Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Years from now, if Wanda had time to reflect back on the events that occurred in WestView, she may regret some of her decisions. But for the most part, she stood by them. She only did what she did out of grief and she has since fixed many of her mistakes.

Wanda wasn’t sure that Peter Parker would come to the same conclusion about his own life though.

Wanda still didn’t fully understand what happened. When she arrived at her cabin of solitude, everyone, including Peter, was fine. She had checked in with Sam and Clint, called Pepper to apologize about WestView, and confirmed that Peter was doing okay with his Aunt. The Avengers may have been splintered for the two years before Thanos arrived, but they all still cared about each other. She informed them that they probably wouldn’t see or hear from her for quite a while and off she went she do some much needed healing.

Had she known that Peter’s world would very quickly be turned upside down by Mysterio, she may have left him a way to contact her. But instead, she was in her own world, where no magic could pass her hex borders.

The first time she learned something horrible happened was when Strange arrived at her place of solitude. He claimed that Spiderman had broken the Multiverse and that he needed her help to fix it.

Wanda found it odd that Strange only referred to Peter by Spiderman during the mission. She had probed him a few times and he claimed that he had never known who was under the mask. The only explanation that she could come up with was that Strange had casted some type of memory wipe spell. She couldn’t be sure though, or know the full reasons why, because Strange himself didn’t remember casting any spell.

When things were all said and done, with the Multiverse back intact, Wanda had a new mission – find Peter Parker and fix whatever had been broken.

She started by calling Sam and Clint who also said that Spiderman had never revealed his identity to any of the Avengers. She then went for the internet where there was no trace of a Peter Parker ever existing. She checked for his aunt next only to learn she died the week before Strange pulled her in for the multiverse mission. At this point, Wanda became significantly more worried and a lot more frantic in her search for the young hero.

Wanda knew that she could just wait for him to go on patrol one night but figured keeping an eye on some other obvious places, like his favorite sub shop and his aunt’s grave, during the day wouldn’t hurt.

On her second day of her Peter hunt, she found him sitting in the snow, at his aunt’s grave. She held her distance for a few minutes, observing him. He was thinner than she remembered. He was also shivering and had pronounced dark circles under his eyes.

He looked awful.

Wanda’s heart broke for him, knowing what her own grief had led her to do, she couldn’t imagine how he must be feeling at only 17 years old.

She slowly walked up to him, not wanting to startle him.

“Peter.”

She watched him flinch but he still didn’t look at her. “Name’s not Peter.”

“Peter Benjamin Parker. Spiderman. The kid or sometimes “Underoos” as Tony would say.”

Peter looked up at her with glassy eyes. “How do you remember all of that? No one was supposed to remember.”

Wanda smiled and wrapped a blanket that she brought with her around his shoulders. “Let’s just say that my magic is stronger than Doctor Strange’s. I was living in a magical bubble one could say and I’m guessing that whatever Strange did, which I’m hoping you can elaborate on, wasn’t strong enough to penetrate my hex barrier.”

He stared at her as if trying to solve a puzzle before abruptly looking away and frantically wiping away a stray tear. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for, Peter?”

“For everything. I almost ruined the multiverse. I got May killed and almost killed my friends. And I’m sorry that you remember. No one was supposed to remember. It’s safer this way.”

“Oh Peter,” she said and pulled him in for a side hug. They honestly hadn’t spent much time together but after the final battle with Thanos, they had spent a lot of time together, cleaning up wreckage and helping sort things out before parting ways. He reminded her so much of a young Pietro and it was hard to see him feeling so much pain right now.

“How about we go somewhere warm. I’ll buy you some food and you can tell me everything. I also think I might know some things that could help.”

Peter looked at her skeptically. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea Ms. Maximoff.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. “How many times do I have to remind you, Wanda is fine. I’m not that much older than you.” She stood up and pulled him up as well. “Come on, I’m not taking no for an answer. You need a proper meal and you owe the only living person who knows who you are an explanation.”

Peter rolled his eyes, “fine. Just give me a minute.”

Wanda nodded and stepped back a few feet while he said some hushed words towards his aunt’s gravestone. Wanda’s heart hurt, thinking of all the times she would try to talk to her parents or Pietro after they passed. Not because she thought they could hear her, but to help make herself feel less alone.

“Alright, I’m ready. I know a quite diner around the corner where we can talk and no one will bother us.”

Wanda smiled at him gently, “sounds good. Lead the way.”

~

“So when the sky started breaking apart and glowing purple, I knew I needed to do something. Doctor Strange was trying to hold it all together but said that the botched spell was breaking the multiverse. I asked him if he did the spell again, but this time erasing Peter Parker from everyone’s memory, if it would fix things. He said yes, so I made him cast the spell. I said my goodbyes and then left. It seemed to work since New York wasn’t completely destroyed.” Peter finished his story while playing with the straw wrapper. His hands hadn’t stopped moving since they sat down and he basically refused to make eye contact with Wanda.

