What If: Spidey the Godfather

Chapter One: One Year Later

"Valeria. Valeria. I know you're in here. C'mon little lady, I wanna know why you ditched school today?" A brown haired, brown eyed man in a long white lab coat called out as he entered his research laboratory. He stopped in the middle of the large room surrounded by projects, finished and not, looking around slowly. Clicking his tongue he walked over to a particular area of the lab, the section that housed his secondary job's work, and the place the young girl most likely was.

The door opened when he placed his index finger on the small green scanner. A mechanism clicked and the door jarred open a bit. Prying it open by the handle the man walked in to the well lit room. He heard quiet sobs coming from the display cases near the far corner of the room.

"Valeria? Val sweetie are you okay?" He asked, concern filling his voice now. He started toward the sound's source, and could make out small shoe covered feet poking out from between two cylindrical cases.

"I'm very much fine, please leave me alone." The young girl's voice squeaked out, trying to sound neutral, even with the small gasps of breath. He rounded the corner of a long metal table, and came into line of sight of the seven year old blond girl. Even now she looked very much like a tiny version of her mother. Kneeling down close to the girl, who just tucked herself into a tighter ball, he looked her over carefully.

"Valeria, you may be smarter than me..." He started.

"I am smarter than you, don't patronize me." She stated simply, not meeting the older man's eyes.

"Hey now smarty pants, no need to be snippy with me. I'm actually worried about you, you know." He kidded, giving her a mock glare. Valeria just tried to turn her head further from him, trying to hide her forced frown.

The little girl huffed. "How did you know I was in here?" At this he raised an inquisitive brow, the sides of his mouth following suit.

"You're the smarty pants here, you tell me?" He challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You most likely used the computer to locate me, or you could have used your enhanced senses to hear me, or you asked Benjamin or Uncle Johnny." She said drawled mechanically, like she absolutely knew one or all were right. Looking at him from the corner of her eyes, showing little amusement in the guessing game.

"Wrong on all three. One, you should know by now I don't use the computer unless its an emergency. Two, this room is pretty sound proof even to me. Three, both Johnny and Ben are out right now. Wanna try again?" He asked after ticking all three reasons off on his fingers.

"I'd rather not play these games with you right now. Can you just leave me in peace?" She asks slightly annoyed with the man's presence.

"Well you're not being much of a sport, smarty pants. I thought you liked a challenge? Are you sure you don't wanna know how I knew you'd be here?" He asked, knowing full well her curious mind wouldn't allow her to go without knowing, even if it already did. She finally turned her head fully toward him, and raised an eyebrow, asking silently.

"I knew because whenever you feel troubled by one thing or another, you always come here. Every time something is on your mind, or you are feeling down you want to be near something that reminds you of good times and wonderful people. It's a comfort thing." He explained with a simple smile on his face. Her eyes widened a bit, but quickly fell to the floor, slightly ashamed.

"I'm better than something so emotionally simple. I'm smarter..." She started to deny.

"But you are still just human, and a child, Valeria. I know you want to believe you are something more, and in almost every way you are, but that doesn't change the fact you are what you are." He said, as if such a simple answer solved everything. The little girl stared up at him in something akin to disbelief.

"That really makes no sense. You're logic is flawed." She let out tersely.

"Maybe so, but that just makes me what I am. I know you want to grow up fast, and I can't blame you. Being stuck as a child while your mind is millions of miles ahead of everyone your age must be frustrating. But you can't speed up time, so why not make the best of it?" He said with a warm smile.

"You're right. I can't speed up time..." Her expression revealing contemplation. "...yet. I bet if I could access..."

"Uh-uh smarty pants, no thinking up ways to speed up your aging." He mock scolded, a stern parental look on his face, and even went so far as to wag a finger at her. For the first time since they started talking Valeria grew a small smile, and had to force away laugh. The look he gave her was just laughable.

"And how do you plan to stop me? You can't stop me from thinking." She shot back after her restrained chuckles subsided. The little girl had a sparkle of mischief in her eyes along with a cocky grin. The brown haired man, simply matched the look.

