Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prompt: Penny is once more trapped under a building (part 1)

Penny had worked with the Avengers a handful of times now. They hadn’t seen her face yet...she didn’t really want them to. Neither did Mr. Stark. He hadn’t exactly had the chance to have the ‘Spider-Girl is only sixteen’ talk with the Avengers. Now that they were all tentatively working together again, he didn’t want to upset the delicate balance. Or something. Either way, she’d gotten a call while out on patrols to help out and had jumped at the chance to work with the Avengers. Karen was able to patch her into the comms, and the next thing she knew, she was swinging through the city, catching a glimpse of Falcon and Iron Man out of the corner of her eye.

Her heart soared as Captain America’s voice hit her ear through the comms. “Alright, team, does everyone copy?” There were a chorus of replies from the other Avengers, then Penny realized she should probably chime in.

“Um...yes sir...Captain, sir...I...I copy...Mr. America, sir.” Everyone chuckled and her face went red under her mask, cheeks matching her suit.

“Just call him Cap, Spidey. Everyone else does.” Mr. Stark spoke in her ear, sounding like he was smiling. Talking to Captain America hadn’t gotten any easier despite having worked with him a few times...then again, she’d never actually spoken to him one on one. She had always just talked with Mr. Stark and he’d given her her orders.

The team had gotten back together not too long ago...a few months. Right around the time of her birthday. She wasn’t sure, but she suspected it had something to do with Bruce Banner and Thor returning from...well, wherever they’d been. She hadn’t met them yet...not really. She’d just worked with them a few times...seen them in passing. Worked in the same city block. But they hadn’t spoken yet, beyond Thor introducing himself and telling her it was nice to meet the ‘girl of spiders.’

The issue on the table: killer robots. Possibly made by Hydra or maybe a local supervillain. They weren’t too sure yet. Either way, they were attacking civilians and so they had to be taken care of. Cue the Avengers.

“Spider-Girl, you and Natasha start getting civilians to safety. Iron Man, you, Falcon, and War Machine set up a perimeter. Let’s try to keep these things in a six block radius.”

“I’ve got emergency services evacuating everyone north of here. Spidey, Nat, give them a hand?” Mr. Stark suggested.

“Good. The rest of us will start taking these things down. Try to capture one if you can, Tony. We need to figure out where these things are coming from.” Penny swung around a corner, releasing her web and dropping down to the ground, landing in front of a group of people all running the wrong way.

“Hey, guys.” She waving, hoping she didn’t look scary or anything...and that they’d listen to her. “Try the other way. The Avengers are here...they’re going to take care of this.”

“What are those things?” One man demanded, pointing up at one of the robots.

“Um...not sure yet. But you guys need to head south. We’re setting up a perimeter.” She ordered, pointing in the direction they needed to go. To her surprise, they immediately turned and began running the right way. “Awesome.” She muttered. “Karen, can you help me out?”

“It seems as if there are more civilians hiding in the bank two blocks north of you.”

“Got it!” Taking off at a sprint, she dodged derbies and falling robot parts as, above her head, Mr. Stark took out some robots and attempted to capture one. When she turned a corner, she saw Thor going head to head with one of them. She jumped onto the roof of one of the cars parked on the street, shot a web, then leaped, swinging around another corner and was easily able to find the bank.

“Hello!” She called, looking around the dark lobby. “It’s...it’s Spider-Girl! Come on out! I’ll get you to safety!” Slowly, one by one, heads popped out. “Hi! Spider-Girl.” She introduced herself again, counting as quickly as she could. Three women, two men, and, peering out from around a column, a man with a baby and a three or four year old. The older child pointed at her in wonder.

“Daddy! Spider-Girl!” She smiled, heart warm. It was always cool when someone recognized her

“That’s right. And I’m going to get you guys out. You ready?”

No one argued...no one even seemed to think twice about trusting her. The man carried his baby while another one of the men picked up the older child, and the group gathered behind her in a tight huddle. “Okay. Stay close. I’m going to lead you out of here. Got it?” They all nodded, silent and pale, eyes watching her anxiously. “Karen, um...make it so I can talk to everyone again?” The comms had been quiet for the most part...the occasional quip from Hawkeye or Iron Man going unanswered as they all focused. But Penny might need more cover.

“Um...hello?”

“We copy, Spider-Girl.” Captain America answered immediately.

“I’ve got a group of civilians at the Stonewall Bank. Eight adults, two kids. I'm going to get them to safety.”

“Alright, Spiderkid. I’ve got you.” Rhodey spoke up. “Go ahead and get them out. I’ll cover you guys from the air.”

And that was that, she supposed.