“Oh Peter, that’s a lot of responsibility to put on your shoulders. You’re just a kid.” Peter rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. “Stephen should have never casted that spell. It was only a temporary fix considering him and I spent the past few weeks actually fixing the multi-verse. Plus, it was wrong of him to put the blame and responsibility on you. Any other Avenger would have found a different way.”

Peter shook his head, “no it’s all my fault, not Doctor Strange’s. If I hadn’t made mistakes in Europe, I would have never asked about the spell, and if I hadn’t asked about the spell, then the multiverse wouldn’t have been broken.” He sighed, “and May would still be alive.”

Her heart really hurt for the kid. “As someone who has also lost every single blood relative in some type of tragic accident, I know how much pain you must be feeling Peter. I’m definitely not the one to ask for advice on how to handle grief considering WestView was a pretty large mistake, but I do know a thing or two about guilt. You want to know what Nat, Sam, and Steve taught me about dealing with guilt?”

Peter finally looked up. He may not have had much interaction with any Avengers outside Tony, but that didn’t mean he didn’t admire them. “What?”

“They helped me realize that a certain level of guilt is good. It helps us learn from our mistakes and not repeat the same bad actions. Like how I feel guilty about Lagos and learned to have better control of my powers.

“But after a certain point, guilt does us more harm than good. We can’t let guilt take over and dictate our thoughts, actions and emotions. Guilt is supposed to help us grow, but if you let it consume you, it only ends up killing you and hurting those you love.”

Peter’s eyes watered up. “But knowing who I am only puts the people I love in danger. May died, MJ almost died, and Ned, Pepper and Morgan are in constant danger just by knowing who I am.”

“We are all in constant danger Peter. Everyone in the Universe could die at any moment. That doesn’t mean they should stop living their lives. Think of Clint’s family. Laura knew she would always be in danger, but she chose to stand by her husband and raise a family. Tony had Morgan despite knowing she would always be in danger and he created time travel despite knowing the risks because it was the right thing to do.”

Wanda could tell she was slowly getting through Peter’s strong defenses. “Your friends, they could have walked away at any point, but they chose to stay by your side because they love you. You said it yourself, they wanted you to find them again after the spell was casted, but you haven’t.”

Peter was getting choked up. “They were so happy. They got into MIT. I couldn’t ruin their happiness.”

“Peter, have you considered that they could be happier with you still in their life?”

Peter scoffed. “They don’t need me to be happy.”

Wanda sighed. “Peter, there is something I don’t think you understand about the multiverse and this spell. Each universe is designed for specific outcomes and situations. In our universe, you were supposed to be an honorary member of the Stark family, friends with Ned and MJ, and an Avenger. The spell made that impossible and messed with the natural flow of this reality. It’s like the spell is a giant dam that messed with the river flow. For most people, it won’t have a large impact. But for some, like those closest to you, their entire paths in life are being rewritten in a rough way.

For most of the world, erasing your memory was easy. But for your loved ones, it’s capabilities can only go so far. They will never again be able to travel the path of least resistance because you are no longer in their life.”

Peter looked at her confused, and she can’t really blame him since magic and multiverse logic was relatively foreign to him. “So what are you saying?”

“I’m saying, that based on my knowledge of magic the multiverse and mild sleuthing, your friends and family, know something important is missing from their life but can’t figure out what.” Wanda sat up and grinned. “And I think I can make them remember.”

“What?” Peter’s eyes widened. “How?”

“My magic is far more powerful than Strange’s and I would only be removing his spell from specific people. Your two friends, the Starks, Happy, and any of the Avengers that you’d like. Each one could be your decision, but it wouldn’t mess with the multiverse, I promise.”

“You could really do that?” Peter stuttered. “You’d do it for me?”

“Yeah kid,” Wanda smiled gently. “Just because you made some mistakes doesn’t mean you should be punished by the Universe for the rest of your life. You helped save the world against Thanos. I’d think you at least deserve those you love the most to know you exist.

“I also think you need to realize that it’s alright to not be fine on your own. You’re a grieving kid who doesn’t deserve the cards you’ve been dealt. So let me help you not be alone anymore.”

Peter was quite for a moment, shocked and trying to digest the new information. “I don’t know what to say Ms. – I mean Wanda. You’re sure it wouldn’t have any ramifications? And that it be better for them to know again?”

“I can’t know for sure that they will be happier knowing but I have a pretty good idea that they will be. And yes, I’m sure that restoring a bit of the balance will not cause anymore problems. Strange’s spell is a pretty shotty job anyways. I can do much better.”

