Avengers, Spider-Man 1. Chapter 1

**[A/N: Follows my story Escape the Shadows.]**

"Okay, I know you promised no superhero stuff all spring break, but I think now might be a good time to change that," Gwen said, turning to look at Peter. They were sitting together on the couch in her family's vacation house, watching the news about the alien invasion of New York City.

"They seem to be doing fine without me," Peter said, watching a clip of the Avengers, some mysterious team of superheroes who were defending the city. They looked outnumbered, but they were all strong fighters and appeared to be handling the situation well. Besides, he wasn't ready to go back to that world.

Gwen looked at him. "I asked my mom if I could go back to the city with you when you leave tomorrow rather than with her and my brothers this weekend. She wasn't happy about it, but she said yes."

"What?" Peter asked, momentarily astounded. The two of them had been using their vacation as a chance to escape everything they'd been through. But soon enough they would be heading back to New York, back to the city that held so many painful memories for both of them.

"I was thinking of calling in sick for the rest of the year. Bacterial meningitis or something," Peter said.

"We can't skip the last few months of senior year," Gwen countered, always so level headed.

"What's the point?" Peter asked. "They'll fly by, then we'll graduate and go to NYU and I'll get some lame job so we can scrape together enough money for an apartment and we'll live happily ever after."

Gwen smiled. "And what about Spiderman? Is he included in all these plans you're making?"

Peter paused. His alter ego was a part of him, just as much as the strange powers that allowed him to do the unthinkable. But there wasn't room in his life for Gwen, school, and late night gigs with criminals, all while the memories of watching Uncle Ben and Captain Stacey die swirled in his head.

"We'll see," he replied, taking her hand in his. She leaned her head on his shoulder, the two of them watching the news in silence.

The city had changed drastically just in the four days they'd been gone. New statues and monuments were everywhere, praising the Avengers. Clean up crews worked tirelessly to clean the debris from damaged buildings and streets.

"Looks so different," Gwen said, looking past Peter out the window as a dump truck hauled away chunks of concrete from a collapsed building.

"Yah," Peter agreed. When the taxi pulled up to the curb outside Peter's house he hesitated, seeing Aunt May standing on the porch looking nervous.

"What's going on?" Gwen asked. Peter opened the door, climbing out. He grabbed his bag and ducked down to look at Gwen.

"I'll call you tonight," he promised before closing the door. Gwen turned in her seat, watching till the cab turned a corner.

"There are some people here to talk to you," Aunt May said, pulling Peter into a hug. Together they walked into the house.

"I'll take your bag up to your room," Aunt May said, grabbing Peter's duffle and heading upstairs. He wished she would stay, the man and woman sitting in the living room made him uneasy.

"Peter, it's nice to finally meet you," the man said, shaking Peter's hand. He was in his early thirties with short hair and eyes that were always moving, always watching. The red headed woman with him was even more mysterious, simply sitting there examining Peter.

"And you are?" Peter asked.

"My name's Clint and this is my partner Natasha. We work for a branch of the military that specializes in recruiting certain people," the man explained. Peter didn't like the sound of that.

"Look, I'm not really the military type," he said.

"No, you're more the spider type," Natasha said, leaning forward. Peter froze. If he tried to make a run for it they still knew where he lived. And Aunt May, he wasn't sure how much she knew but he figured having the military hunting for him wouldn't help keep his secret.

"Relax, we're just here to talk," Clint said. "We wanted to offer you a chance to truly use your power to help others."

"What if I say no?" Peter asked. Clint laughed.

"We won't kidnap you or anything, if that's what you're worried about," he replied.

"All that we ask is you meet the others, hear what they have to say before you make up your mind," Natasha added.

"What others?" Peter asked.

* * *

The Stark building was a monster of steel and glass, the lower levels housing various offices and labs. Peter didn't have a chance to see much, he was too busy holding back his nerves as he, Natasha and Clint rode the elevator up to the penthouse where the rest of the Avengers waited.