Penny hurried out of the building, the two men carrying children in the center of the group, the others flanking them. They moved quickly, Penny keeping an eye out for falling derbies or angry robots.

They were lucky.

With Rhodey flying overhead, they were able to make it to the line of police who’d set up their own perimeter, and she caught sight of Iron Man flying overhead, shooting a robot with his repulsors. “So cool.” She whispered, then had Karen switch over to the comms. “Thank you, War Machine, sir.” He chucked.

“You got it, kid.”

“Karen?”

“Five blocks northeast, there are civilians trapped in a parking garage.”

“How many?” She asked, shooting a web to the nearest building and taking off, swinging by Black Widow who was guiding another group of civilians out.

“2 women, one appears to be in her early forties, the other in her late seventies.”

“Which level?” She asked, swinging as fast as she could.”

“They are on the first sublevel.”

“Thanks, Karen.”

She found them huddled behind the car, the whole structure shaking. Hurrying over to them, she crouched beside their car, holding out a hand. “Hi, I’m Spider-Girl.” She introduced herself. “I'm going to help you get out. Okay?”

“Is it going to fall?” The younger woman wanted to know, looking around in obvious terror.

“It might. So we have to get out. Hurry.” They followed without arguing, letting her lead them up to the first floor...then the ground was shaking...and she glanced back to find one of the robots making its way toward her. “Go...go now!” She ordered, turning to face the thing and praying that they listened.

They were on the ground floor, half walls surrounding them, and little rectangles of daylight visible along the sides. But she didn’t see any other Avengers around.

She didn’t need any other Avengers...she could handle this.

The robot sped up, claws on either side aiming themselves at her, and she leaped as it flew by, wincing when the building shook. She turned once more as it came at her, the movements jerky but relentless. She dodged it almost easily...almost like it wasn’t trying too hard to get her. Still, it seemed to avoid her webs until she got a little closer, which turned out to be a mistake.

One of the metal claws, tipped with sharp metal almost as if it had fingernails, caught her in the side, and she hissed at the burning pain, dropping to the ground and gasping, staggering a little. It came at her again, and this time she was able to duck out of the way, shooting a web at the ceiling to get herself away, blood soaking the side of her suit.

She thought about calling the others…maybe someone was close enough to help her.

How would they ever take her seriously if she couldn’t even defend herself against one robot?

Penny shot a web at the robot once more, this time incapacitating one of its claws. The thing struggled as she shot more and more webs, making it impossible for it to move...and then her spider senses exploded.

And then everything went dark.

When Penny woke, it was slow. Breathing was hair and the air was filled with dust and it was so dark...she could barely see. Her eyes peeled slowly open, and she coughed, nearly screaming in pain when that moved her whole body. Her whole body which was pinned beneath something...the worst pain was in her chest...she was being crushed.

“Karen?” She choked out.

“Yes, Penny?”

“How bad is it?”

“I am afraid that I am unable to run diagnostics. Something was damaged…”. Karen cut out for a second, then came back. “Damaged in the collapse.”

“Okay...um…can you link me to the comms?” She asked, voice desperate. After a moment, during which she rested her forehead on the ground, unable to hold it up anymore, she heard the others. Faintly. “Um...hello?”

“We copy, kid. What’s up?” Mr. Stark asked, sounding tense.

“Um...I’m kind of...I could use some help.” She muttered, trying not to cough.

“Can you hold out for a little while, Spider-Girl? We’re kind of tied up here.” Captain America asked, his voice tight.

“Oh...yeah, of course.” She swallows back a sob, shivering from the cold that hit her like a brick wall...or a parking garage that had collapsed on her. “Yeah. I’ll...I can wait.”

“Alright kid. See you soon. Stay down if you’re hurt.” Mr. Stark ordered, and then Karen disconnected them.

She was under a parking garage. She was being crushed. And she was cold. Head aching, Penny took stock. She couldn’t breathe very well, and when she tried to move her hands under herself to get some leverage, her left arm screamed at her, refusing to move from where it was caught between two chunks of concrete.

It was broken.

Penny let the sob out them, wriggling her right arm out from underneath herself and gripping her mask. It was too small. Too tight. She couldn’t breathe! Yanking the mask up over her nose, she gasped for air that still didn’t come. Her sobs were high pitched...desperate. “Please, Mr. Stark...please hurry.” She whimpered to no one, wondering if Karen was still recording. “Please...please…”

It all went dark again.

She gasped awake, screaming when her body jerked under the concrete. It hurt...it hurt so much. Her body trembled as she gasped for air, and her left arm throbbed. She couldn’t even feel her legs...couldn’t move them or find them...were they even still there? She wanted to connect to the comms again, but her mouth was so dry and she was so cold...every word she managed was barely a whisper. “Karen?”

