15: Epilogue

Penny tapped her pen on her desk, staring down at her Chemistry homework. Her new suit sat folded on her perfectly made bed, mask thrown careless on top of her pillows where she'd discarded it upon climbing through the window. She'd been back in school for three weeks now, and she still had a ton of work to catch up on, but Mr. Stark had made sure to speak to both her teachers and her principal, making sure they all understood that she would need a little extra time to complete everything. She'd managed to divide the work up with MJ's help, working on a little every evening after patrols and before dinner, which was every night at 6.

Pulling the plush blanket more firmly around her shoulders, she brought her legs up and huddled underneath the comforter wrapped around her, blinking hard at the equation she was trying to balance and forcing her eyes to focus. It felt like she'd been working non-stop the entire month she'd been living with Mr. Stark and his fiancee to catch up on everything, despite his assurances that she could take her time...that even if she was behind for a little while, it wasn't the end of the world.

Michelle had gone home the day after the two of them had woken up in that hospital bed, curled up together, a blanket pulled up over them. Mr. Stark had ordered food for them, and then he'd asked Michelle if she was sure she wanted to go home to her parents. They'd had a long talk, with Penny mostly staying out of it, trying not to think about her own family and how such a talk was unnecessary for her. Finally, MJ had told him that she did want to go home and he'd promised to offer whatever support he could, including paying for any medical care or rehabilitation programs that her parents might need, along with giving them a hand with bills and job hunting.

MJ had put her face in her hands and cried, and Penny had felt so alone...so disconnected from the both of them, that all she'd been able to do was stare at the ground and listen, feeling MJ's shoulders shake against her own. And then Mr. Stark had started making arrangements and Penny had been led to a guest room at the tower and things had seemed to be passing her by just like the first day after May and Ben had been shot.

Mr. Stark had found her in the guest room a few hours later. MJ hadn't been with him, and she hadn't looked up from where she'd been laying in bed, curled up under a throw blanket, staring straight ahead at the wall. He'd hesitated for a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed, not touching her for a long time before placing a hand on her shoulder. "How are you feeling, kiddo?" he'd asked, squeezing her arm.

Penny had just shrugged, not knowing how to put any of it into words.

"Michelle is in the room next door…she's getting some rest. Do you want to talk to her?"

She'd shaken her head. It was over, she'd been sure. Something...something had made her so sure. "She doesn't want to talk to me."

"Why would you think that?" Mr. Stark had asked.

"Because...because this is my fault. All of it...it was my fault we had to run and my fault she was away from her family. My fault that we had to work for that stupid circus and...it's my fault that Osborn took her."

"Penny…"

"I should have run away on my own. I shouldn't have dragged her into it." Tears had filled her eyes, one sliding down her cheek and dripping onto her pillow. "I just didn't want to be alone, Mr. Stark."

"I know."

They'd had this conversation before. Penny had said those words to him before. But it was still true and it had still hurt to know that it was her fault.

"You're not alone anymore, kiddo. You know that, right?"

"She won't...MJ doesn't want to be my girlfriend anymore," she had whispered, closing her eyes as another tear fell.

"Why would you say that?" He had asked, a thumb rubbing over the side of her arm. "Did she say something?"

Penny had shaken her head. "No...she hasn't said anything."

"You've both been through a lot in the last few months. And it hasn't been easy...not on either of you. Maybe give her a few days. Let her get used to things." He'd hesitated, taking a deep breath, and then he'd given a gentle smile. "I was wondering if you had any questions...about staying here." She had looked up at him, still struggling to take it all in. Still feeling as though she was far removed from her own body. He'd met her eyes then, his own narrowing in concern. "Kiddo? Hey, look at me." He'd slipped a hand under her chin, turning her face until she was meeting his eyes. "You're okay. You're safe now, Pen. I promise. Norman is going to jail."

She had blinked a few times, trying her best to come back to the present, but after a moment, he'd just put his hand on her head. "Why don't I get you something to eat, huh?"

