nat spent a lot of time talking about our favorite foods and places to eat. Once Nemesis is dealt with, me and Pete are taking her on a space tour for food."

"Blue vegetable things?" Bucky said with a grin.

"Of course. They taste better than they look. And sound." She grinned. "But seriously, we didn't notice time because there was no time. I know Peter and Natasha missed you all, and I missed my family, but we had each other and we were… content."

Rhodey shook his head. It was just too much to imagine. He thought they'd been through a lot, and those of them that had done the time jump had an additional seven years of life, but that was nothing compared to what Carol, Peter, and Natasha had experienced.

"And Peter grew strong," Carol said. "I always had a feel of him and his power, maybe because mine comes from the Space Stone, but now…" She whistled. "He blew me and Nat out of the water with what he did. I had a little to teach him at first, how to siphon and control power, but once he got the hang of it he was incredible."

"And he can really beat Nemesis?" Tony asked, a line of worry between his brows.

Carol considered. "I think the only thing that stands in the way of Peter beating Nemesis is Peter himself, but he told me he'd learned a lot from his younger self when you were all back with him. That Peter came close to killing once, and he went back to stop himself, but in that situation now… Peter will fight. He is ready." She grinned. "He's absolutely incredible."

There was a cheer from the soccer game and Rhodey turned to see Peter sweep Morgan onto his shoulders to run a victory lap around the pitch, Morgan waving her hands over her head and laughing. Natasha was scolding Bruce for letting the goal in, which became hilarious when Bruce hung his huge head and apologized.

Peter set Morgan down and ran and jumped onto Bruce's back. Bruce immediately brightened and threw himself into the fun, trying to buck him off, but naturally he had no chance.

"Need a little help Bruce?" Pepper called.

Remembering the first time Pepper had shown them proof of how ticklish Peter was, Rhodey grinned and said, "Say yes, Bruce. It's hilarious."

"Oh, no, not necessary," Peter said, immediately contrite. "I'll get down and never do it again and—"

It was too late. Pepper was on him, tickling him mercilessly, and Peter was dropping. Of course, Morgan wasn't going to miss out on that kind of fun. In an instant, she was planted on Peter's legs and dancing her fingers up and down his stomach. He writhed and begged, but the two most important females in his life were having too much fun to stop.

"Dad! Help me!" he cried.

Tony stood up and ambled towards them, grinning widely. "Okay, ladies. I think he's had enough now."

Pepper stopped tickling for a moment and looked at her daughter. "Do you think he's had enough?"

"Um…" Morgan tilted her head to the side, and Peter used the momentary relief from the tickle assault to create a vast cloud of butterflies which captured Morgan's attention immediately and distracted her from further attacks on him.

Pepper laughed and held out a hand to help Peter to his feet. He took it and she hauled him up.

"You know, tickling is great and all, but I do have webs… I could get revenge…"

Pepper raised an eyebrow. "Yes? What kind of revenge were you thinking of?"

Peter considered a moment and then said, "I don't know right now, but I can come up with something."

She cupped his face in her hands and said, "Peter, honey, I love you, but if you come at me for revenge, I will make you pay in ways you can't imagine."

"Listen to her, Pete," Tony said. "She's got a hell of an imagination, and she will use it for evil."

Peter laughed. "Okay, now we're getting to it. So I have to deal with Nemesis first, and then I've got to come after you, Mom?"

"Yes," Pepper said seriously. "But since tomorrow morning we're making you our son officially, I expect you to join me in my supervillain ways."

Rhodey snorted at the idea of Peter as a villain, but Morgan clapped her hands and said, "Yes! I want to be a supervillain, too!"

Tony scooped her up into his arms and said, "Remembering your newborn sleep schedule, I think you've got a good chance of that." Pepper slapped his arm and he went on piously, "But I know both my kids are heroes at heart."

Rhodey smiled at the happy look on Morgan's face, and noted the almost absolute peace on Tony's. Perhaps when the threat of Nemesis was gone, there would be truly absolute peace.

Rhodey thought they all deserved that, Peter especially.

So… Peter is trained. He now just has to be tested. I thought about covering his training for a scene, but as Peter himself said, it would be 'so, so boring'. You will see him put what he learned into action soon, though.

Until next time…

Jadey xxx