As they walked in the door Peter was surprised to see the room wasn't some plush crash pad but looked like a normal living room, minus the entire wall that was taken up with a plasma tv screen or the bank of computer monitors against the far wall. Or the fact that there was a robot watching them from the corner.

"So this is the kid," Tony Stark said, walking out from behind the bar, a glass of scotch in his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Look at you, playing nice," Clint teased.

Tony smiled. "I made a bet with Bruce."

"Where are the others?" Natasha asked.

"Here," Steve replied as he walked in the room, followed by Bruce, Thor and Emery.

"Peter, this Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Thor, and his younger sister Emery," Natasha said.

"We should give you a nickname!" Tony said, looking at Emery. "How about Sparky?" She glared back at him in silence.

"Tony," Thor said in a low voice, warning the other man to stop.

"What?" Tony asked the group at large. "She needs a cover to hide behind! Even Spidey over here has one."

Peter awkwardly stood there, unsure how to respond.

"We can talk about nicknames later," Natasha said in a tone that ended the conversation. She looked at Peter. "Don't mind him, Tony just thinks he's actually funny."

"We have a lot to discuss," Steve agreed. "Now isn't the time to be freaking the new recruit out."

"I'm not a recruit," Peter said. Everyone looked at him. "I mean, I was told I could just come here and meet all of you then decide after someone explains exactly what the government wants me to do."

"You didn't tell him?" Bruce asked, looking at Natasha and Clint.

"We thought it would make the trip here a little easier," Clint replied. Peter backed away, realizing he'd been tricked.

"You lied. I never had a choice in all this, did I?" He asked.

"Director Fury, the man behind our team, doesn't negotiate. Either you work with us, or we expose you," Natasha admitted.

"So that's it?" Peter demanded. "If I don't cooperate you'll tell everyone my secret?" He thought of Gwen, and what he'd promised her father right before he died.

"If you try to fight us, we have orders to diffuse the situation," Clint added.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh?" Tony asked.

"This is Fury's idea," Clint replied. "You're the one who wanted us to be honest with him."

Peter had had enough. He shot out a thread of webbing and yanked hard, propelling himself across the room and to the door before anyone even knew what he was doing.

"Peter, stop!" Natasha ordered.

"Or what?" He asked, turning to look at her. "You'll ruin my life? I don't care, I don't want any part of this."

"Jarvis," Tony said. Peter heard a click but ignored it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Steve warned. Peter grabbed the door handle, sparks shooting from the metal to his hand. His whole body tensed as the electricity coursed through him. He fell backwards, landing heavily on his back.

Natasha walked over, kneeling beside him. Peter blinked up at her, her face hazy and sliding out of focus.

"I warned you," she said, watching Peter's eyes close.

* * *

"He's obviously not ready."

"So what? I don't think any of us were ready. But we do the best that we can, and it'd be stupid not to have him help. He knows this city better than any of us."

"I don't like it, forcing a teenager to work with us. There's got to be a better way."

"And what would you call the little goddess who's been sulking around for the past month? You know what, never mind. Let Fury know once you figure it out. You've got him on speed dial, right?"

"Alright, everyone take a step back. This isn't helping."

Peter blinked open his eyes, looking around. He was lying on a table in what appeared to be medical lab. The voices outside the door rumbled quietly as he sat up, head spinning.

"Jarvis nearly stopped your heart," Emery said. Peter jerked around, surprised to see her sitting crossed legged on the floor in the corner.

"Jarvis?" Peter asked.

"Stark's robot," Emery replied, watching Peter intently.

"Of course he has an evil robot," Peter grumbled, standing up slowly. His whole body ached and his muscles were tight.

"They did warn you," Emery quipped. She stood up, walking past him towards the door. "I'll take you to the others."

The team was gathered in the living room, their backs to Peter and Emery.

