A long way home

Chapter nine

A young Peter Parker was being pushed into his mother's room by his father, Mary had been very sick ever since he was a baby and he desperately wanted his mommy to get better. Mary let out a series of coughs before she noticed her three year son was in her room.
"Hi honey, " she said to him trying her best to smile and Peter immediately ran to her.
"Mommy I don't want you to be sick anymore! " Peter cried as he hugged her and Mary barely had the strength to hold him.

"I know baby but we don't always get what we want, " Mary said to him gently stroking his face, she knew that her time to go was approaching soon that's why she wanted to see her son. She didn't want to leave him because he didn't even know who his real father was or about she used to work as a shield agent. "Daddy said that you got into a fight with another kid at the playground, " Mary said and Peter frowned at this. His daddy didn't like him very much for some reason so of course he got in trouble for stopping a bully.
"Yes but I didn't mean too this kid was being a meanie to a little girl and I had to stop him but I won't do it again I want you to be proud. "

Peter cried and Mary saw that he was a lot more than his father than she thought. Not her husband though Richard cared only about himself but Tony wasn't like that, well he was a typical play boy and self centered sure. But Mary knew that underneath all of those snarky comments was a kind hearted man. She only wished that Peter knew that his real father had been wanting to see him since he was a baby but her husband never allowed it.
"Oh sweetie don't you see I am proud of you, and I want you to promise me that you will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust. " Mary said to him and grabbed his hand, Peter's welled up with tears as she said that.
"I promise mommy, " Peter responded.

Peter than awoke and found himself still stuck under the rubble. Pepper had added caused more damage to the room making him trapped by not only the walls but the celling as well. Flashbacks played in his mind as he recalled a very similar situation during his battle with the Vulture. He didn't knew how long he had been trapped but he had lost feeling in most of his body. He made multiple attempts to free himself but to no avail. It was hopeless he was going to die here and Morgan was going to be stuck with Pepper forever.

He couldn't help but cry but he wasn't sure if it was out of pain or defeat. Suddenly all of the rubble was lifting off him and he looked around to see who was doing it because he wasn't, his heart almost stopped when he saw the familiar red and gold suit. There was no way Tony could be saving him, he was dead. Oh my gosh am I dead? Peter thought to himself as the final piece of rubble was lifted off him.
"Mr Stark how are you here? " Peter asked but he got no response and Ironman started walking away.

"Mr Stark wait don't go! " Peter called out following him not wanting to be left alone again but it was at that moment that he realized Tony didn't have a shadow.
"You're not really here, " Peter said to himself as the realization hit him like a train.
"Physically no, " Tony replied stepping out of suit and finally talking to him.
"So then I am dead? " Peter asked wanting the clarification.
"No kid you just fainted, " Tony explained to him.
"So is this like one of those movie scenes where you tell me that I have to choose between staying or moving on? " Peter asked honestly and Tony laughed at the question.

"Still got that bright optimism I see, but I am giving you that choice Pete and once you make your choice you can't go back. " Tony explained and Peter was tempted to say that he wanted to just move on, because it would mean he could be with Tony again and escape all of the cruelty the world had. But he couldn't just rest while Morgan was in the clutchs of Pepper nor could he leave all of his friends and loved ones that remained. He let out a hard sigh and then made his choice.
"Mr. Stark I want nothing more than to be with you again, because not a day passes where I don't miss you but I can't leave Morgan alone. " Peter explained and he felt himself  tear up at his own words. "She needs me and I love her too much, to just leave her. " Peter finished and he knew that he was making the right choice.

"I knew you would make the right choice, " Tony said to him and for good measure placed a hand on his son's shoulder. It felt nice and Peter wanted to cry because he had missed this kind of affection from him.
"Mr. Stark there is something I have to know before I go, " Peter said to him.
"Ask away, " Tony responded.
"Is any of this really happening? " He asked
"No you just hit your head and are hallucinating. " Tony commented in his typical self centered persona and Peter in response just hugged him because that was all the clarification he needed to know that he was really talking to Tony.

"This is not a hug by the way, " Peter told him as Tony returned the hug.
"That's a shame because this feels nice, " Tony commented repeating Peter's words when they last saw eachother.
"I have to go now sir but I won't forget this," Peter told him as he pulled away from the hug and felt himself start to wake up.
"Go get em Pete, " Tony said to him and just like that he vanished and Peter woke up  still trapped under the rubble. He struggled as he used his super strength to lift it off him but he wasn't going to give up, no matter how long it took him to free himself. Because Morgan needed him and he wasn't going to let Pepper get away with his sister. Eventually he managed to lift the rubble off him and even though he was covered in cuts and bruises from it, he was ready to give Pepper a lesson she would never forget.