Peter finally smiled. “Then yeah, I think I’d like to not be alone anymore.”

Chapter Text

Despite the fact that Peter agreed to Wanda’s help back in the diner, the closer they got to the donut shop where his friends hang out after school, the more apprehensive he got and the more that Wanda wondered if he would back out.

Wanda tried to understand why he would choose to not have his loved ones in his life, but she was struggling to see his logic. If she could have Vision or her boys back without messing up the cosmic balance or harming civilians (again), she would. Returning a handful of people’s memories wasn’t going to do anything except help them and Peter. Yet he was still nervous.

They finally reached the shop and Peter paused outside. Wanda saw a girl inside behind the counter and a boy with a laptop on one of the bar stools. She assumed they had to be MJ and Ned. She went to open the door but Peter seemed frozen in place.

“I don’t know about this, Wanda.”

“Peter, the least we can do is talk to them and ask them what they want.”

He took a deep breath and nodded his head. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Peter opened the door for Wanda to enter and they walked to the counter near Ned. Luckily the rest of the shop was empty which would make the following conversation much easier.

“What’s up Peter Parker. Haven’t seen you in a few days,” MJ said, only casting a couple of quick side glances towards Wanda.

“Uh yeah. I’ve uh, I’ve been busy. Um, how are you?” Peter stumbled and Wanda had to hide her laughter.

Ned finally picked up his head from looking at his laptop and looked over at them, doing an obvious double take when he saw Wanda. “Woah! You’re Wanda Maximoff!”

“Dude!” MJ hissed, “chill out.”

Wanda smiled, shoving down her own inner demons for Peter’s sake. “It’s quite alright. I know I’m a bit infamous and not always for the best reasons. But today we are here to talk about my friend Peter.”

MJ looked between them, as if trying to solve a puzzle and Ned was just wide eyed. “Woah dude! You didn’t mention you’re friends with an Avenger!”

“You’re Spiderman,” MJ whispered, staring directly at Peter. “That’s why it feels like I know you and why you come in with bruises and scrapes so often.”

Wanda kept her face passive as she looked at Peter who had the saddest smile on his face. “I should’ve known you would figure it out again.”

“Again?” MJ questioned with a small bite to her tone.

Wanda decided to intervene, sensing MJ’s defenses rising. “I think I can explain some of the confusion and hopefully we can solve some problems while we are here today. Sound good?”

MJ and Ned both looked confused but slowly nodded their heads.

“Great. You both remember helping Spiderman during the fight at the Statue of Liberty correct?” Two nods. “And you both know who Doctor Strange is?” Again, they nodded. “Well there is a lot more to the story, but unfortunately Doctor Strange erased some memories to save the multiverse.”

“Erased memories?”

“Multiverse?”

MJ and Ned questioned at the same time, respectively.

“Yes and Yes.”

“Like everyone’s memories or just ours?” MJ questioned before Wanda could keep talking.

“Everyone’s.” Ned’s eyes were huge and MJ still looked skeptical so Wanda kept talking. “I can explain more but first, I want to know if you two would like me to restore your memories?”

MJ looked between her and Peter very critically. “What do you mean? One, why did Doctor Strange temper with everyone’s memories? Two, why would you specifically give the two of us our memories back? And three, why would we want them back?”

Wanda looked at Peter who was looking down at the ground with that same sad kicked puppy look that he had at his aunt’s grave and at the diner. Wanda knew in that moment that she had to convince his previous girlfriend to agree.

“Have either of you been feeling like something was off or missing? Or like some memories were hazy suddenly? Specifically think back to your Europe trip or how you ended up helping Spiderman on the Statue of Liberty.”

Ned looked very confused, “yeah, I’ve tried remembering that night a lot and can’t remember much. There’s also been other moments that have been hard to remember.”

“How did you know about our Europe trip?” MJ questioned narrowing her eyes.

Wanda gave them her best calming smile, “because I know what memories were erased. And if you both consent, I can easily restore your memories and I think you both will be very grateful that I did.”

“Yeah I’m –“ Ned started talking but MJ cut him off.

“We need to discuss this first. We will be back in a moment.”

MJ dragged Ned to the back room and Peter flopped onto the counter with a groan. “See! They don’t want to remember! I told you this was a bad idea!”

“Peter, just give them a minute. You always said MJ was strong headed and skeptical. Give her a minute to come around to the crazy idea.”

Wanda rubbed his back while they waited for his friends to return.

Two minutes later, they returned.

“We have one more question,” MJ said with her arms crossed. “What do you have to do with this?” she said looking at Peter.

He looked up at Wanda and she nodded her head, telling him silently that she thought he should tell them the truth.

Peter sighed before sitting up and looking at his previously best friends. “Because I’m the one you forgot.”