“I’m here, Penny.” Her AI spoke in a gentle murmur, and Penny felt tears slide down her cheek.

“Don’t leave me. Please.”

“I won’t leave you, Penny. I’m right here.” Still crying, Penny closed her eyes again. Karen wouldn't leave her. She wasn't alone this time.

This time the comms jolted her back into consciousness...she hadn't even realized that she'd been asleep. “Alright, kid. Do you need a lift? Where are you?” Mr. Stark asked. She blinked at the concrete inches from her face, swallowing hard...her whole mouth tasted like dust. “Kid? You okay?”

“I’m...parking garage.” She muttered.

“You’re breaking up, Spidey. You said parking garage?” She nodded. “Kid?” He asked, sounded worried.

“Garage…”

“Tony, track her suit.” Captain America ordered suddenly, his voice deadly quiet.

“I am...it’s coming from…”. More silent and Penny wondered if it had cut out again. “Kid? Are you in the parking garage?” Mr. Stark all but whispered.

“Mhm.” She murmured, and then someone was swearing.

“Kid? We’re going to get you out, okay? We’ve got Banner here...he’s going to look you over as soon as we get you out. Talk to me!”

“Karen...she’s broke. Can’t tell me.” Penny slurred, shivering so violently that it hurt.

“Okay. That’s okay. We'll fix her. How about you?”

“My arm...I can’t...I’m...I’m cold, Mssr Sark….”. Her words dropped off and she heard movement above her.

“Okay. Possibly a broken arm. We can fix that. Don’t worry about that. Anything else?” She just blinked at the concrete, wondering if this was it.

“M’dying?” She asked, pretty sure she knew the answer. The pain was ebbing away and even though she could barely breathe, she didn’t care quite so much.

“No! Absolutely not, kiddo. You’re not dying.” Mr. Stark sounded more upset than she’d ever heard him but she could barely bring herself to care.

“Spider-Girl! Keep talking!” Someone else ordered. Cap. He’d said to call him Cap...or had Mr. Stark told her to? “We’ve almost got to you. Just hang on! Talk to me, kid!” He ordered. She was supposed to listen to him.

“I’m stuck again.” She murmured.

“Yeah, I know, but we’re digging you out,” Cap assured her.

“What do you mean ‘again?’” Falcon wanted to know. She tried to remember.

“Vulture.” She told him. “Homecoming dance...under a building he...the supports…pushed it off but I can’t…”. She trailed off, gasping for air. “Mr. Stark I can’t breathe...sir...please…”. She was crying again. She didn’t want to die. Not here. “Please, sir, I don’t…”

“You aren’t dying!” Her mentor barked. “I’m coming, kid. Just hold on!”

She gave a breathless scream when something was lifted off her back, and she looked up to fine Cap down in the little space beside her, fingers on her throat. “Okay...Bruce?”

“I copy, Cap.”

“Prep emergency evac. It’s bad. Pulse barely there. She’s conscious but barely responsive. Her left leg is trapped under some concrete...Thor?” She phased in and out as something was pulled off of her, wondering what he was talking about. “Left arm definitely broken. She’s coughing up blood.” Was she? If she was, she hadn't noticed. Then again, it was hard to breathe. “Bleeding...I think it’s from her stomach…oh…”. He whispered, eyes softening as he seeks to get a better look at something. “Get the jet here now! We need to get her out of here.”

“Cap?” Mr. Stark asked from somewhere...the comms! She opened her eyes and realized that they were in a small space and that the concrete hadn’t all been removed. She was still stuck under a piece of it.

“Rebar...it’s coming out of her stomach...she must have fallen on it or something...pressure is keeping it from bleeding too badly but I’m going to have to pull her off it.” He spoke softly, moving closer and crouching beside her. “Spidey?” She moaned, unable to make her words work. “It’s okay. I’m going to hand you up to Thor and he’s going to get you to the jet.” He touched his ear. “Sam, you and Bruce ready?”

“Mssr….Strrk…?” She moaned.

“He’s bringing the jet over. He’ll be with you, Spider-Girl.”

Something was lifted off of her, freeing her completely from the concrete, and she coughed, choking on the dirt and dust that settled over her like a cloud. “Alright, kid. Bear with me here for a second.” He mumbled. “Thor?”

“I am ready to take her.”

“Sam? Bruce?”

“We’re ready for her in the jet.”

“Tony?”

“I’ve got the jet now get my fucking kid out of there!” Mr. Stark snapped. Everyone seemed to freeze, and then Captain America had a hand on her mask.

