Talks With Pepper Times Two
Pepper rubbed her eyes as she made her way towards the door to her apartment. Taking a glance at the clock on the wall, she groaned at the 5:30 time.
"This better be good." she grumbled, peeking out the peephole.
"Pepper? It's me, Peter."
Pepper's eye shot wide as she flung open the door.
"Peter? What are you doing here?" she asked, worry in her voice as she ushered him inside.
"I was at Xavier's but, I just.....the kids graduated. I didn't want to hang around and bring down the mood."
"How did you get here? The school's far out from the city."
"Swung most of the way, then caught a cab the rest. I let Jean know. She was with me."
Pepper frowned as she lead Peter to the couch. He looked tired in more ways than one.
"I was wondering.....do you mind if I....if I stay with you a day or two?"
She smiled softly at his shy but hopeful question.
"Of course. I have a guest bedroom you can sleep in. Let's get you settled and we'll talk at a more appropriate hour with coffee. Sound good?"
"That sounds great." Peter replied, smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, let me get this straight," Pepper sighed. "You had a private moment with Johnny Storm, and Bucky and Natasha got all alpha about it?"
"Well, Bucky was the o-"
"No, just because you didn't see it, doesn't mean she wasn't. She was there. She got you out of the way and stood by while he did what he did. She was in alpha mode. That's how it works, Peter. It's not always physical aggression."
Peter didn't respond, trusting Pepper's words.
"Well, how do you feel about it?"
"What?"
"How do you feel about it?" Pepper asked, setting a cup of coffee down in front of him before sitting at the table with him.
Peter frowned.
The question wasn't one he really wanted to answer. If he answered it, that meant he had to have thought about it, and thinking about it was something he didn't want to do.
Deep down, Pepper's words made sense. He was starting to have trouble denying he understood things anymore.
To admit it was natural behavior though, absolved Bucky and Natasha of a lot of guilt though.
It once again pointed out how these Avengers really weren't like his. Where his had had no reason to be so aggressive and corrupt, these had only ever shown aggression towards villains and Johnny, and Johnny only because of their stupid alpha nature.
Peter swallowed hard before hesitantly asking his distressing question.
"Is....is what they did....really....ok?"
Pepper blinked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Would others really....not think anything of it?"
"Of course they would!" Pepper quickly replied. "But, honestly it wouldn't be the reason you're thinking. They would just chew them out for not thinking before acting, but they would understand. It was stupid and made them look ridiculous, but they were upset. You're their..."
Pepper paused gauging Peter's reaction before deciding it was safe to continue.
"You're their omega and you're at odds right now. They can't get close to you, and they probably feel like Johnny took advantage of that They're going to be upset with him for a while. Generally getting involved with someone else's omega is a big no no, but you're a special case."
"But, it wasn't all Johnny's fault. I agreed to it!" Peter exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.
"They probably don't know that, Peter." Pepper said, her tone calm and steady. "They only know what they saw. I'm by no means defending them, despite how it sounds though. I'd chew them out myself, but it might give away our secret."
"I don't know what's worse," Peter frowned. "What they did, or what I didn't."
"Don't blame yourself, Peter. Given your past and what you've experience here, I'm sure it was shocking to see any possibly resemblance to our old Avengers. From what I understand, you've been wound so tight waiting on something like this to happen, that for it finally to was probably a huge shock."
"That's not the real problem though..." Peter mumbled, looking off to the side.
"What is?"
Peter took a deep breath before looking up into her eyes.
"I...I kind of liked it."
He held his breath as he waited for her response.
Pepper stared at him a moment before taking a sip of her coffee and straightening up.
"That's not something you should feel guilty about, Peter."
"How is it not?" Peter shouted in surprise.
"Because it wasn't exactly you, it was the omega side of you. You and I, we seem to have a more separate relationship from our other side than those who were naturally born here. Seems to me this is the first time your omega has managed to take a major amount of control."
"Has your alpha ever..." Peter trailed off.
"Yes."
Peter jerked back at her blunt answer.
"All alphas can be protective of omegas, regardless if they're matched or not. It's a thing to protect those "weaker". Enhanced and mutants are different stories." Pepper said, giving Peter a look before he could comment.
"Typically, omegas are weaker than alphas, and any alpha worth their salt wouldn't allow another alpha or beta to harass an omega. Anyway, I caught an alpha at work pinning in a much smaller omega against a wall. It was clear the omega was terrified, so I handled it. The guy was immediately fired and forcefully escorted off the premises. I made sure to be there as support when the omega filled charges, and obtained my own court order to keep him off of SI property."
"That sounds like a reaction anyone of decency would have." Peter said frowning.
"Yeah...except when I 'handled' it, I flung him halfway across the room and literally snarled at him. The sight of that poor omega and her fear cause my alpha to come forward with a vengeance. I was completely prepared to fight him."