“I knew it!” Ned yelled at MJ. “I told you he seemed familiar!” He turned to Wanda. “Yes, give me my memories back.”

Wanda smiled and casted her minor spell to restore Ned’s memories of Peter.

Ned instantly started crying. “Oh my gosh, Peter!” He tackled Peter in a hug and Wanda saw tears in his eyes as well.

“Buddy, you promised to tell us! Where have you been the past month?”

“I didn’t want to hurt you guys anymore,” Peter said tearfully. “I’m so sorry”

“Peter, you have nothing to apologize for. Or at least not right now. Maybe later but right now I’m just so happy to see you, like really see you.”

Wanda smiled at the reunion, but she was also keeping an eye on MJ who seemed to be heavily weighing her choices. She was stroking her black dahlia necklace and Wanda could tell she was feeling a mix of scared and hopeful.

The boys continued mumbling things to each other and after another minute, MJ finally turned to Wanda. “I’d like my memories back too please.”

Wanda smiled. “Of course. Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure things will make a lot more sense once you know.”

MJ nodded and moments later, Wanda was done restoring her memories as well. Almost instantly, her face molded from confused and scared, to heartbroken and full of love.

She ran around the counter and the sudden movement prompted Ned and Peter to separate. Wanda watched as MJ basically tackled Peter in a hug.

“How dare you not tell us,” MJ said forcefully but Wanda also caught the hitch in her voice.

“I just wanted to protect you,” Peter said crying again.

MJ smacked him on the chest twice. Definitely not hard enough to hurt him but enough to make it known she was angry, which made Wanda laugh to herself slightly.

“You’re an idiot. You’re a genius but also the biggest idiot ever! Do you know how much it hurt to have this whole in my heart and all of these fuzzy memories and weird unexplainable feelings? Peter, it sucked. A whole month wondering why I felt like I had gone crazy.”

“I’m so sorry,” Peter choked out.

They then locked eyes for a few minutes and Wanda almost felt the need to look away from the clearly private moment.

“Are you okay? Where have you been?” MJ whispered, stroking his cheek, the anger having left her completely.

“I’ve been better but I’ve been hanging in.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

And Wanda finally saw a genuine smile on Peter’s face. Albeit still small, it was there. “Don’t worry, I think I’m going to be doing much better now.”

MJ smacked him again and this time both she and Ned let out a small laugh.

“Ow, can you stop hitting me though?”

“Only if you promise to never pull a stunt like that again! And we are talking about this in detail later!” MJ said before finally pulling him in for a kiss.

Wanda took that as a good sign to check her phone to see if they were still on schedule for the next stop. With a confirmation text in place, she tuned back into the scene in front of her.

“I love you,” Peter whispered.

“I love you too. Please don’t ever put me through that again.”

“I’ll try my best.”

Wanda figured now was probably a good time to interject before they started catching up. “Alright, you three can catch up for about a half hour before Peter and I have to move onto our next stop. I’ll just be over there in the booth making a few phone calls while you all chat.”

The three teens semi acknowledged her before moving back to the counter where they could all chat. Wanda supposed they were lucky that they shop was relatively dead on a random week-day afternoon.

Thirty minutes flew by though probably much faster than any of the kids would have liked but Wanda knew that things needed to be settled tonight so that Peter could move on.

“Peter, we need to go,” Wanda said smiling kindly at the teens. “You can see them more tomorrow but we have another stop to make remember?”

Peter looked conflicted and Ned and MJ looked intrigued.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Wanda raised her eyebrows and looked between him and his friends. “You’re still doubting the plan even after you just got your best friend and girlfriend back?”

“Peter,” MJ said taking his hand. “I’m sure whoever it is, you should trust Wanda.”

“Yeah Dude, I’m sure Happy or whoever would want to know your okay, and not have to live with the painful feeling of not knowing.”

Peter gulped, “no it’s someone who is going to be even scarier to tell.”

“Who?”

Wanda smiled, “Pepper Stark.”

Chapter Text

Wanda could tell Peter was far more nervous during their drive to the Stark’s lake house than he was going to the donut shop. And she couldn’t really blame him. Spiderman was not in Stark Industries good graces after the Mysterio incident despite Wanda knowing that Pepper was still backing him as an Avenger.

Wanda was also a little nervous though since she had only met Pepper a couple of times and after her issues with Westview, she wasn’t sure where she stood in Pepper’s opinion. Not that she needed the women’s approval or anything, but she didn’t really want to be a hurdle in reuniting Peter with the closest thing he had left to a parental figure even though she is sure Clint or Sam would adopt him in a heartbeat if they knew the circumstances.

They had a long drive and so far, most of it was spent in silence except for the soft radio music playing. But Wanda knew Peter’s thoughts and emotions were all over the place. “Penny for your thoughts, Parker?”

“What if she doesn’t believe us?”