“Tony...is she…”

“Cap, I swear…”

“Here.” She heard Thor move closer, leaning over the open space before climbing down. “Let me take her out of here.”

“I’m afraid to move her,” Cap admitted softly. “The rebar is stopping the bleeding...as soon as we pick her up it’s going to start bleeding again. A lot…”

She was on her back, upper body slightly elevated thanks to the uneven concrete, and when she looked down at her body she could see the metal sticking out of her stomach.

He was afraid to move her…there was rebar in her stomach.

She was going to die.

Penny sobbed, lifting a hand to her mouth, and a gentle hand touched her hair. “Hello, girl of spiders.” Thor greeted her softly, slipping his arms under her shoulders and knees. “I’m going to take you to the jet...Banner and Falcon are going to help you.”

“I can’t...can’t move…”. She whimpered. He nodded gravely.

“Alright. Do not worry about moving. Just hold on for a few more moments.”

When he lifted her, it was like every ounce of energy she still had in her body drained out with the blood pouring out of her back. But he was running, pressing one hand tightly to her back at an awkward angle.

Time blurred.

She was placed on a bed, two men hovering around her, placing something on her stomach and back but she couldn’t even scream...couldn’t get her lungs to work. They were speaking to her and asking questions...she didn’t have any answers. Could barely even talk. Someone was swearing...one of them? Definitely not her. Then the jet was moving and Mr. Stark was there.

He pulled her mask the rest of the way off without hesitating, and then his hand cupped her cheek. Someone asked something. He closed his eyes for a second.

“Sixteen.” He told them, defeat in his voice.

Breathing got harder. Every second it was harder. "We're here. Don't worry, Penny. You're going to be okay. I'm here."

"Mssr...Mssr St..." She gasped, and he shook his head, thumb rubbing under her eye.

"Hush...hush, kiddo. It's okay. I know...I know it hurts. I'm sorry. But I'm right here. I won't leave you."

Thor took her hand and she realized she was squeezing it, tears running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.” She choked out at one point, looking up at Mr. Stark who looked sick.

“No. There’s nothing to be sorry about. You did great. I’m sorry, kid. I should have come sooner.”

“Too much blood...Tony, I can’t…I don't know if we're going to make it in time...” Someone else spoke urgently, pushing down on her stomach.

Mr. Stark stood, hands fisted in his hair, leaning over as if in pain while the other two men hurried around her, moving and touching her. She turned to find Thor at her other side and squeezed his hand weakly. He was the only one sitting still, jaw clenched, staring down at their connected hands until she squeezed them.

“Thanks for getting me out, Mr. Thor.” She whispered, and before he could respond, she closed her eyes, figuring that bleeding out while surrounded by her heroes wasn’t the worst way to go.

Chapter Text

"Too much blood...Tony I can't...I don't know if we're going to make it in time." Bruce kept applying pressure, glancing up at the group in the jet.

Steve Rogers stood in the corner of the jet, Natasha at his side, her hand covering her mouth. She was staring down at the floor of the jet, taking deep, exaggerated breaths. He thought about touching her shoulder...trying to comfort her...but he didn't know if it would be welcome.

Clint had taken over flying the jet, switching places with Tony without a second thought, and Rhodey was copiloting, throwing worried glances back at his friend. They were all throwing worried glances over at Tony.

Tony was clutching his hair, bent over double, and if Steve didn't know any better, he would think the man was injured. Badly injured. But it was the girl...the sixteen-year-old girl bleeding out on the table, that was badly injured. Up until a moment ago, he'd touched the girl's cheek, murmuring reassurances in a tone that Steve has never heard him use. Now he looked like he was going to keel over.

"Get my fucking kid out of there!"

His kid. This girl was sixteen...Tony had still been kind of wild sixteen years ago. So...this girl...this was his daughter, Steve realized. She had to be. She had the dark hair and the brown eyes...she was using a suit he'd made for her, but Tony had told them that she had invented the web shooters and fluid herself. So she was smart. Smart enough to be the daughter of Tony Stark. Plus they'd never learned her real name. Never seen her face before that day.

The girl wasn't an Avenger. Tony had been clear about that. But she had helped them enough times to know that she was competent. No...not just competent. For a sixteen-year-old, she was incredible. Smart, quick on her feet...sweet, polite...she was a good kid and a great superhero. They'd all come to enjoy having her on missions. She certainly took orders better than her father.

He wondered why the girl called her dad Mr. Stark as Bruce and Sam worked, Bruce applying pressure as best he could and Sam putting something under her nose...oxygen. Why wouldn't she at least call him Tony...unless she didn't know? Maybe Tony had found out and was just waiting for the right moment to tell her? A needle was slipped into the crook of her arm and an IV started. She was in the best possible hands...but would it be enough?

