A Collapsing Star

Chapter Fifteen

"Looks like we're going to Oscorp."

____________________________________________________

"Merry Christmas Steve." Natasha said, handing him a wrapped present. The rest of his friend were sitting around a tree handing out gifts alike.

"Thanks Nat," he said, taking the gift with a smile. It didn't quite meet his eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Steve sighed.

"I guess I'm just thinking about Peter." Steve said.

"Oh, you're brooding again." Natasha said. Steve glared but Natasha remained unapologetic. "Steve, for the amount of times you think and worry about your son, you'd think you'd at least call him sometime!"

Steve sighed. "I've waited too long." he said. "If I do now, he'll be so surprised that I called him. That I've talked to him for the first time in his life. What if he hates me?"

"Then you take that anger and try to mend your relationship," Natasha said with a shrug. "That's the only way things are going to get better."

Steve looked down at the wrapped gift in his hand. "They're probably having a wonderful Christmas right now."

"Maybe," Natasha allowed. "Stark always threw the most extravagant parties. But the real fun was after the party was over and it was just us, the family laughing and spending time together."

"Yeah," Steve smiled ruefully. He remembered the first Christmas they had with Peter. The only one Steve ever spent with him. Peter was only four months old then, but that didn't stop him from being the life of the party.

Tony and Steve were very protective of Peter. He was their son after all. They didn't want anyone to know what he looked like to protect him, to keep him safe, so that if he was veer caught in the crossfire, no one would know just how important Peter was.

But that Christmas they decided to let the team see him. There were surprised gasps when the couple entered the living room holding a squirming Peter. Natasha had squealed (though if you asked her, she'd deny it) and demanded to hold him. The second Peter was in her arms, he let out a loud giggle.

This started a war between everyone as to who could get peter to laugh the most to determine the favorite Uncle/Aunt. All through the rest of the night there was laughter, joy and happiness. A perfect Christmas.

Steve was brought out of the past by a pat on his shoulder. Natasha pressed a burner phone into his hands. "Better late than never," she said before walking off to join the rest of the team.

Steve looked at the burner phone in his hands with intensity. "Better late than never, huh?"

______________________________________________

"Okay, I don't see him," Peter said, walking into the Cross Species division. He was wearing his suit underneath his shirt. He thought that maybe if he came to him as Peter Parker, he would listen to him.

"Just keep an eye out," his dad's voice said through an earpiece in his right ear.

He then heard a loud crash. "Dr. Connors?" Peter called. "Is that you?"

There was a rustling noise before Dr. Connors came into view. He looked as he did in the sewers, only partly reptilian. "Dr. Connors! What's happened to you?!" he cried in fake shock.

"Ahhh Peter," Dr. Connors said. "It's you. I thought you were...nevermind that. What can I do for you?"

"I was...I was just coming to follow up...on the formula." Peter lied. "Dr. Connors what happened?"

"I tested out the formula on myself." Dr. Connors said, waving his hand out to show Peter. "I must say, it's worked perfectly."

"Was this..did you plan on this happening?!" Peter cried. Dr. Connors merely grinned and stalked closer to him. Peter tensed and moved backwards slightly.

"Don't be afraid, Peter," Dr. Connors said with a soft smirk. "I only want to help you."

"Help me?"

"Being a human is so needlessly difficult. We lose a part of yourself, it never comes back." Dr. Connors said, and as if to prove his point, his arm popped off. Peter gagged as a new one grew within seconds. "I am faster now. I am superior. Don't you want to be too?"

"No! Not really!" Peter said, moving back faster now. "Dr. Connors stop, please. I can help you. I can make a cure."

"I am the cure Peter." Dr. Connors said. He brandished his claws, and this time Peter noticed bits of liquid oozing off of them.

"Are you going to...are you going to poison me?" Peter cried, his hand unthinkingly reaching up to where those claws had torn through his gut only a few hours earlier.

"Poison? No!" Dr. Connors grinned, his teeth glowing under the fluorescent lights overhead. "This isn't poison. It will help you."

"The venom in your claws...mutate people?" Peter asked.

"WHAT!?!" he heard his dad cry out in his ear.

"It helps people," Dr. Connors said again, more firmly. "Just like it will help you."

And with that, he lunged forward, taking Peter by surprise. Peter fought to keep out f the way of the claws, but since he was maintaining the pretense that he was just a normal kid, he wasn't able to use his strength.

The claws loomed over his face, getting closer and closer until....it nicked him on the cheek.

The scratch closed almost instantly and Dr. Connors chuckled. "See Peter? Now you will be free."

Peter tensed as he waited for something to happen...but nothing did. It seemed that because Peter had already mutated, he was immune to the new mutation. Dr. Connors face fell as he saw no change happen to Peter.

"How?" he cried. "How are you immune?"

Peter grinned and shot a web at his eyes. "Because I'm already a mutation."