"Oh yes I can, it's called school." They stared each other down for a few more seconds before both burst out laughing. Valeria, just couldn't help herself, the man was just so...silly, but he always seemed to know the right thing to say or do to get her or her Brother to smile. And that is no easy feat for her, especially after her parent's unexpected passing.

"School...right. Are you sure you cant just tutor me? I'm sure I can learn much more from you than a public school." She asked, her smile fading somewhat, and she looked down to here feet again. The man tilted his head to the side, as if he started to get where this question was coming from.

"And I'm pretty sure I can too, but..." He paused, and Valeria looked up at him again, her eyes pleading.

"But what? I cannot stand that place. No one treats me fairly, because I'm so much smarter than they are. They see me as some sort of freak, calling me nerd and geek. All because I know everything the teacher is trying to explain. Poorly I might add. When I try to explain to the other students their errors, they tell me to go away. No one likes me there, I don't want to go back." She blurted out, her voice raising in passion with each sentence. The man's smile shrunk slightly, but quickly grew large and warm when she finished. He gently rested his right hand on her left shoulder, making her meet his eyes sheepishly from her emotional outburst.

"Kids can be mean, trust me I know, and being the smartest person in the room is a pretty big burden to shoulder. But there is a method to my madness. Do you want to know why I have you two going to a school?" He asks again, never loosing his caring expression.

"To torture us." She said in a slight huff, moving her head to the side to avert her gaze from him. He moved his right hand from her shoulder to under her chin, and carefully brought her face back around to his.

"No. I won't be doing that to you till you start liking boys." He joked, and let his hand fall. Valeria just scoffed and rolled her eyes, the very idea totally ludicrous. With a wider smile, he continued. "I do it because I want you two to have a normal childhood. With all it's ups and downs."

The little girl looked somewhere in the ball park of unbelieved curiosity. "We are not normal, you know this?"

"Yeah." He agreed without hesitation.

"Yet you want us to lead normal lives, knowing full well we cannot. Your logic is flawed." She continued, while eying him and trying to wrap her head around his words.

"My logic is reason, Val." He couldn't help but grin at her confused look. He loved when he made her attempt to think outside the box. After a moment of searching her incredible mind, while staring at the empty space between the two and the floor, she finally looked up dumbfounded. Before she could ask his meaning, he explained.

"Listen, we may not be normal, and our lives up till now have been definitive proof. There is one thing I've learned over my career in and out of the suit. It's that for any sense of balance in our abnormal lives we need our feet firmly planted on the ground. Figuratively speaking of course. Going to school may not stimulate your brain, maybe your brother's, but he's not nearly as smart as us egg heads, is he?" The little jab at her Brother brought a smile to her face. She loved him dearly, and with all her heart, but wasn't afraid to play the sibling game with him. "Now there's that smile I love seeing on you." The older man chuckled, before going on. "What going to public school will give you is the opportunity to socialize, make friends, live your young life like a child should. I want to expand your horizons and knowledge beyond the book. And well beyond the hero, villain, and daily world ending happenings."

His explanation seemed to make some sort of odd sense to her, but when he solemnly looked up to the tube on her left, she followed his gaze. There in the large glass door metal cylinder was a blue hazmat looking suit, emblazoned with a four on the right side of the chest. His brown eyes went to the tube on her right, and Valeria turned her head to the same capsule. Inside was a similar suit only designed for a woman. The placard above the glass read Susan Storm-Richards, and in smaller font underneath The Invisible Woman. On the first case the placard read Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic. Valeria returned her gaze to the man in front of her, and was slightly taken aback at the somber look he had.

With a heavy sigh he closed his eyes and hung his head, but quickly grew back his kind smile. "I promised your parents I would take care of you two. And that is what I hope to achieve with having you attend a public school, among the other changes. Seeing life, not from our perspective, but from theirs, the everyday Joe and Jane. We learn the most humanity from them. It may not be glamorous or amazing most of the time, but it's a part of life. The biggest part at that. It'll be a difficult transition, but I want you to try and make friends, and enjoy your childhood. You understand, Val?" He asked, hoping the little genius got what he meant. Valeria looked up to her godfather neutrally for a few moments, until her smile returned.