“She will.”

Peter frowned and glared at her. “You don’t know that. Pepper is the strongest willed women I’ve ever met except maybe Ms. Romanoff. And we aren’t exactly her favorite Avengers at the moment.”

Wanda raised an eyebrow, “did we convince your friends?”

Peter slumped back in his seat with a sigh, “yes.”

“Then we will be able to convince Pepper.”

Peter was quite for a few minutes after that.

“Peter, do you remember after the funeral? When you asked Pepper if you could keep the nanites suit. What did she say?”

She watched him let out a deep sigh. She knew bringing up the funeral was a low blow since his emotions were already fried but she needed him to understand that he still had family left.

“She said of course. Said I was family and that Tony had left the suit and many other gadgets to me.”

“Exactly. You’re part of her family. She had no reason to let Tony include you in his will since there was no guarantee any of us would ever return but she did. Tony wasn’t the only one who cared about you. Pepper did too and she deserves the right to know you are still alive.”

A few minutes later Peter finally looked over at her with a quizzical look. “You said it yourself, you’ve also lost everything. You’ve also lost your family. You’re a villain in the eyes of the public. How can you keep a positive outlook? How can you be so hopeful that anyone besides my Aunt would ever see me as family?”

Wanda sat on the question for a minute. Partially because it stung and partially because she wanted to formulate a good answer.

“Because I know despite losing the people I love the most like my family and Vision, I still have family in Sam and Clint.

“After the airport battle, when I was tortured on the raft. I had a lot of time to think and repent. For a long time, even after Steve and Natasha rescued us, I was depressed and convinced that I should have been left there. I had no family left and I had done so much harm.

“But Nat, Steve and Sam, and later on Vision, were the first people in my entire life to show me that blood doesn’t make you family, love does. They picked me up when I was at a very low point and unlike Hydra, they showed me compassion and love.”

She looked a Peter with a small smile. “I think you need to be shown the same thing now. You’ve had a hard life but you’ve tried to do good. You’ve made some mistakes and now you are paying a huge sacrifice. I just want you to learn the same lesson that Nat and the others taught me, that you don’t have to be a lone wolf. You are human and you are allowed to want the love of others. And trust me Peter, you have a lot of people who if given the chance to remember you, would love you until their dying breath.

“It’s only a matter of time before I’m put on trial for the Westview events and thrown back into the governments hands to be controlled while on house arrest. The best thing I can do is give you this small gift before that happens and I will sleep better knowing that you hopefully won’t fall down the same path that I did.”

The silence stretched on long enough that Wanda wondered if he would reply at all.

“I’m sorry about everything that’s happened to you, Wanda. I hope you know that not everyone thinks you’re as horrible as Ross says you are.”

Wanda shivered a bit at the name but threw Peter a smile. “Thank you, Peter. So what do you think. Do you believe me?”

Peter turned to look out the window again. “I don’t know if I believe it yet, but I’m willing to follow your lead. You were right about Ned and MJ after all.”

Wanda smiled and turned up the radio. Her work here was almost done and she had faith that Peter would soon understand what took her much longer to learn.

Chapter Text

As they pulled up to the lake house, Peter was far more nervous now than he was when he met Pepper the first time. His emotions were all over the place thanks to the whirlwind of the day he had. The grief, the guilt, the joy, the fear – they were all chaotically bouncing around in his head and all he could do was force himself to take a few deep breaths to ground him in the present.

After seeing Ned and MJ’s reactions though, it made him believe Wanda a little more. He hadn’t thought about how the spell could negatively impact the emotional well-being of those he loved. In the moment, he could only think about stopping the multiverse from splitting apart and how it would make them safer.

Part of him still thought that he was being selfish by letting them back into his life. Everyone he loves seems to die helping him. He wasn’t sure how many more deaths he can handle on his conscious. But having his girlfriend back in his arms and doing his handshake with his best friend made him want to believe what Wanda had been telling him all day.

He hadn’t realized that they had stopped until Wanda put her hand on his shoulder.

“Come on Peter, she needs to know her honorary son is still alive.”

Peter nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. He slid on his mask as part of the plan they talked about.

They walked up to the door and Wanda knocked.

Pepper opened the door a minute later with a small, apprehensive smile on her face but looking as graceful as ever. “Hello Wanda. Hello Spiderman. Come in.”

She opened the door wider, and Wanda and Peter stepped inside. Grateful for the warmth.

“I prepared some tea since your text messages seemed like this was a pretty serious issue to be resolved. I don’t know how much help I can be, but you know I have all of my best lawyer contacts trying to help you both smooth things over with the UN and the US government.”

Peter heart ached a bit at hearing Pepper’s business tone. He almost never heard it directed at him and he hated to admit that it stung more than a little.