"Wow." Peter said, leaning back in his chair.
"Pepper Potts throwing blows with someone. That's pretty hot, Ms. Potts." Peter smirked.
"Shut up." Pepper huffed with a smile. "Point is, I had a moment I couldn't control myself because my alpha saw an omega in trouble."
Peter stared down at his cup, his thoughts jumbled.
He knew what they had done was wrong.
He knew it could have gone so much worse than it did.
He knew what an Avenger was capable of but......it was Bucky.
Bucky.
Bucky, who he had been so close to.
Bucky, who had stood beside him and protected him during battles.
Bucky who had died to see his crazy plan through.
Bucky.....who hadn't been an Avenger.
"He's an Avenger, Pepper." Peter said lowly.
"He wasn't in our world though. Can't exactly hold him to the same standards there, Pete. I'm not saying that to upset you, if anything it's probably making it worse. How do you gauge him against the others when you have nothing to compare?"
"I don't want to know he didn't mean anything evil by what he did. If his intentions weren't evil, then neither were Natasha's....and I've seen her do evil things Pep. I've been on the receiving end of that evilness."
"I don't deny that at all. Tony wasn't the only one I had to deal with."
Peter's eyebrows rose. He felt guilty for never asking more about Pepper's own experience.
"They all came to visit me at one point or another, just to make sure I was staying in line and not trying to escape. Natasha was always one of the scariest. She never overtly did anything, but her presence was very domineering. Steve, what a frustrating bore he was. I can't tell you how many lectures I heard about how they were what the world needed and all they were doing was keeping order because people had lost sight of what was right."
"Wow, talk about a God complex." Peter whistled.
"They all felt they were the end all be all of power, Steve was just able to twist it to sound like they were doing everyone a favor as opposed to taking control. It's how they were able to convince people they were in the right for how they handled things."
"Can I.....can I ask about the others?" Peter asked slowly, not wanting to push her if it was hard.
"Of all people, Peter, you have the most right to ask." Pepper smiled.
"Thor, stayed long enough to see things were secure, threat me, then leave. Very fun time he was." Pepper scoffed.
"Clint...now he was interesting. He was far more chatty than the other three. His visits were more like an excuse to not have to do any work. Make no mistake, I was well aware my life was in danger, regardless how he acted though. If anything, he was the hardest to deal with outside of Tony. Clint was unassuming in his attitude. I just knew better and made sure that he knew it."
Pepper paused after that, sipping on her coffee and trying to gather herself for what she was about to tell.
Peter waited patiently. She had been very close to Tony Stark, and no doubt, while she didn't carry physical scars, her mental scars were just as prominent.
"Tony came like clockwork. Every Monday and Friday he came. He'd walk in, check the apartment, make note of things I needed, then the real visit began. He would make sure to remind me he knew everything I did and that I would spend the rest of my life there. I would be allowed to live as long as I played my role, because I couldn't be trusted to do anything else. Sign the papers, run the business remotely, never try to be smart and alert anyone things were wrong.
His visits hurt the worst." she finished quietly, her voice full of pain.
"I wish I had known." Peter said, looking away from her.
"You would have been in even more danger if you had." Pepper said, her eyes moist.
"If you had tried to help me escape, they would have known and been even more ruthless than they already were. Plus, where would I have gone? Tony would have instantly reported me as kidnapped by Spider-Man. Which would have had all their supporters on the lookout. It would have been a lot harder to hide than, I'm sure, it already was."
"Still, that was what I stood for. Freedom for everyone. I should have been better."
"Stop, Peter." Pepper demanded, her face stern.
"I'm sorry, Pepper."
"I told you to stop. That part of our lives is behind us now. You did save me. You sent me here. You got me out of the stupid apartment. That stupid life. I told you before, I'm grateful to you."
Peter didn't reply, her words running through his mind.
"What if.....what if I'm not acting soon enough this time either?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if....what if I should be putting a stop to this alpha danger they pose. What if by not responding to it then, I messed up and am about to be the cause of them slipping into the same actions of our old Avengers."
Pepper sighed, standing up and walking to him before cupping his face in her hands and lifting it up.
"You put to much on yourself, Peter. Nothing you do is ever going to be the problem. The Avengers of our time made their choices. They chose to do the horrible things they did. It didn't matter what happened before that, they chose how far they took the response. The same goes for the Avengers here. In the end, it's always their choice."
"But if I-"
"No buts. You are not responsible for what they do. How would you even stop something that hasn't started?"
Peter closed his eyes, no response to her question.
How did you prevent something that anything could cause?
"Peter, look at me."
He opened his eyes slowly, Pepper's gaze curious.
"Is this about their possible downfall, or you being their omega?"