"Thanks for getting me out, Mr. Thor." The girl's voice was breathless, but as soon as she'd opened her mouth, everyone had gone silent, Tony turning to look at the girl who was looking up at Thor. The god of thunder had carried the girl to the jet and his whole front was soaked in blood. He stared down at the girl, eyes wide in surprise. Thor has taken her hand, stopping the enhanced girl from squeezing and crushing the railing with her good hand.

He opened his mouth, eyes gentle, but the look died when the girl went limp, a monitor beside her suddenly beeping angrily...and then she went rigid, Thor's hand the only thing stopping her from slamming her head against the bed. Jaw tight, a noise escaped her mouth...a soft grunt that repeated, staying the same volume as Tony lunged for her.

Steve grabbed him before he could push Bruce or Sam out of his way, dragging him backward and ignoring the screaming. "I swear to god if you don't let me go, you asshole! I have to help her! Penny!" He choked on the name, elbowing Steve in the side. "Let me go!"

"Tony, you can't help her." Steve reminded him softly, holding him against his chest. "Let Bruce and Sam help. Just...let them work, Tony. We're almost to the compound. They're going to help her. It's okay."

She'd been laying in a heap under the concrete, shoulders down, back twisted so that her face was down but her stomach and lower back were flat...it was a wonder that her spine hadn't snapped. But the rebar had been the biggest probably. Broken ribs and a punctured lung were what Steve suspected. Broken left arm. Possible broken leg. But her stomach was the worst.

The rusty metal had gone through her hip and had been sticking out of her stomach at an angle...but Steve wasn't a doctor. He wasn't sure what had been punctured or what had been broken...all he knew was that any soldier that he'd ever known that had been shot in the stomach had died. Quickly. But Penny was enhanced.

He prayed that would be enough.

Don't let this child die. Not like this...she'd been crying.

Tony stopped fighting him and Steve had to hurry to wrap his arm around the man before he crumbled. Turning him, he pulled Tony against his chest. They weren't the closest of friends, and Tony had never accepted his comfort before. But as the jet touched down and Sam and Bruce wheeled her bed away, Thor relinquishing his grip on her hand for the first time and standing, lost, where the bed she been, Tony broke down.

The man sobbed into Steve's shoulder, hands in fists as he clutched the back of Steve's shirt. "She's going to die." Tony choked out. "She's only sixteen...it's my fault…"

"It's not your fault." Steve murmured, a firm hand on the man's back. Natasha approached, a gentle hand resting on Tony's shoulder.

"That girl is one of the strongest I've ever met. If anyone can survive this, she can." Nat told him, dropping her head against Tony's, and for a long time, the three of them stood like that. Not moving. Steve held his friend as tightly as he dared, Natasha leaned against his shoulder, and on the other side of the jet, Thor stared down at the blood on the floor, arms limp at his sides.

"Tony? Do you want to go get cleaned up?" He asked after a moment. "I can go check on her. See how Bruce and Sam are doing?"

Tony nodded dumbly, quieter than Steve had ever seen him. Steve kept an arm around him, leading him out of the jet, Natasha and Thor following until they reached the Medbay. Rhodey and Clint were already there, hands clutched in their laps, both silent and grim.

Without arguing, Tony stepped into the bathroom, the door locking behind him, and Steve and his group joined the other two. "They took her back without saying anything," Clint informed him, face so pale it looked ashen. "She was still seizing…"

"Bruce and Sam are both with her," Rhodey spoke up. "The whole med team is here...they're all working on her."

Would it be enough?

The first time Steve had met Spider-Girl had been in Germany. And he'd been impressed. The girl had taken a beating and kept on fighting. She'd managed to take out Sam and Bucky by herself. And she'd saluted him. Told him she was a big fan. Then, the first time they'd worked together, she had been almost painfully eager, listening to his every command as if she were a soldier herself.

Sure, she had sounded young, but if pressed, he would have put her in her early twenties. Probably a college student.

She hasn't even graduated from high school.

Tony joined them after a few moments, dropping into a chair beside Rhodey. He had cleaned up some, but his shirt was still bloody, eyes still red-rimmed. He didn't make eye contact with any of them, just clutched his hands in his lap and stared at them, jaw tight. "Bruce and Sam are with her. She's in surgery." Rhodey told him, and the man nodded. And so they all sat in silence. Waiting.

Sam stepped out of the double doors after about an hour...the time had somehow flown by, and Steve stood when his friend entered the room. He was wearing clean clothes, face drawn in a grimace.

Tony didn't even look up.

Had he given up?