He was used to her softer side. The side that would yell at Tony for blowing something up in the lab and then doing a full body scan of Peter to make sure he hadn’t been injured. The side that would begrudgingly join him and Tony for pizza and movie nights. The side that held him on the battlefield while they both cried next to Tony. The side that insisted he come over on the weekends to spend time with Morgan because Tony had told her so many stories of her big brother. The side that still welcomed him into her home and kept a bedroom set up for him despite their mutual link no longer being around.

Being so close to her made him become acutely aware how much he missed May and a parental figure in his life. Maybe Wanda was right about him still being a kid who needed someone to guide him. He wanted to believe he could survive on his own. But being so close to Pepper made him yearn for the chance to relax again.

“Spiderman, are you alright?” she asked, her business tone slipping a bit for her concern.

Peter only nodded, not trusting his voice.

Luckily, Wanda seemed to know all the right points to intervene.

“Mrs. Stark, we both really appreciate what you are doing to help. But we are actually here to sort out a personal matter that may seem a bit crazy at first.”

“Oh honey, I’ve seen aliens attack New York, my husband fly around in metal armor, and helped you all end the war with Thanos. Nothing phases me anymore.”

Wanda smiled. “Good. So how do you feel about magic then?”

Pepper’s eyebrows creased. “Like Strange’s magic? What about it?”

“Recently Strange cast a spell for Spiderman that went horribly wrong. I don’t know how much you have been watching the news, but the night that Spiderman was fighting on the Statue of Liberty, Strange casted a new spell to override the first one and to stop the multiverse from splintering and destroying the world.”

Pepper nodded, hardly seeming phased which impressed both Peter and Wanda. “Go on.”

“Strange and I were able to fix the multiverse over the past couple of weeks but unfortunately, the spells he cast can’t be reversed and Spiderman here has been left to deal with the ramifications.”

Pepper glanced over at Peter but her face stayed relatively neutral. “Alright, but what does this have to do with me?”

Peter took a deep breath and then pulled off his mask. “Because you knew me, like really knew me, before the spell. My name is Peter Parker and I spent a lot of time with Mr. Stark, and by extension you, for years.”

Pepper’s face molded into something akin to sadness or concern, he couldn’t be sure which. “You’re just a kid. What are you doing out there fighting Avenger level battles?”

Peter choked a bit to keep the tears at bay. “Funny, you’ve asked me that before.”

She reached out to stroke away some of the hair that fallen in his face. He had been letting it grow out, not seeing a point in cutting it, and the tenderness hit him like a gut punch, especially when she quickly retracted her hand.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that. I just had an urge come over me.”

“You used to do that whenever I showed up injured to the tower for Tony to patch me up. You weren’t always there, but when you were, you would sit with me and ask me about my Aunt or my friends.”

She offered him a sad smile. “I don’t remember any of this but my heart is telling me that I care about you a lot.” She paused, processing the new information. “But how do I really know this is all true? Wouldn’t there be some evidence of you still existing if you were that close to Tony?”

“The spell somehow managed to erase all written and virtual records of Peter’s existence, including photographs and official documents,” Wanda said.

“But,” Peter interjected with a small smile, “Tony was like super paranoid about my identity since I was underage. All of my genetic information was stored under a false name.”

Wanda and Pepper both looked at him, clearly surprised by the fact.

“I thought you weren’t using your fancy suit anymore because Karen didn’t recognize you?” Wanda asked.

“Oh, no. She didn’t recognize me as Peter Parker anymore and a lot of the special features were erased from her programming because of that. But I can still wear the suit because it’s based on my DNA which is stored in all of Tony’s AI systems as Benjamin Parker Smith.”

Both still looked skeptical, and Peter was enjoying the fact that he had stunned them both into silence.

“Look, I’ll prove it.” He got up and walked over the secret panel on the wall that no normal person would know about. The panel scanned his hand and lit up yellow before asking for a DNA sample. He placed a piece of hair onto the scanner. A minute later, the panel lit up green and the door to the hidden basement lab opened up.

“Welcome Benjamin,” Friday announced.

“Hi Friday. My name is actually Peter Parker. But you have no record of that name, do you?”

“No. All files in my system related to Peter Parker have been corrupted or erased.”

“But all records of Benjamin, Underroos, and Spiderman are intact correct?”

“Yes. Just some missing links because of the missing data on Peter Parker.”

“Wow,” Wanda muttered.

Peter turned around smiling at them and found Pepper with a very fond look on her face. “Leave it to Tony to be paranoid enough that not even a worldwide spell could completely mess with his valuable data.”

“So does that mean you believe us?” Peter asked, full of hope.

“Yes, Peter I do. I just wish there was a way could actually remember.”

Wanda smiled. “That’s why I’m here. If you will allow it, I can easily restore your memories. And I promise, I won’t do anything else and you won’t even notice a thing until everything becomes clear again.”