"Look at the way he doesn't even pause, he just jumps straight into the fight," Tony said, pausing a video on one of the numerous screens.

"I try to avoid letting people die," Peter said. Everyone turned, surprised to see him up and about.

"How are you feeling?" Natasha asked.

"Fine," Peter replied, looking past her at the wall of screens. "Have you been spying on me?"

Tony hit the remote and all the screens turned off. "Spying is such a harsh word."

Peter rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. He had heard of Tony's reputation as an annoying know it all, but to deal with it first hand was beyond frustrating.

"If you're feeling up to it, we need to have a team meeting," Natasha said.

"Team meeting? I didn't agree to join your team," Peter replied.

Clint sighed. "Please tell me you aren't going to bother trying to leave again."

"I know this is hard but at this point you don't have very many options," Natasha said.

"Welcome to the team," Tony added, smirking. "We should probably just tell him everything, might make it easier for him to chose to work with us."

Natasha sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. She could feel a migraine coming on.

"We weren't recruited by the government for our special skills," Steve explained, looking at Peter. "We're the Avengers."

"I know," Peter said.

"Really?" Clint asked, surprised.

"Hard not to, after your public display last week was plastered all over the news," Peter replied.

"You know, we could've used your help," Tony said.

"I was on vacation," Peter said, staring hard at Tony.

"Alright, well now that everyone's up to speed, how about we move this meeting along?" Bruce suggested.

"Right," Steve agreed. He looked at Peter. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions. This is your chance to ask and I promise we'll answer honestly."

Peter took a moment to let that sink in. Of course he had questions, mainly how they were gonna make their plan work in his day to day life. Because there was no way in hell they were keeping him away from Aunt May or Gwen.

"Am I still allowed to go to school?" He asked.

"It'd raise more suspicion if we pulled you out now," Natasha replied. "Though Tony did volunteer to tutor you."

"That would've been a train wreck," Bruce said.

Peter had to agree with him. "What about my aunt or my girlfriend? Do they get visitation rights?"

Clint laughed. "This isn't prison. You can see whoever you want, as long as you use your cover story."

"Cover story?" Peter asked.

Tony grinned.

* * *

"I can't believe they think this is gonna work," Peter grumbled as he and Gwen walked into school, noticing the stares and whispers already.

"You have to hand it to Tony, he's got a sense of humor," Gwen teased. Peter huffed.

"Parker! Is it true?" Flash asked as he walked over, holding the newest edition of the New York Times in his hand.

Peter nodded, preparing himself for the onslaught.

"That's awesome! Let me know when you're first party is!" Flash said, clapping Peter on the shoulder before continuing down the hall. Peter stared after him, amazed.

"I told you it wouldn't be entirely horrible," Gwen said.

"Alright alright, you were partially right," Peter acknowledged. He took the Times from her, flipping to the horrid article responsible for ruining his life.

"Tony Stark takes in young protege Peter Parker, billionaire "excited" about the opportunity to help the next generation," he read out loud, hating each word more than the last.

"Relax, it's better than them kidnapping you and never letting you leave. At least this way you still get to see Aunt May and I," Gwen said, looping her arm in his and beginning to drag him to class.

"And we graduate soon. They can't force me to live there forever," Peter said.

"I wouldn't hold my breath," Gwen said, smiling. "Besides, if they do I'll just move in."

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a blur of continual activity. When Peter wasn't in school or working on homework, he was either training with the team, fighting crime, or spending as much time as possible with Gwen. He'd even managed to convince his babysitters to let him go to Aunt May's once a week for dinner. All in all, life was better than he expected.

Peter learned how to deal with each of his new teammates. Tony was constantly needing someone to boost his ego, Clint enjoyed the job a little too much, Bruce was always focused on diffusing situations, Steve was the concerned leader, Natasha never told stories the same way twice, Thor would disappear to go visit his girlfriend, and Emery was always locking herself in one of the med labs for hours on end. They each had their quirks but Peter was quickly learning how to fit in.