"I'm not sure I get the entirety of what you mean, but...I'm willing to try." She nods to him, and his smile widens. The man felt a swell of pride rise in him for her. She's a seven year old genius, and child of two of the Fantastic Four, but she's willing to try living like a normal child.

"That's all I can ask." The brown haired man says fatherly. Nodding once to her before putting his hands on his knees and pushing himself up to a standing position. He offers her a hand. "Since your brother wont be out of school for a few more hours, what say you help me with stabilizing the Parker Particles?" She took his hand and stood up, the light in her eyes shining bright. She loved helping him with his projects, proving her worth and intelligence. He didn't always need her help, but when he asked she was more than happy to assist.

Peter Parker's smile grew watching the excitement in his godchild. He could already see the cogs spinning in her expression. "All righty then, smarty pants." He took off his lab coat in a flourish and draped it over her small shoulders. Valeria giggled happily and quickly stuck her arms into the way to large for her sleeves. "Let's make something fantastic!" Peter pumped his right fist into the air, and Valeria whooped a "Yeah!" mimicking him.

Close to a year ago, Reed and Susan Richards passed away in a sudden and unimpressive laboratory accident. Spider-Man was first on scene, considering he was coming to visit them already. As he held a fading Sue in his arms she begged him to watch over and take care of her children. Peter swore to her that he would, and with her dying breath she thanked him before parting this world.

The next two months were a blur of news headlines, child welfare battles, and constant public scrutiny and attention. This was only exacerbated by the official inclusion of Spider-Man into the Fantastic Four. Seen by many to still be a menace, Spider-Man's acceptance was heavily questioned. Jennifer Walters aka She-Hulk temporarily stayed with the team during the legal struggle to help. The battles finally ended with the reading of Reed and Sue's will, which gave custody of the children to their closest living relative, Johnny. Johnny immediately agreed to watch over the children.

It was shortly after this that another event rocked the family, the alleged death of the Human Torch. Due to the Cult of the Negative Zone opening a hole to the Negative Zone, Johnny sacrificed himself to stop the invasion that followed. This left the team with Spider-Man and the Thing. Child Welfare once again stepped in, concerned for the Valeria and Franklin. She-Hulk returned to the team as a full time member and personal legal agent. She felt her place was with them now, both as a member and since she was a close friend of the family. In the end it was Valeria and Jennifer who exploited a legal loophole and found a way to give guardianship over to one Peter Parker. The only stipulation being the world knew that Peter Parker was Spider-Man. Thanks to a security video showing the final moments of Sue and Reed's lives, with Spider-Man's appearance and acceptance of Sue's final request, he could become their new legal guardian.

The turmoil of revealing his identity was weighed against kids safety and the fact the Fantastic Four and Future Foundation were quickly crumbling without guidance and leadership. Peter reluctantly agreed to reveal his secret identity. The following media frenzy was best described as a social typhoon. Spider-Man's identity became public knowledge, and now he had a much larger target on his back in protecting and raising Valeria and Franklin. Not to mention the crisis of stability of both teams. It was thanks to one man that protection and stability was ensured, Dr. Victor von Doom.

After Johnny's return from the Negative Zone, the team found itself whole once again. Johnny relinquished custody to Peter, agreeing he was better suited for the role, and Parker officially became their godfather. Five months following Johnny's return some semblance of normalcy has returned to the family that is the Fantastic Four.

Currently Peter is inventing and patenting many new helpful products to keep the team afloat and funded. He has a small team of scientists helping him to both decipher and assist in Reed's previous work, and their own future endeavors. He actively participates in his adoptive childrens lives, and continues his role as Spider-Man. While the trauma of losing Sue and Reed is still very apparent on a global scale, at home life has calmed somewhat. Peter deeply cares for Franklin and Valeria, and they in turn are beginning to see him as a foster father.