Pepper nodded. “Do it.”

Just like with Ned and MJ, the change was quick. Pepper’s eyes instantly became glassy as she looked at Peter and rushed to embraced him.

“Oh Pete, I’m so glad to see you again.” She kissed his head and Peter finally let some of his pent-up tears fall. It had been so long since he had a comforting hug like this and wondered if this is what it meant as to be touch starved.

“You remember?”

“Yeah, Honey, I remember. I remember everything. I’m so sorry that you had to go through this all alone.” She pulled back and inspected his face, checking for injuries. It reminded him so much of May that a fresh new wave of tears came.

“Oh, Peter. It’s okay to cry. I’m so sorry about everything. Mysterio, May, the memories.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said between the tears.

“I know but I should have been there for you when you needed me. I could have prevented all of this if I could have convinced Tony to not give you those dang glasses until you were older.”

And that hurt too. It was hard for Peter to accept that the one thing Tony left him was also the thing that arguably ruined his life. He still hadn’t processed that and he knew it would sting for years to come.

“Peter, why didn’t you come sooner? Where have you been staying?”

Peter took a few deep breaths and pulled out of Pepper’s hold. “I thought I could do this on my own. I was too worried about protecting everyone to ask for help. And I’m okay, Mrs. Stark. Really.”

Wanda coughed and Pepper glared at him.

“Okay fine. I’ve been trying to be okay. I faked some documents and got a dirt-cheap studio apartment. I’ve been surviving.”

“Not anymore,” Pepper said, determination written all over her face. “You are staying here from now on and I will not hear any arguments. When you turn 18, you can leave but I will not let you live alone when that is the last thing that May or Tony would have wanted.”

Peter’s instinct was to argue but looking at Pepper’s face who showed nothing but love and concern and Wanda who had a gentile smile and nodded at him, made him push down his own hero instinct and nod. “Okay.”

“Good because I would have used all of my powers to keep you here whether you agreed or not. Your room is still the same because I haven’t been in there. I just kept having a weird feeling about it and I guess that’s because if I went in, I would have been very confused by the Star Wars posters and Lego sets.”

Peter laughed and swiped away the last of the moisture on his face. This was the best he has felt in almost a month. He had got his girlfriend and best friend back hours earlier and now he had someone who treated him as son back in his life. After the past six months of non-stop turmoil, he was grateful for every gift he had been given today.

He turned to Wanda. “Thank you. For everything. I couldn’t have got here without you.”

“It’s been my pleasure, Peter. Let me know if there is anyone else you would like help returning their memory to. And if not, I hope to hear from you soon.”

“Wait!” Pepper interjected. “What about Morgan? And Happy? Morgan has been sad for weeks about Spiderman being hurt and not visiting. I couldn’t figure out why before but now I understand, and I think she’d like to remember her brother.”

Peter’s heart did a little flip and he smiled before looking at Wanda with his best pleading face. He really wanted his little sister back.

“I’m sure Sam won’t mind me being a little late to our meeting.”

Chapter Text

It was only another 10 or 15 minutes before Happy returned with Morgan in tow.

Morgan ran in, bubbling with excitement. “Mommy! Uncle Happy and I got ice cream!”

Pepper picked her daughter up while subtly glaring at Happy who showed no sign of remorse.

“Well, I hope Uncle Happy didn’t ruin your appetite. We have a guest for dinner.”

“Hey, you’re the kid from May’s grave,” Happy said, pointing at Peter with confusion written all over his face.

Morgan finally became more aware of her surroundings and noticed the extra people in the room who she looked at quizzically.

“Hi Morgan,” Wanda said with a caring smile, “do you remember me?” Wanda let her fingertips glow red and Morgan’s eyes lit up.

“Yeah! You’re the Avenger with magic!”

“That’s right Honey,” Pepper said, “and this is Peter.”

“Spiderman!” Morgan immediately slid out of Pepper’s hold and ran to Peter who she promptly tackled in a hug. “Spidey! You’re my favorite! Daddy loved you lots.”

And if Peter thought he was all out of tears, he was wrong because as soon as Morgan said that, the tears were back in his eyes.

“Don’t cry Spiderman.” Morgan frowned and wiped away his tears.

“I’m alright, Morgan,” he said, a little choked up. He pulled her up onto his lap and relaxed a bit knowing that she still loved him despite the lack of half her memories.

Pepper stood from her seat before coming to crouch beside the pair. “Morgan, sweetie, you’ve actually met Peter before but you just can’t remember. Wanda can use her magic to help you remember all the fun you’ve had with Peter. Would you like that?”

Morgan gasped, “magic! Yes, please!”

Pepper looked at Wanda, signaling that the woman had both mother and daughter’s consent to restore the almost 6-year-olds memories.