Then he broke up with Gwen for the third time and final time, the thought that he'd be responsible for Gwen getting hurt causing him to push her away. It left both of them a little worse for wear.

"You can't keep throwing yourself into fights," Clint said as he led the way into the suite. Peter simply nodded, not even listening anymore. It felt like someone was always giving him a lecture about something and eventually he'd just tuned them out. There was no point arguing.

"You have the rest of the night off, go get some rest," Natasha said as she walked past him.

"Why?" Peter asked, jolted from his thoughts.

"You need it," Tony said, looking at his foster child. Peter hadn't been paying attention and one of the bank robbers had managed to hit him in the side of the head with a crowbar. He was down only a few minutes, but it was enough to scare the whole team. And even though he healed quickly he had a dark purple bruise reaching from his temple down his cheek and under his eye.

"Sure," Peter shrugged, heading to his room. The others watched him go.

"Someone should talk to him," Bruce suggested.

"I doubt he'd listen to any of us," Natasha said.

Peter flopped on his bed and groaned, deciding flopping wasn't the best idea when your body was one giant bruise. He stretched out on his back and stared at the ceiling, trying his hardest not to think of Gwen while Basement played an endless loop on his iPod.

Then an idea hit him. If he had to be miserable, he might as well make some bad guys miserable too. He stood up, going to his window and pushing it open. The cool air rushed in and he grinned before throwing himself out into the empty sky, firing off a strand of webbing that yanked him upwards before he hit the street far below. He whooped, feeling better already.


	2. Chapter 2

**[A/N: I'm amazed at the reception this story has gotten. Thank you!]**

Peter swung up to the roof of the Stark building and landed heavily, losing his balance and nearly falling over. His whole body ached, muscles screaming in protest as he stumbled towards the door.

Looking at the flight of stairs before him, Peter cringed. He began the slow and agonizing process of shuffling down each step until finally he reached the door to the lobby of Tony's penthouse. Quietly he pulled it open, walking past the elevator to the suite.

Peter walked through the door, bracing himself for the coming onslaught. It was the second week of sneaking out at night to fight crime, and so far all he'd manage to do was make himself even more miserable missing Gwen.

"Wondered when you'd come back," Tony said, looking away from the news broadcast. Clint and Thor were playing a video game using one of the other tv screens while Steve, Natasha and Bruce played a card game at the kitchen table.

"Just went out for an evening stroll," Peter said, trying to hide his injuries.

Tony ignored the obvious lied, walking over to him. The kid was a mess-hair tangled and windswept, eyes bloodshot, face bruised, arm held tight against his left side.

"So what happened? Your spidey sense start tingling?" Tony asked.

Peter laughed as he began inching towards his room. "Um...something like that. I'm actually pretty tired, I'm gonna head to bed."

"We need to talk," Natasha said, laying down her cards and standing up. Peter tried to remain calm. Of all his teammates, Natasha was the one to avoid pissing off. She was like everyone's mom while Steve was the dad. As long as you didn't cross either of them you'd be fine.

Natasha approached, easily discerning how injured Peter really was. "Team meeting, med bay."

Peter reluctantly followed her down the hall, entering the large room filled with different high tech and expensive equipment. Tony hadn't spared any cost. Even though Thor, Emery and Bruce hardly ever needed medical attention and Peter and Steve were practically invincible, Tony, Clint and Natasha were all too human.

Natasha went to a set of drawers, rifling through them while the others filed in. "Sit," she ordered without looking up from her task. Peter knew exactly who she was talking to and grudgingly walked over, sitting on one of the beds.

"Cracked ribs, dislocated shoulder...am I missing anything?" Natasha asked as she turned and looked at Peter.

"I don't think it's that bad," Peter argued. Natasha reached out and poked him in the side and he nearly passed out from the pain radiating out from her contact.

"Not that bad, huh?" Clint asked, eyebrows raised.