Sam took a chair beside Steve who sat back down. Waiting.

She had called for help at 4:23.

They'd gotten to her at almost 5:30.

Steve had left his teammate to bleed out alone for an hour after she'd asked for help. No matter what anyone else thought, this was on him.

"They're still trying to stop the bleeding." Sam finally spoke, voice hoarse. "It's...it's bad. They were able to knock her out and the pain medicine they use for Steve works on her so...there's that."

More silence.

"She needs blood. A lot of it."

"Is anyone a match?" Natasha asked. Sam nodded his head toward Steve.

Sam seemed to be in shock...why had it taken him that long to tell him!? "Okay. Let's go." Steve jumped up, and Sam stood slowly. Shakily. He led him back through the double doors and into a room where he shakily put a needle in Steve's arm.

"Sam?" He asked as the blood started to drip into a bag.

"She's just a kid...she woke up. Was screaming. Begging for Tony." He put a hand to his head, flinching. "He called her his kid."

"Sam, are you okay?" He asked as his friend slumped back against the wall. The man sighed, then put a hand up to the back of his head. It came back bloody. "Sam! We need to get…"

"No." His friend pointed at him, expression fierce. "Don't you even think about interrupting them. That little girl needs every bit of help she can get! She's dying, Steve. She's enhanced and her body's fighting it...but we left her under a building for almost an hour. I'll be damned if I'm going to take away one of her doctors for a mild concussion and a cut."

Steve didn't have an answer. This was on him. He'd left her. He was the leader of this team! She'd asked for help and he'd told her to wait.

He may have killed Tony's daughter.

They took a lot of blood. He didn't care. They could have all of it. So he ate the cookies and drank a full gallon of orange juice and then went back to the waiting room, all of them gathered around Tony...all of them waiting.

Bruce came out five hours later. He was wearing a clean white coat...he must have changed. There must have been so much blood...Steve could see it on his shoes. "Tony?" The man glanced up, eyes dead and red-rimmed.

"Is she going to survive?"

"I don't know," Bruce admitted. "There was a lot of infection. She lost...she lost quite a bit of blood and...her body is healing as best it can. If it weren't for her DNA…". He shook his head, and Steve dropped his head in his hands.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, and then felt all eyes turn to him.

"Cap, it wasn't…" Nat started, but he shook his head.

"I made a bad call."

"I should have known something was wrong," Tony spoke up for the first time, voice rough. Pained. "I know her...I could tell...if I had been paying more attention I would have known." He ran a hand over his face, trying to wipe discreetly at his eyes. "This is on me, Cap. Not you. I brought her into this."

"She was doing this before you ever recruited her, Tones." Rhodey reminded the man.

"I have her set up in one of the private rooms," Bruce spoke up once more, hands clasped tight in his lap. "The stomach injury is the most severe...she also had a punctured lung and five broken ribs. Her left arm was broken in two places. Her right ankle is broken, and her knee was dislocated. I have a breathing tube in, and she's on antibiotics to fight the infection. Right now...now it's up to her."

"Can I sit with her?" Tony asked, hoarse. Afraid. Steve felt like he was intruding somehow.

"Of course." Bruce nodded, and Tony followed the man out of the room.

Steve stayed away from the Medbay for the next few hours, focusing on debriefing with the team and cleaning his shield. Showering. Talking to Shield with Nat and Clint. And then he had nothing else to do. So he changed into a clean t-shirt and khakis and went into the Medbay. Into Penny's room.

It was nearly five am. None of them had slept...none of them except Penny, of course. Steve found the team in the waiting room when he entered, all of them changed into their regular clothes. Nat had a book in her hand, but she was clutching it too tightly. Clint was scrolling through something on his phone, but his eyes kept straying to the doors that led to Penny's room. Thor...Thor was staring at the floor, motionless. Statuesque.

Steve stepped through the double doors and made his way down the hallway, searching his way through the maze of hallways until he found her door...it was open. And Tony was sitting beside her, fingers gripping the ones on her right hand. "I'm right here, baby. I'm here. You're going to be okay." He was whispering, voice catching. "I'm so sorry...Pen...I'm sorry. We're going to get you better. Don't be afraid. I'm here. You're not alone." Steve leaned against the wall beside her door, eyes shut. He didn't feel like he ought to be there. He was intruding. This was Tony's daughter.

But Steve was the Captain of the Avengers. He'd made a bad call...that girl was here because of him.

Waiting until Tony took a break from whispering to the girl, he slipped into the room, clearing his throat and pretending not to notice when Tony wiped his eyes, sniffing. "You should get some sleep." He suggested, sure the man wasn't going to listen. He was right. There was no response. "How is she?"

