Living With Secrets

Old Friends and New Beginnings

"Peter!"

For the second time in under 12 hours, the teen was suddenly crushed by the weight of a girl on his chest. This time, it wasn't Morgan.

"MJ!" The dark skinned girl pushed some stray strands of hair out of her face and grinned at her boyfriend.

"The one and only," she quipped. Then her smile dropped and her face was contorted into seriousness. "What the hell happened, Peter? I don't hear from you, you miss our Skype call, Wade calls me out of nowhere saying you never came back to school, and next thing I know, you're Aunt and sister are blowing up my phone about how you've been kidnapped. Now spill."

Peter sighed. "It's a long story..."

Nearly an hour later, after Peter explained the whole story, start to finish, about Wade's background, Doc Ock, Morgan, and his time in the lab, the two were seated in the living room, catching up with the rest of the family.

"So then I said-" Clint was cut off by a shriek from his and Natasha's room, and he bolted down the hall.

"That doesn't sound good," Wanda mused.

"Think they finally worked it out?" Sam was picking at a thread on the couch, and Steve swatted his hand.

"Don't do that," the super soldier hissed, and Peter laughed. Before he could explain what everyone was talking about to MJ, Wade, and Shuri, he heard little feet coming down the hall and turned his head just enough to see Morgan standing in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, Morg?" The brunet cocked his head and furrowed his brows, looking at the little girl with worry.

"The yell woke me up and scared me. Venom got scared, too."

"Come here," Peter said with a smile, and the little girl came closer. "That was just Natasha, she and my Uncle Clint are super excited because they want to have another baby."

Wade and Shuri's mouths dropped open, and MJ's eyes widened slightly. Morgan just nodded.

"Can I sit with everyone?"

"Of course. Come sit by me, hun, I want to tell you something." Tony gestured for the little girl to sit next to him and Pepper on the couch, and when she did, he put out his hands for her to grab onto. "Morgan, me and Pepper really like you. We know that the Doc did some awful things, and you don't have any family around. But Pepper and I would really like to be your family. You'd have us, and all the other people here, and we'd always love and protect you. Do you like that idea?"

Morgan glanced over at Peter, and the teen gave her an encouraging smile. "I would have all the same Uncle and Aunts as Peter? And you would be my Dad?" The little girl cocked her head to the side, and Tony smiled at how damn cute it was.

"Yeah, I would. And Pepper would be your Mom."

"Okay," Morgan said simply, as if it was the easiest decision in the world to make. "Venom says he likes you all, too, and I trust you."

Tony and Pepper's faces split into massive smiles, and they both hugged the girl into their laps.

"Scratchy!" Morgan giggles when Tony pulled her in even closer, and everyone laughed in the room.

"She sounds like Peter when he first came here," Rhodey commented, looking up from his laptop. Peter laughed and joined in on the group hug. "Now you have a brother and a sister," he mumbled into the kid's ear, and Morgan gasped.

"You're right, I do!" With that, she hopped up and ran towards Wanda, tackling the woman in a hug.

"Nice to meet you, too," Wanda laughed.