"Sweatshirt off," Natasha said. Peter didn't bother arguing, unzipping his hoodie to reveal his Spider-man suit beneath. He was only able to get his uninjured arm out, Steve stepping forward and helping him with the other.

"We'll have to set the shoulder before we can get his suit off," Steve said, looking at Natasha. Peter was more focused on breathing through the pain in his chest.

"This should help," Natasha said, sticking a needle filled with clear liquid into Peter's arm. He flinched, completely unprepared.

"What the hell was that?" He demanded.

"Morphine," Natasha replied, setting the empty needle down.

"I don't feel anything," Peter argued, the pain in his chest suddenly easing. Natasha and Steve shared a look then he grabbed Peter's arm and there was a pop.

Peter yelped, trying to bolt. There hadn't been any pain just alarm that his bone could make such a sound.

"Easy," Steve soothed, gently pushing Peter back down on the bed. "Breathe."

"We still have to wrap your ribs," Natasha said. Tony helped Steve get Peter's shirt off, the two of them trying to be as gentle as possible. As they stepped back Peter wondered why everyone was staring at his chest with a mixture of alarm, pity and anger.

He glanced down, surprised to see the mottle of purple, blue and black bruises spreading down his left side.

"Whoa," he said. Even though his brain was telling him he should be in pain, he didn't feel a thing.

"What happened to you?" Bruce asked, voicing everyone's shock.

"Don' 'member," Peter slurred. Everything was hazy and slightly out of focus.

"It appears you were a Gnarzul's plaything," Thor said.

"What's a Gnarzul?" Tony asked.

"Large creature similar to your bear but with wings and horns," Thor replied.

"Try to take a deep breath in," Steve instructed, ignoring the conversation behind him as he began wrapping Peter's ribs. Once he was finished Peter laid back, throwing his uninjured arm over his eyes.

"Don't feel good," he mumbled.

"How much did you give him?" Clint asked, looking at Natasha.

"Half a dose," she replied.

"Did you hit your head?" Bruce asked.

Peter shrugged. "Dunno."

Bruce looked at his teammates. "He's got a concussion and we gave him a painkiller which acts like a sedative."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Steve asked Peter.

"Not 'portant," Peter replied.

"He should be fine, but just in case we should wake him up every few hours," Bruce said.

Suddenly there were hands pulling off his shoes while someone covered him with a blanket. Peter knew they were talking about him but he just didn't have the energy to move. He felt detached from his body, too exhausted to do anything more than yawn wearily.

Before he let sleep take him he mumbled, "Want Gwen."

* * *

Peter woke up slowly, groaning as awareness hit him like a train. Unlike earlier when he was unable to feel any pain, his whole body seemed to be screaming at him in varying levels of volume. His chest was the loudest, followed by his pounding head. The rest of him was relatively quiet, just an occasional squeak of displeasure.

"Pete?" Steve said, and Peter realized that's what had awoken him. He blinked open his eyes, looking up at the captain.

"Sorry, have to wake you up every couple hours to make sure your concussion isn't serious," Steve apologized.

"Also figured you'd be in pain," Natasha said, preparing a second needle.

"Thought drugs were bad with head injuries," Peter croaked.

"Bruce thinks you'll be alright as long as we keep waking you up," Natasha replied as she gave Peter a second shot.

"You can go back to sleep," Steve said. Peter obeyed, eyes already closing.

Over the next few hours Peter was awoken multiple times by different teammates. Eventually Bruce deemed it safe for him to sleep and Peter immediately obliged.

_The dream always started the same way. Captain Stacy was lying on the ground in front of him, his chest soaked with blood. He looked up at Peter, blue eyes just like his daughter._

_"You promised you'd protect her," he accused._

_Peter turned, some part of him instinctively looking over his shoulder at the body sprawled nearby. Blonde hair, favorite green coat, brown boots. Eyes wide and staring, glassy and empty of life. _

Peter jerked awake, gasping. It took him a moment to remember where he was and to calm his racing heart.