"What?" Peter gasped, jerking back from her.
"Do you really think they're going to become like our Avengers for a mystery reason, or do you think it's because of you personally?"
"Why would I-what do you-"
"Peter!" Pepper said, causing him to pause.
"This whole conversation has been about what happened and you feeling guilty you didn't do anything. Bucky acted on alpha instincts and you just asked if it's your fault. What could you do? Peter, you called it an "alpha danger". You weren't talking about him as an Avenger threat."
"Of course it's about being an Avenger threat! That's all it's about!" Peter shouted, eyes wide but voice full of nerves.
"You put the Avenger threat second Peter, and even then it was because you worried about him being an alpha."
Peter ran his hands through his hair, his breath hitching.
No, no, no! He wasnotabout to get sucked into this whole alpha/omega bullshit. He had been doing just fine ignoring it up till now.
"Peter. It's ok." Pepper's calm voice filled his ears, making him look back up to her.
"I'm not expecting anything from you. I just didn't want you to realize this when you were alone."
"They're a threat, period." Peter said, more to himself than Pepper.
Pepper sighed, pulling him into a hug and running her fingers through his hair soothingly.
"Sure you don't want to take up on the vacation? Beaches, Parker. Beaches."
Peter chuckled wetly, giving her a squeeze.
"No. I need to pick up some shifts with Luke and take some jobs for Jess. Wade took care of my rent for a few months even though I didn't ask him to. Still, I need to make some money."
"You know, it doesn't sound to me like that Deadpool is such a bad guy." Pepper grinned.
"He's obnoxious." Peter smiled fondly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peter blinked, trying to wrap his head around what he was seeing.
Two Pepper Potts stared at him, the same amused look on their faces.
"So, you're the famous Peter Parker." Pepper's twin smirked.
Peter nodded, taking the offered hand.
"I'm sorry, it's just...seeing the two of your together...it's just....crazy." Peter stumbled.
His Pepper chuckled as the other smirked.
"Really, Mr. Parker? You and my twin come from another universe and seeing us together is what's crazy?"
Peter laughed, holding up his hands.
"I fold on that one."
"So, as much as I hate to spoil the mood, I have to know more about your....connection to the Avengers." Virginia, as Peter started referring to her in his mind, grimaced.
"I need to know what to prepare for."
"There's nothing to prepare for." Peter said, though his voice wasn't as certain as his words.
The two Pepper's shared a look before Virginia sighed.
"Ok, so, we're avoiding everything. Right. Good. No PR to worry about then."
Peter took a breath, thankful for the out, but not missing her flat tone.
She was clearly unimpressed by his choice.
He couldn't really hold it against her though, despite wanting to.
This was Virginia Potts. The original Potts of this world. Alpha born and raised. Used to how the world worked.
She wasn't his Pepper.
"You know," Virginia frowned. "We probably should run some PR ideas though. If anyone ever finds out, we should be ready."
Peter frowned while Pepper hummed in thought.
"She's not wrong, Peter. At any point someone could find out. There are already rumors around SI that Tony has been acting strange, like an alpha missing his mate."
Peter turned wide eyes to Pepper as she looked at him.
"Obviously the truth won't come from either of us," Virginia spoke. "but Tony and the others are high profile public figures. Nosey reporters lurk everywhere."
"But I've gone this long-"
"And it's been amazing." Virginia smirked. "I should probably be taking notes from you. I just think it would be good to have a plan for if it ever did get out."
Peter looked back and forth between the two before sighing.
"Fine. Just, don't let anyone find out we have a plan."
"Of course not." Pepper smiled. "All the best plans are kept secret."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once again in disguise, Peter accompanied Pepper to the airport to send her off on a much needed vacation.
"I wish you'd come with me. That was a lot to deal with." Pepper said, studying his face.
"Yeah, but, she was right, and honestly, I feel like it lifted a weight I didn't know I had."
"Of course she was right. She's me after all." Pepper grinned, winking at him.
Peter rolled his eyes with a laugh.
"Never question a Potts."
"Never."
The two talked until it was time for Pepper to board her plane.
"You better keep in touch with me while I'm gone. I expect updates and for you to answer my calls. Gwen?"
"Yes, Pepper?"
Gwen answered.
"Make sure to push my calls through unless it's a bad time."
"Of course."
Peter snorted at Gwen's, 'all to happy to comply', tone.
"Good." Pepper smirked. "I'll send you a text when I land."
"Alright. Take care and have a good time. Relax." Peter grinned, hugging her.
"I will as long as you stay out of trouble."
"I'm never in trouble."
"I beg to differ." Pepper deadpanned.
"Get on the plane, Potts." Peter smiled.
"Everything will be fine."
And it was, until a week later when breaking news hit that the alpha Avengers had an omega.