He could see how she was. There was a breathing tube in her throat, mouth open around a bright blue bite block. One ankle was in a cast, as was her left arm. And her head was wrapped in a white bandage. Otherwise, she could have been sleeping, a blanket draped over her, coming up to her chest. The ventilator was breathing for her, the soft hum of air and machinery filling the room.

"Bruce said it's up to her now…" Tony almost choked on the words. "He said...he said she might be able to hear us so, uh…" He waved a hand at the girl and sniffed again, obviously uncomfortable with having Steve there.

Steve sat down on her other side anyway, reaching out and resting a hand over the cast, his touch as light as possible. "So...Penny, huh?" He chuckled a little., making his voice as light as his touch. "It's nice to officially meet you, Penny." Steve glanced up at Tony who didn't so much as move. "I'm Steve...although I guess you know that." He swallowed. "I...I need you to wake up, kiddo. I need to apologize to you in person. You...you did a great job. You're going to make one hell of an Avenger, Penny."

"Language, Cap." Steve chuckled, shaking his head at the sad smile on Tony's face.

"Right. One heck of an Avenger. But first, you have to wake up. That's an order. Because I need to apologize to you. I made a bad call. I...you asked for help and I made you wait and...I should never have done that. I should have made sure you were okay first. And I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Penny didn't even flinch.

"What did she mean? About her homecoming dance?" He asked after a moment. Tony exhaled, squeezing the girl's hand.

"She stopped some asshole in a wingsuit from stealing all of our tech...it was on one of my planes. A few weeks before...she'd messed up. Almost got a bunch of people hurt. It wasn't all her fault but...I took her suit away. I was trying to teach her a lesson, you know? Figured that she had to realize that she was a superhero with or without the suit. It uh...it backfired, of course. Like most of my plans." Tony sighed, obviously bitter. "I guess that's what she meant. I didn't know. She never...she never told me what happened before she took the guy down Called himself The Vulture." Tony rolled his eyes. "Idiot. Still...the kid...she did good. Took him down on her own."

Tony fell asleep in his chair about an hour and a half later, head thrown back against his chair. Steve nodded off not long after, and when he woke, it was to Bruce ushering them out so they could change her bandages...check her over. So they did...they showered and ate, and then they went back to her room, her room a revolving door for the Avengers, minus Vision and Wanda who were...on vacation? Maybe? Steve wasn't sure.

Everyone visited. Thor sat silently at her side for a long time, staring holes into the floor. Clint asked questions. Where she went to school. How she'd gotten her powers. No one answered him...he was asking Penny. And Steve and Tony would wait until she could speak for herself. Natasha read to her in Russian and English, fairy tales. Novels...reports. And Tony...Tony talked to her. Held her hand. When Steve took a break, he'd always come back to find him whispering to her. Telling her that she would be okay. Promising that he was with her. Begging her to wake up.

Telling her he loved her.

Four days in and something happened. Infection or...something. Steve didn't understand. He wasn't a doctor. He was a soldier. But the girl's temperature skyrocketed and she had more and more trouble breathing, whimpering and squirming despite the pain medicine being pumped into her veins. No matter what Bruce gave her, no matter how much he tried to develop better antibiotics...she was getting worse. Her fever rose. And rose. Her body got weaker and weaker.

On the sixth day, Steve entered the room only to freeze in the doorway.

Tony was sitting in her bed, her head resting on his chest, the fingers of her right hand resting on his. "Alright, baby. It's okay." Tony whispered, a sob catching in his throat as he dropped his head to rest on the top of hers. "I'm here. I'm right here. You...you just...just let go if you need to. I'm still here. I won't leave you." His shoulders shook, tears dripping down his cheeks as he held her. "You're my hero, you know that, Spider-Girl? Always have been. And…" He sniffed, swearing under his breath. "May thinks you're at an intern conference. I've been faking email messages from you...sorry. Maybe we should think about telling her one day." He was so gentle, shifting her just a little so that her head rested against his shoulder and he pressed his lips to her hair. "Let go if you need to. It's okay. I'm here. I'm right here, baby."

Steve left.

Penny didn't let go.

The girl clawed her way back to the land of the living. First, the fever broke. Then they removed the tube. She could breathe on her own, but they kept an oxygen mask over her face. Then she opened her eyes. She wasn't responsive, but she stared at the ceiling for long moments at a time as Tony and Steve and, at times, the others, spoke to her. Tony kept her up to date on the antics of someone named Ned and Steve told her war stories...the funny ones. They were the constants, rarely leaving except to shower, eat, or, for a few hours at a time, sleep.

