The Avengers Weakness

Chapter Two

"How was the trip?" the teen asked, knowing that the trip from Queens to the compound could take a while depending on where you lived in the city.

"It was okay." she replied softly, not meeting his eyes.

"Good." he replied, reaching over to touch her again.

She seemed to tense up at the action and took a slight step away from him, "Do I really get to stay with you?" she asked, almost like she didn't believe what Happy and Tony had both told her.

"Forever princess. You won't get rid of me." he replied grinning, wiping off the expression that had crept up on his face when she took a step back from him.

"Good," she said, wearing a large smile on her face, that looked exactly like the one Peter sported when he was really happy about something.

Tony noticed her looking around with a confused look on her face, what was wrong?

"What are you looking for Princess?" Peter asked, noticing the action.

"Aunt May... I-I thought....I thought she'd be here......" she said, still looking around for the forty-five year old woman, "Wh-where is she Pete?"

"I'm so sorry princess," Peter's voice broke and Tony felt that pit in his stomach forming again, the same one that had sparked when Peter crumpled onto the floor last Tuesday at the news of May's death.

"Wh-why?" she asked, an almost knowing tone peeking through her words.

"Um...." Peter's voice trailed off as tears started forming in his eyes as he tried to blink them back, his eyes looking up to the ceiling.

"P-Peter...where's...where's Aunt May?" she asked again, staring at her brother with so much emotion, Tony didn't think it was possible, "Peter?" she called again, her voice getting smaller and smaller.

"I'm sorry princess..." Peter paused. "...Aunt May.... Aunt May died."

"No....no," she whispered, shaking her head, large wet tears rolling down her cheeks, "stop lying Pete please....please stop lying to me...no." she squeaked.

"I'm sorry. I wish I was," he replied, his voice breaking once again, as he stepped closer to comfort her.

Peter pulled her into a hug again this time to comfort her, he tucked her head under his chin, and rubbed comforting circles on her back as she cried. He felt his shirt getting wetter and wetter from the tears that were escaping from her, his own cheeks starting to become damp from the tears that were streaming down his face; her small, shaking fists kept clenching and unclenching his shirt. Tony listened to her soft sobs and mumbles of grief as she begged for her brother to tell her it wasn't true, wishing himself that it wasn't true for both of the siblings. Tony watched as Peter sank down a little more to his sister's height and tightened his grip on her, doing his best to soothe her.

He decided to excuse himself, "I'll uh I'll leave you two alone kid, again...I'm sorry." he replied, feeling more guilt creeping into him, he should have been able to stop this, he knew it wasn't true, but the thought kept playing over and over in his mind like a broken record.

Peter nodded, looking up at him with redden eyes and tear stained cheeks, "Thank you Mr. Stark."

Penny cried as Peter told her what happened to their aunt. How it was a robbery gone wrong, how their Aunt was in the wrong place at the wrong time and that it was quick and nearly painless according to what he'd been told. He picked her up, wrapping his arms securely around her waist, slightly frowning when he realized he could feel her ribs, and carried her to the couch where they both cried together. Hours passed as Peter played with Penny's hair as she laid on his lap, her head resting on his legs, while he tried to soothe her like when she was younger. Eventually he noticed the crying stopped as she became quiet, he looked down at his lap.

"Penny?" he called softly, waiting for a response, "Princess, you okay?"

When he got no response, he looked down more at the teenager and he realized that she'd fallen asleep. He smiled down at his baby sister as he wrapped her up in the blanket from the back of the couch and kept running his fingers through her tangled hair. He had noticed his little sister's appearance; the bruises on her cheek, the ones on her arms, and the darkest one around the base of her neck; they worried him. He also noticed how her shoes looked too small and how her toes poked through a little on each sneaker. And how small she was, for some reason he'd expected her to be bigger, taller even, and happier. That she wouldn't look so tired and, well, scared of something that wasn't there; he could feel the emotion of fear that radiated off of her. He felt something was wrong the minute he saw her, but he kept trying to push it down, not wanting to make things any worse than it was at the moment; but something was telling him that pushing the feeling down wasn't a good idea, that something was seriously wrong.

"Hey kid," Tony said when he came back into the room.

"Shhhh," Peter replied, quietly hushing the billionaire who'd immediately volunteered to foster the pair of siblings, "She's sleeping Mister Stark," he whispered.

"Sorry, how's she doing kid?" he whispered.

"She'll be okay," Peter responded, "I hope." he added, the gnawing feeling in his gut that told him something was off was growing stronger.

"I'm sorry kid," the dark-haired man replied, gently ruffling the teens hair.

"It's okay Mister Stark," he replied, giving the man a half smile that didn't quit meet his eyes.

"Supper's here, if you want to eat," he replied, "don't say you aren't hungry underoos, I know you are."

"Okay," Peter sighed, he gently lifted his little sister's head and put a throw pillow under her head, so she could sleep a little more.

"You going to wake her up kid?" Tony asked, noticing the boy was going to leave the younger girl asleep on the couch.

"I think I'll let her sleep. She's had a busy and long day." the teenager replied, gently brushing her hair out of her face before standing up fully and walking over to his boss, who was now also his dad if he thought about it.

"Okay." the man replied, nodding his head.

Tony and Peter went to the kitchen and talked over supper, about several things. They talked for a good while and soon established Penny's room would be the one connected to Peter's. Peter hadn't seen his baby sister in so long that he wanted to keep her close in case she needed something or if she needed him, considering that she was in a new place. He didn't care about sharing his bathroom, knowing that eventually one day he was going to since there was another bedroom connected to the other side. Tony promised he'd set it up soon. They also agreed that Penny could stay with Peter in his room if they both wanted that. Tony also pointed out several things they would need to do, like set up for her to attend school with him and the others, the classes she would take, they needed to get her some more clothes and shoes, and how things would work now that she was going to stay at the compound with everyone, because the two of them, Morgan, and Pepper weren't the only ones who stayed there. Around midnight the two of them finished their supper and stopped discussing plans for the new life ahead of the pair of siblings, Tony decided it was time to send Peter to bed, knowing that the teenager hadn't been sleeping much as of lately. They soon cleaned up the kitchen and decided that it was time to go to bed.

"Good night Mr. Stark." the boy bade, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"Good night kid," he replied, pulling the kid in for a quick hug, something that they'd only started doing earlier in the year.

Peter started up the stairs, slowly making his way towards his room when Tony called out to him.

"Hey kid. You want to take her up there?" he asked, motioning towards the couch that held the sleeping thirteen year old

Peter paused. "No, if she is anything like when we were little, she'll wake up too easily and won't go back to sleep." he replied softly,

Tony chuckled a little at Peter's response, it seemed that the fifteen year old remembered everything about his younger sister., "Okay, kid. Get some sleep."