"Are you alright?" Emery asked, leaning forward. She was perched in a chair beside his bed, a book in her lap.

"Yah, just a dream," Peter replied.

"You were calling for Gwen," Emery said.

Peter looked at her, surprised. "Really?"

Emery nodded. "Only a few times."

"Great," Peter huffed, closing his eyes. The last thing he needed was his team thinking he was emotionally unstable.

"Tony already called her," Emery said.

"What?!" Peter demanded, eyes flying open.

Emery backtracked. "He was updating her, since you missed your dinner with your aunt."

Peter rolled onto his side, stubbornly throwing back the blankets and getting to his feet. If Gwen knew he was hurt she was probably on her way over which would only cause more problems.

"Where are you going?" Emery asked, following him out of the med bay. Everyone was eating breakfast at the kitchen table, one of the few things they all did together.

"You shouldn't have called her," Peter snapped at Tony. The billionaire looked confused for a second then raised his hands in defeat.

"It wasn't just me," he said.

"Wow, thanks," Bruce griped as Peter glared at him as well.

"We thought it was time you guys talked," Clint said.

"Well that's nice, but stay out of my life!" Peter growled.

"You should calm down, you aren't even supposed to be out of bed," Steve said, looking past him at Emery.

"I thought tackling him would cause more problems," she explained.

"I do not understand the issue," Thor said.

"You have no right involving Gwen in any of this," Peter said angrily. "We broke up for a reason!"

"Well she should be here in a few minutes, gives you two a chance to sit down and hash it all out," Natasha said, completely unfazed by Peters meltdown as she crunched on a piece of toast.

Peter wanted to yell or throw things, but was interrupted from that chain of thought by the doorbell ringing. Everyone stopped, looking at him.

"Lets go out on the balcony," Tony suggested, grabbing his plate. The others followed, even Emery, leaving him alone in the room. Peter sighed. Real subtle.

He limped over to the door, opening it slowly. Gwen hadn't changed in the month since he'd seen her, still just as beautiful as usual.

"Hi," she said.

"Uh, hi," Peter greeted. "How are you?" He opened the door, letting her inside.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Gwen asked, completely ignoring his question.

"Tell you what?" Peter pretended not to understand.

"You know what. That you were hurt," Gwen replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I didn't want to disappoint you."

That stopped her. She had been expecting some of chances comment about needing to save the city, that the safety of others was more important than his own. She wasn't prepared for the vulnerable truth.

Gwen reached out, putting her hand on his arm. She waited until he looked at her before saying, "Peter, I still care about you. I'll never stop caring about you."

Peter was still amazed by her beauty. Before he even knew what he was doing, he'd leaned forward and kissed her. And it was like a part of him that had been asleep came awake. In that instant, he knew as long as he had her everything would be alright. He could face the world and survive.


	3. Chapter 3

**[A/N : This first scene was so hard to write! Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far]**

Gwen was falling. And without a second thought, Peter dove through the twisted metal after her, shooting out a strand of webbing. He held his breath, waiting till it connected and he felt a sharp tug on the line before dropping down to her.

But rather than the stubborn girl he expected to be waiting for him with some witty retort and a shaky smile, Gwen dangled there lifeless.

Peter yanked off his mask. "Hey," he said, reaching out. She was so still. Supporting her body with one hand he cut the webbing, sitting down on the floor with her in his lap.

"Hey, Gwen," he repeated, shaking her shoulder. She didn't respond, head lolling back. Peter stroked her hair away from her face, beginning to realize that something was wrong. His mind slowly connected the dots of the thud he'd earlier being her head hitting the floor. That's when the tears started.

"You're okay, you're okay. Stay with me, stay with me, stay with me! Gwen? Gwen! No, please, don't leave! Please!" He begged, tears splashing down onto her. He tried to find a pulse, hands trembling as he sought for any sign of life and found none.