She'd been asleep for a week and a half the first time she seemed to respond to them. Steve glanced up at her during one of his stories and his words died in his throat when he saw her eyes on him, blinking tiredly. "Penny?" He asked.

He still didn't know her last name. Tony hadn't told him another thing about her. But he knew her first name. He planned on using it. Tony jerked his head up. "What?" Then he turned to look at Penny. "Pen? Kiddo? Can you hear me?" She blinked a few times, eyes narrowing as if she was confused, and then she nodded.

Tony clamped a hand over his mouth, a smile breaking through, eyes watering. "Good...good, kiddo. I'm glad." She opened her mouth under the oxygen mask but he put a hand on her hair. "Don't try to talk just yet, honey. Just...you just rest, okay?"

"I'm going to get the doctor," Steve said, jumping up and hurrying out of the room to find Bruce.

He leaned against the wall in the hallway for nearly ten minutes, hands over his mouth, whispering 'thank you, thank you' over and over. Then he went to get Bruce.

After that, Penny got better every hour, it seemed. She got a little of her strength back. Was able to sit up. Drink smoothies. Take medicine. She slept a lot at first, but Tony never left her side. Even when she slept. He had to be dragged away to shower and sleep…

Steve barely left her side either.

The other visited as often as they were allowed. Which was for about an hour a day, once a day. Penny seemed happy to see them...and confused. Still, she didn't seem awake enough to be asking questions and trying to make sense of anything so she just smiled and talked with them.

It had been two weeks since the mission, and it was a rare morning where Tony was asleep on the sofa in the corner of the room. Penny was reclining in bed, drinking a smoothie and half-watching the TV mounted to the wall. Steve hadn't really been alone with her, not since she'd woken up, but now, with Tony asleep, this was the closest he was going to get.

"Penny?" He asked, getting the girl's attention.

"Hm?" She asked, blinking heavily. She was already tired.

"I...I need to talk to you." Her eyes widened, and he made his smile soft and reassuring. "It's nothing bad."

"Oh...okay." She glanced over at Tony as if hoping he would wake and rescue her. "Um...is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. I just...I needed to apologize now that you're awake."

"Apologize?" She asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up a little. He put a hand on her shoulder, pushing her to sit back.

"Just...stay put." He urged with a smile, not making it a command, but a suggestion. "Bruce said you need to stay in bed. Keep resting. Stay still. How are you feeling?"

"Um...sore. But fine." She hurried to assure him.

"Good. Now. Back to my apology."

"You don't have to apologize." She held up her good hand. "It was my fault."

"No. It was not." He shook his head. "Nothing about this was your fault. You called for help. I'm leading the team...and I didn't try to find out if you were seriously injured. I didn't check up on you. I let myself get distracted. And I...I am so sorry." Her eyes lowered to her lap and she pressed her lips together, looking uncomfortable. "Penny?"

"Does this mean...do you not want me to work with you guys anymore?"

"Hey. Look at me for a second." He reached out, resting a light hand on her shoulder. She did after a moment, barely managing to meet his eyes. "I'll admit...when I found out how old you were...I was pretty upset. But you have more than proven yourself. Even if you aren't technically an 'Avenger' yet, you're part of the team." She blinked at him. "Your dad recruited you...and maybe you were recruited a little too early…" Her eyebrows furrowed and she looked around in confusion.

"Wait...what?"

"You were only fourteen or fifteen when you started this. That is too young. But you're in this now."

"No...wait...Cap…"

"You can call me Steve, Penny." He invited, hoping to put her at ease.

"Right...sorry. Steve. Um...you said that my dad recruited me?"

"Yes. I'm sorry...I know it's a secret." He gestured to Tony who was still snoring softly on the chair. "But I went to Rhodey...with the way Tony was acting I figured it out pretty quickly." Rhodey had been really surprised at first, but then he'd smiled, chuckling a little.

"I guess you figured it out. Just don't tell anyone."

"I promise, your secret is safe with me," Steve told her. He meant it, even if he thought the others might be starting to suspect something was going on.

"Knew...knew what?" She asked.

He frowned, glancing over at Tony who hadn't stirred. "That...that Tony is your father…" He trailed off, taking in Penny's huge eyes. "Tony is not your father." She shook her head and he released a breath, swearing that he was going to get back at Rhodey. "Right."

"My dad's name was Richard Parker." She told him after a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. He nodded. "I live with my aunt May. She...she doesn't know."

"Why are we telling Cap your life story?" Tony asked then, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he sat up, moving closer to Penny's side, looking her up and down...checking on her. She smiled at him when he pushed some hair behind her ear.

"Rhodey told Steve that you were my father." She told him with a soft laugh. Tony sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Damnit Rhodey...not again."