Heartbeat (A Beautiful Thing - SpideyChelle book 2)

Questions

A/N: All i'm gonna say is the next chapter is going to be juicy as hell but I kinda like this one. Thanks for all the reads guys. I love you all.

Tony POV

Peter just sits there. His brown eyes are unmoving on the dust. Tears run down his pure, now pale, face as he lets out a shriek so loud that the whole world would be able to hear him. I feel his pain ripple through me along with my own agony that I feel for the girl

She called me dad. She called me dad. She called me dad. She called me dad!

This was not a time for me to shut down. No, I had to get us off this planet. Then everything else.

I look at Peter's hand. It is practically glowing red and it looked tremendously painful

"Pete, your hand" I whisper, trying not to breathe too heavily in case I breathe in her ashes as I reach for his hand.

"Don't touch me" he growls as it continues to pour out emotions of raw grief, heartbreak and anger. He grabs it and holds it to his chest, right to his heart.

------------ Time Skip

Less than an hour later a ship appears in the distance. It's Clint. He lands with a slight bump - yet more controlled than our landing it seemed- he tells us he was sent by Pepper and we don't talk much than that.

He was lucky. His family was safe and honestly, at this moment I was not inclined to fight with him about not being there sooner.

I have FRIDAY relay me all the noticeable parts of the battle from different sides of the world. Our journey is long so by the end I know everything from how the Gamora revealed the location of the soul stone to how Bucky was in Wakanda.

My attention was lifted from the screen every few seconds as I saw Peter's hand. It was no longer glowing or pulsing but it was still an ugly red shade that didn't look healthy. Nevertheless, he just sat there. I tried to put an arm around his shoulder but he did not want it. Violently shaking, he sat welling in a pool of silent tears.

I even cried myself. How could I not? She was my daughter and I loved her as any father would

As we land to a familiar sight, the world is in chaos and a sombre mood lingers in the air. I rush in to see Pepper- I can only thank my lucky stars she is alive.

She has a look of panic on her face as press surround her, she sees me and demands the cameramen get out of her way. Surely this should be the least of their worries, didn't they have their own families to attend to.

She throws her arms around me, whispering something in my ear

"Tony, Peter, I was so - I was so worried. I don't know what to do" she rambles, breaking the hug and kissing Peter on the forehead "The whole world has descended into, well, madness, I'm so glad you're alive you do not understand"

Then it hits her

"Wait, where is Michelle? Tony, why are you crying? Don't tell me"

I nod as I watch her knees buckle in shock. It's like her entire body shut down - her face was completely blank until one singular tear rolled down her cheek. It was the most heartbroken tear I had ever seen.  Happy catches her as the press watch eagle-eyed

"Oh sorry, how unprofessional of me" she gulps, brushing herself down as her voice cracks painfully. "If you'll excuse me I'm going to go to th-- um the toilet"

And with that she is gone, the heel of her shoes, tapping hurriedly on the laminate flooring. Not worrying about the press, I run after her into the en-suite of our bedroom. I hate seeing her like this, I hate it so much. I just want to take her away from all this but I know there is nothing I can do.

I look at her, she already looks distraught as she peers out the window

"What happened Tony" she whispers. I pause, my mouth was open but no sound came out. What could I say? Nothing. "We lost our girl" she cries "she's gone"

"She- she" I stutter

"What Tony?" she breathes

"She called me Dad"

Michelle POV
Where was I? I couldn't see anything. There was nothing around me. Was I drugged, was it some kind of villain? Was Peter ok?

That's when I remember. Everything comes back to me like a wave washing me in painful memories. This must be the soul stone realm we were told about.

Was Peter here? And if not where was he. No. He couldn't have been. I must have been one of the last because of my Spidey - sense. That would have kept me there for longer. Everyone else would have gone before. Peter was ok then. Hopefully

What was I gonna do? I stood up, failing to collect myself as tears ran down my face. Was I on my own? I had so many questions. 

I bury my head in my hands, hoping, wishing for it all to go back to the way it was. I scream, I scream his name and then I scream it again, and again until my throat is dry and my eyes almost blinded by a thick layer of tears. No, it couldn't be. 

That's when more questions arise out of a dark pool in my mind. Was this my life now? Would I live here until I died, could I die here? Would I ever see him again? My breath is heavy and the tears were relentless.  I couldn't escape. So I run. 

I don't know where I'm going but you can bet I ran like hell, my screams now rotating between 4 names: Tony, Pepper, Ned and of course Peter. 

I just look at my feet most of the time as I run without a break. Maybe, I could kill myself from exhaustion. The ground is soft and springy with a thin layer of liquid covering it. It was still rippled only by my footsteps and falling tears. 

After a while of howling, running, falling down and then crying I looked up to the sky. It was a crimson red, a beautiful red, like the red of a beating heart. The world around me looked almost filtered with reds and pinks as if it didn't belong. But then again, did it belong or was just a world created by a mad titan to rip me away from him, from everyone? 

I rip a curl out of my head in pure anger and frustration, wishing for it to be braided by Pepper or ruffled by Tony again or caressed by Peter lovingly. All these things I overlooked that I will never be able to get back. I look up, unsure of what I should do next. 

That's when I see it, an old woman standing alone looking dreadfully confused. 

I wasn't alone.