Their Little Spider

Chapter Six

Peter was strapped to a table. He barely had the strength to stand, let alone fight back. His consciousness was fading in and out. His vision was unfocused. He was light-headed. His breathing shallow. Before he slipped into unconsciousness, "Tony..." He muttered. Then the world went black.

Peter was looking around the beautiful place. "Pete...?" Uncle Ben.

"Uncle Ben? Aunt May?"

"Peter what are you doing here? It isn't your time," Aunt May said.

"Are you guys mad...?" Peter asked. "Mad that I moved on...?"

May and Ben frowned. "Oh, hunny! We could never be mad at you for moving on." May's eyes held a sadness to them.

"So...am I dead..?" Peter asked softly.

"No. Not yet anyway. This is where you choose," Ben said. Peter frowned. Choose between them and the Avengers...? Peter thought for a moment.

"You...you guys wouldn't be mad...if...if I chose to stay with the Avengers...?"

"No, hun. We could never be mad at you," May said with a small smile. Peter began to feel a horrible pressure on his chest as his mind screamed at him.

"I...think I choose Tony...I can't just leave him," Peter said.

"That's okay, hun. We love you," Peter's parents stood behind May and Parker.

"I love you too."

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Tony was leaning over Peter, doing CPR until Bruce arrived. "Come on Peter!" He yelled in anguish. The teen wasn't breathing. He didn't have a pulse. "Please..." Tony begged as he was pulled away. Bruce continued compressions. One of the others on the med team put an Ambu bag to Peter's mouth and nose.

Tony was held against a strong chest. He grabbed onto Steve's arms. He'd grown far too attached to the kid for him to die now.

Finally, there was a gasp, a half relieved sigh, and then everyone sprung into action. Peter was rushed to the medbay. Tony, Steve, and the rest of the Avengers not far behind.

To say Tony was a wreck, was an understatement. The scientist was pacing back and forth, waiting for Bruce's update on Peter.

"Tony."

Tony whipped his head around and looked at Bruce. "How is he?"

"He's not out of the woods yet, there was some pretty...significant damage...but he'll pull through," Bruce said.

"I want to see him, Bruce," Tony said. Bruce nodded and allowed Tony to follow him.

When Tony walked into the room, the sight made him want to run back out and throw up. Peter looked small, he had dark circles under his eyes. Every visible part of his body was covered in bruises. His arm was wrapped heavily with white bandages. Tony collapsed into a chair.

"Oh god, Pete..." He mumbled softly. Bruce left the two alone for a while.

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Seconds turned into minutes, minutes to hours, hours to days, and days to weeks. Peter still hadn't woken up. Bruce said it would take him a while, but even the doctor/scientist didn't think it would take this long for him to wake up. Tony started drinking more. Spending most of his time in the lab or with Peter, refusing to do much else. The others were worried for Peter, and for Tony. Here they were, three weeks later, still no sign of Peter waking up.