"I'm so sorry," he sobbed, leaning forward and resting his forehead against hers. They sat that way for a long time, amid the shattered glass and broken pieces of the clock that would never chime again.

* * *

"It's not like there's a rule book for dealing with loss. We just need to give him time," Bruce said, looking around at the group. His teammates, Pepper and Aunt May were gathered at the dining room table in Tony's penthouse, trying to devise some sort of plan for helping Peter. So far all they'd manage to do was discuss how much he was obviously struggling.

"But he's not getting better. He lives in this perpetual loop and I worry about him constantly," Aunt May said.

"What are you suggesting?" Clint asked.

"Get him back out on the streets, doing what he does best. It scares me to death thinking of him being out there, but I'd prefer that to how he is right now," she replied.

"Is he visiting her grave again?" Natasha asked.

Aunt May nodded, frowning sadly. "It's all he ever does. He goes and stands there for hours."

Tony shook his head. "That's not helping."

"Everyone grieves differently," Pepper said. "But I do agree, Peter needs us."

"We could try and get him back on patrols, but honestly if he doesn't wanna do it we can't force him," Steve said.

"It's worth a try though," Emery agreed.

"I've tried talking to him, reminding him it isn't his fault, suggesting he even sees a therapist. But he just looks at me and walks away," Aunt May said, on the verge of tears. "He can't go on much longer like this."

"We will help him," Thor promised.

"Time for an intervention," Tony said, honestly wishing it was for him. For all their bickering and faults, the Avengers were the closest thing any of them had to a family. They couldn't NOT help one of their own.

* * *

Peter woke up slowly. For a moment, just like every morning for the past three months, he forgot Gwen was dead. He forgot he'd failed her. He forgot the aching hole in his chest. Then it all came rushing back and hit him like a train, obliterating every other thought in its path except for the agony left from her passing.

Some days it wasn't as bad. He could muddle through, answering yes or no to any questions, leaving the apartment early and not coming back till late. Half the time he used his window instead of the front door in order to avoid his teammate's apologetic expressions.

Then there were the days where it hurt to move, to breathe, to even contemplate leaving bed. He'd lay there curled up in a ball on his side, eyes closed even though he couldn't sleep. Because it was on those days that he sleepwalked. The first time, he'd been woken up by Natasha, alarmed to find himself on her floor. Then there was the time he wound up in Pepper and Tony's room. Or Steve's. Or Bruce's. Even Thor's. Each time, whomever he'd visited would guide him back to bed. They'd tuck him in then stand in the doorway watching him till he fell back asleep.

The last time he'd sleepwalked, he'd gone to Emery's room. But rather than wake him up, she'd gotten her brother to gently carry him back to bed. It wasn't till he overheard the others talking about it that Peter even realized it had happened.

At first he would've been embarrassed, maybe even mortified. But as the weeks turned into months and he continued to feel so hopeless and lost, as he grew accustomed to the hollow ache in his chest, he stopped caring.

He lost weight. No matter what it was his teammates or Pepper or Aunt May tried to make him eat, it all tasted like ash. He was always cold and sleepy, only leaving his room to go visit Gwen, and when he was home he was in bed huddled under a pile of blankets. When he was at her grave, he'd stare blankly at her headstone, amazed that his smart, beautiful girlfriend who was full of so much spark and wit and humor could be boiled down to three simple sentences.

Gwen Ruth Stacy. Loving daughter, beloved friend. You will be forever missed.

Peter rolled over, seeking solace in the mound of blankets. He burrowed deeper, closing his eyes. He'd almost drifted back to sleep when a sound roused him. He tried to ignore it but it was followed by a louder noise then a faint light. He could hear people whispering and try as he might to escape back into sleep, his mind wouldn't let him. Reluctantly he crawled out from his cocoon, surprised to find Emery and Pepper standing beside his bed watching him.

"How are you feeling?" Pepper asked.