Instead of making her talk, Mr. Stark had fed her a plate piled with homemade pasta, and then he'd led her to the living room where he'd scrolled through movies at random until she'd picked one. And that had been that. No hard conversations. No demands that she answer any questions. About halfway through the movie, MJ had emerged from her room, hesitating in the doorway until Mr. Stark had asked her to join them. And she had, taking a seat on the sofa beside Penny. By the end of the movie, her head had been resting on Penny's shoulder, and Mr. Stark had draped a blanket over the both of them.

They hadn't talked before MJ had left the next day, but her girlfriend had gripped her hand giving her a tenuous smile before getting in a car driven by Mr. Stark's driver and heading home. Penny had been left standing beside Mr. Stark, his hand resting on her shoulder.

Mr. Stark didn't have a lot of rules, but dinner every night at 6 was one of them. Apart from that, Penny had to tell him when she was patrolling, and she had to keep her grades up and finish all of her homework, none of which had been an issue so far, especially with the extensions he'd made sure she got. True to his word, he'd also made sure that MJ's parents had access to any medical care they may need. Last Penny had heard, they were both working hard to get sober, and, according to MJ, they were doing great. Although neither MJ nor Penny was ready to tell them about their relationship, Penny was still happy for them, and for Michelle.

As she joined Mr. Stark and his fiancee in the dining room, it struck her that this felt almost normal, the same way that being on the run and working for Skip had started to feel normal. Penny supposed that anything could feel normal if you did it for long enough. But before, when she and MJ had been running, and when she'd been working for the circus, her weird sixth sense had always been going off...had always been warning her that she wasn't quite safe. Now, living with Mr. Stark and Pepper...it was quiet. Always. It had taken her a day or two to figure it out, why she wasn't so tired and on edge anymore. And then it had hit her.

She was safe.

Penny took a seat at the dining room table, muttering her thanks to Pepper when the woman passed her a plate filled with homemade stir fry, and Mr. Stark sat on her other side. It was almost like he was her father...but she wasn't quite ready for that step. At the moment, he was technically her foster parent, but he'd been sure to tell her that if she wanted, they would take the next step to adoption...Penny wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Either way, he'd promised that she would always have a home with him for as long as she needed one.

"Hey, kiddo. How was school?"

"Fine," she told him through a mouth full of noodles.

"How were patrols?"

"Easy. I stopped a guy trying to rob a bodega." Penny swallowed her pasta and made herself pause and finish speaking before taking another bite, trying to forget weeks of eating almost nothing but peanut butter sandwiches and takeout. "And I helped a little girl get her cat out of a tree."

He smiled, nodding along, and for a moment, her chest gave a tiny stab, just a little ache. Mr. Stark reminded her of Ben sometimes...in the way he smiled at her. The way he listened when she spoke and ruffled her hair and cared...Uncle Ben had loved her so much. And Mr. Stark...well, she didn't think he loved her, exactly. How could he? She'd only been living with him for two and a half months. But he cared about her. That much was obvious. For some reason, he'd crossed state lines to find her when he'd just thought she was another runaway mutant.

And then he'd helped with Norman Osborn. Given her a place to stay. Helped her girlfriend. Woken her up from nightmares and sat at her bedside while she cried and, after a few nights of that, pulled her into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder and promising that it was okay. That she was safe. That the bad times were over. Lately, she thought, she was starting to let herself believe that.

"How's the homework?"

Penny shrugged. "Not bad. I'm getting closer."

"Remember, you've got all the time you need," Pepper reminded her.

"I know...I just want to get caught up."

"You will," Mr. Stark reassured, nudging the bowl of food closer. She'd only been staying with him a day when the weeks of barely eating had caught up with her. Penny had woken up feeling lightheaded, and when she'd started to head to the bathroom to take a shower, she'd suddenly found herself on the floor, flanked by Mr. Stark and a woman she'd immediately recognized as Helen Cho.

"Penny? Are you with us?" Helen had asked, pressing her fingers to Penny's throat.

"I...yeah…" She'd blinked a few times, unable to get rid of the fuzzy outline around her vision.

"Alright, honey. We're going to help you sit up and then I want you to drink this." Penny had nodded, letting Mr. Stark ease her into a sitting position, and the doctor had put a straw to her lips. The liquid had turned out to be orange juice, and it had taken two glasses before she'd felt well enough to stand on her own, after which she'd been immediately whisked down to the medbay to be looked over.