A minute later, Morgan was fiercely hugging Peter again. “Petey, why have you been gone so long? You were supposed to come watch movies with me. And bring MJ.”

Peter let out a very small, choked laugh. His sister loved his girlfriend more than him and they had only met once. “I’m sorry, Morguna. But I’m here now. And I promise to bring MJ another day.”

Morgan tilted her head while looking at him. Despite him trying to put on a smile, he still had tears on his cheeks and his eyes were glossy. “Petey, why are you so sad? Do you need another hug?”

Peter tried, he really did, but the tears still fell again. He tried to speak but no words came out, so he settled for nodding.

Morgan leaned in and gave him a big hug, resting her head against his chest. “I love you, Petey. I can give you lots of hugs.”

“Alright,” Happy said, “I feel like I’m missing out on something big so despite my better judgement, Wanda please do your little magic thing on me too.”

Wanda smiled and complied. She was pleasantly surprised that this was way easier than she thought it would.

“Oh my gosh, Peter.” Happy rushed over and wrapped Peter in a hug. Morgan wiggled her way out from between them and both men gripped onto each other.

“Happy, I’m so so sorry.”

“Peter, please. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who should be sorry.” Happy pulled back a little to look the kid in the eyes. “I’m the one who should be sorry. Tony gave me one job. Protect his kids. I haven’t fulfilled that job when it’s come to you for weeks. Where have you been? Why didn’t you say anything when I saw you?”

“I thought everyone was better off without me.”

Peter looked down after saying that because Happy was giving him the ‘are you stupid’ look.

Happy looked around at Wanda and Pepper. “Please tell me someone else has already given him a lecture about how that couldn’t be further from the truth?”

“I did,” Wanda said.

“And him and I will be having some very long conversations about hero’s guilt later,” Pepper said resting a hand on Peter’s shoulder. “I happen to have that nailed down thanks to Tony.”

“Okay good,” Happy said and looked back at Peter. “I’m so sorry for how everything went down Pete and I’m so sorry about your Aunt.”

Peter winced and Happy pulled him in for another hug.

“Mommy, can we have dinner now? And watch a movie?”

Everyone laughed at how easily Morgan broke the tension.

“Of course, honey. How about some frozen pizzas?”

“Yeah!”

Morgan ran off to play with her toys and Pepper turned to her guests. “Happy, Wanda, would either of you like to stay for dinner?”

“I would,” Happy said. “I’ll turn on the oven. I expect a full story over dinner, Peter.”

Wanda stood graciously. “I really can’t. Sam is going full big brother mode on me and if I don’t show up to his place, he will dawn the suit to find me.”

Pepper walked towards Wanda and placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know that you’ve been grieving, and the world council is after you, but please know, if there is anything I can do, I will. Tony had a lot of regrets when it came to you, and I know I can’t turn back time to erase your pain, but I will be happy to help in anyway I can.” Pepper glanced back at Peter with a smile on her face. “Especially after what you did for Peter and for me. I would be lost without him and I know he needs me too.”

Peter frowned. “I’m not a child.”

“Yes, you are,” both women said in unison.

“Sorry kid, but until you are 18, and even after that, you will be a child that I feel responsible for,” Pepper said, ruffling his hair.

“And even after you turn 18, you will still feel like a little brother to me,” Wanda added.

Peter crossed his arms, trying to put on a front, but everyone knew that he enjoyed the feeling of being wanted. “Fine.”

“Alright, I need to go. Peter, you have my number. Call me if you need anything,” Wanda said giving the young man a hug before turning to Pepper again. “Thank you for hearing us out and for welcoming him back into your life. He needs a family.”

Pepper wrapped her arms around Peter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, he has been a part of this family long before Thanos came and ruined all our lives. I will make sure that he realizes that the world doesn’t rest on his shoulders.”

Peter smiled. “Thank you, Ms. – I mean Wanda. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”

“I’d do it all again. Have a good evening.”

“Petey!” Morgan yelled from the other room. They all shared a smile and Wanda saw herself out as they headed towards the kitchen.

Wanda got back to her car and smiled. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she had finally done something right. Something that no one, even her worst enemies could fault her for. Maybe her future wasn’t completely bleak.

Her phone rang as she turned on the car.

Sam Wilson

Wanda smiled as she hit answer. “Yeah, Sam, I’m on my way… No, I’m fine, just had to do a good deed and help Spiderman… Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it over dinner. I’m really excited to see you Sam.”

Wanda hadn’t expected that helping Peter Parker would also remind her that she also doesn’t have to be alright on her own. She also has a family and while life wouldn’t be sunshine and rainbows moving forward, there is always hope on the horizon if you let the people you love help you through the rough patches. Maybe things would be okay for both of them after all.