"Fine," Peter lied, struggling upright. "What's going on?"

Pepper nodded. "Well, Tony and the others went downtown to handle a situation so you'll be hanging out with the two of us today."

"What situation?" Peter asked.

Pepper pretended not to hear. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Emery suggested, both of them looking at Peter. He sighed, getting the hint.

"Alright, let's go get breakfast," he said, standing up. Pepper wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"Pete, it's one in the afternoon," she teased.

He let himself be steered into the kitchen, noticing Emery's limp and bruises covering the back of her shoulders, peeking out from under her tank top.

"What happened to you?" Peter asked, sitting on a barstool beside her while Pepper began working on breakfast.

"Ran into a building," Emery replied nonchalantly, beginning to grate some cheese Pepper handed her.

"Yah, no big deal," Peter said sarcastically, looking at Pepper with raised eyebrows.

"That's why the three of us are gonna spend the day together," Pepper said, pouring the scrambled egg mixture into a skillet.

"Steve and Thor "benched" me whatever that means," Emery said.

"They've been having some trouble with crime since our favorite spider disappeared," Pepper said, stirring the eggs.

Peter turned, looking out the window. He knew the city was struggling. He could hear the sirens every day when he stood at Gwen's grave. But the motivation to put that mask back on, to become the hero who'd gotten his girlfriend killed, seemed like a slap in the face to her memory.

"Here you go," Pepper said, sliding a plate of food towards Peter. He took it wordlessly, half-heartedly poking at the eggs.

"So what do you two wanna do today?" Pepper asked.

"Sleep," Peter mumbled.

"Train," Emery replied.

"Whatever we do, it's all together," Pepper said, looking at Peter. He didn't see any way out of it. Pepper was one of the most stubborn people he knew, if she said they were spending the whole day together then that's exactly what they were doing.

"Train it is," he said.

Pepper noticed he'd taken hardly two bites. "Finish eating and we can go."

Peter glanced up at her, wanting to argue that he wasn't hungry or that he trained better on an empty stomach, but the look in her eyes made him stop. Once again Pepper Potts had him exactly where she wanted him.

The gym took up the whole floor directed below the penthouse, fully stocked with a wide variety of weights and machines and shooting range, with a boxing ring in the middle. Cap's punching bags were leaned against a wall, Tony's gloves haphazardly tossed on a bench by the ring. A box of ammo and a some guns that belonged to Natasha were over by the shooting range, along with Clint's spare bow and a few arrows.

"This place is a mess," Emery commented as they walked in, looking around.

"I'll clean up, you guys can start," Pepper said.

Emery looked at Peter. "Bet I have better aim than you."

Peter smiled. "We'll see."

A few hours later when Natasha, Steve, Tony, Bruce and Thor returned from dealing with the Rhino, they were surprised to find Peter and Emery asleep on the couches in the living room, a movie playing on the tv. Pepper sat reading in a nearby armchair, smiling when she saw Tony and the others.

"Looks like operation get Peter out of bed was a success," Natasha said. Tony leaned down and kissed Pepper on the top of the head, constantly thankful for the brilliant woman he'd married who had such a great way with wayward souls.

"I think so," she said. "Got him to eat breakfast then train for a little while. Oh, Clint...You might wanna get a new bow."

"Why?" He asked, suspicious.

"The other one is slightly broken," she replied apologetically. Clint stalked from the room grumbling under his breath, heading downstairs to survey the damage.

"They both appear quite tired, perhaps you should lead training from now on," Thor suggested.

Tony laughed. "Don't encourage her."

"Did he spend the whole day with you?" Bruce asked.

"He slept through the morning, but besides that yah," Pepper replied. "And he never mentioned needing to go anywhere. This is the first day he hasn't visited her in nearly three months."

"Lets see how tomorrow goes," Steve said.

"May should he happy with the improvement, even if it's minor," Natasha said.


End file.

Avengers, Spider-Man, Family, Hurt-Comfort