From then on, Mr. Stark made sure snacks were always within easy reach, and that meals were big enough for her enhanced metabolism.

She took another serving of the stir fry, then, when dinner was finished, she took her plate to the sink and began to wash the dishes, a holdover from her previous life that she didn't want to let go of. It had been a deal between her and May...whoever didn't cook did the dishes. Neither Mr. Stark nor Pepper had argued much when she'd insisted on cleaning up after dinner, just leaving her to it and doing their part to sweep the dining room and clear the table.

Tonight, however, Mr. Stark joined her at the sink, grabbing a towel and drying the dishes that Penny washed. Sure he had a reason for joining her, Penny kept quiet.

"So...how have you been doing, kiddo? Really?"

"Um...yeah. I'm okay." It was somewhat true. At first, going back to school had been kind of weird, and not everyone had been nice to her. Homework had seemed overwhelming, and the nightmares had been almost constant. It was all getting better, though, something she was eternally grateful for. Patrols helped, as did feeling safe in her own home again...and the tower really was like her home now. She felt like she was finally starting to trust that.

"Good. You been sleeping okay?"

Penny nodded, staring down into the dishwater. At first she'd been embarrassed about the nightmares. But Mr. Stark had never seemed upset or put out. Instead, he'd just held her, promising that everything was okay. That he was there. That he'd stay until she went back to sleep. And he always had.

"So...I got a call from your principal." That made Penny's head jerk up, and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Had she gotten in trouble? But one look at his face eased her fears. He was smiling. "He said you were doing a great job. Your grades are excellent, and you're catching up on your homework."

"Oh…"

He chuckled, patting her back. "He also said that your next Academic Decathlon meet was in DC...and that you should have a permission slip to sign."

"Oh." Penny hadn't forgotten. It had just been a weird thought...taking a permission slip to Tony Stark and asking him for thirty bucks to cover her food. But the man just smiled, lifting an eyebrow.

"Yeah...so do you have that permission slip?"

"You really don't have to…"

He sobered then, leaning his hip against the counter and crossing his arms. "Pen, I'm your guardian. You know that, right?"

"Yeah."

"And I know it's all still new and maybe a little weird...hell, foster parent wasn't a title I thought I'd ever have. But I knew what I was signing up for. You need a permission slip signed, I can sign it. You need $200 for food, I've got it."

"Two hundred…" she started, stunned into interrupting.

"Whatever it is you need, kid...that's what I'm here for."

For a moment, she was silent. Then, in a rush, she let herself speak, her doubts spilling out of her. "But you didn't even know me! I was just some random runaway kid that you found at the circus!" Swallowing, she dropped her eyes. "It doesn't make sense, Mr. Stark."

Mr. Stark reached out, dropping a hand on her shoulder, then slipped another hand under her chin and pulling until she looked at him. He looked as serious as she'd ever seen him, but also soft. Gentle. "Pen, kiddo...you weren't some random kid I found at the circus. You were Spider-Girl. You were a kid that got superpowers and tried to help people. That's pretty damn impressive. And not just that. You were a kid that was going to face down the man that had killed your family to save your girlfriend." He cupped her cheek, leaning in. "You're one of the best kids I've ever met, Pen, and if anyone deserves to have a family, it's you. And god knows my father was no kind of example, and god knows I'll probably mess up any time now...but I want to give you a family. I want...I want all of us, you and me and Pep...I want us to be a family."

Reaching out, he pulled her close, and Penny let herself be pulled, resting her head on his chest with eyes that were growing hot.

"I mean it, Pen. My dad sucked." She snorted a little, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "But I'm trying to break that cycle of shame, okay?"

Penny nodded, pulling away and smiling up at the man that she would come to think of as her father. "Okay."

"Sounds good." He turned back to the sink, drying the next plate, and Penny went back to the dishes. "So. DC. Pretty exciting. Will $300 cover food?"

"Mr. Stark, how much do you think food costs?"

The sound of Pepper's laughter floated in from the kitchen, and her phone buzzed with a text that had to be from Ned or MJ, and Penny knew, as Mr. Stark chuckled and upped his offer to $350, that things were going to be okay. That this really would be her new family.

The End