So I started writing this fic at least a year ago, maybe two, and I figured that no one would have any real interest in this story. Your response has been so amazingly kind and I just want to say that I appreciate all of you so much. I hope that this fic helped you guys forget about the situation we've all found ourselves in, even if just for a little while. Stay safe, everyone.

The After

There was a steady, constant beeping to Penny's left, and she twitched her fingers, trying to get her body to move away from it. She felt heavy, like her body didn't want to listen to her, and she cast her mind back, trying to remember why...to figure out what had happened. There had been the cave for so long, and May and Ben before that. Was she dead? Was Ben here? The bed she was in was so comfortable...she wasn't cold or hungry...and the last thing she remembered was the hot desert sun. Tony Stark pulling her to her feet and the two of them stumbling along, the sand burning her bare feet.

And that she'd been shot.

So she was dead. It wasn't all that unexpected, really. But if she was dead, why was something beeping? Surely if she'd made it into a favorable afterlife, there would be no annoying sounds to distract her from...harps and stuff. Right? But her eyelids were lead and she had no idea how to fix that, so she just listened to it for a while, trying to accept the things she couldn't change.

If she was dead, why wasn't Ben with her? Where was May? And her parents? And that dog she'd had a few years ago. She'd loved that dog...surely beloved pets got an afterlife. Penny couldn't hear any voices, though. Only the beeping. And her own sigh at the beeping. Did people sigh in heaven? This had to be heaven, right? Or was it purgatory? She wasn't Catholic, so she wasn't super clear on the specifics, but purgatory would surely be worse.

She hadn't done anything bad enough to warrant Hell, surely. Hadn't she tried to save Tony? Had it worked? Had he made it out. She hoped he had...she desperately hoped that Tony Stark got a chance to be better.

The approaching footsteps startled her out of her thoughts, and even though she couldn't open her eyes, she could still hear perfectly fine as a doorknob turned. The footsteps came closer, and then there was rustling beside her. Paper? Did someone have paper? The robot suit plans? Mark I, Tony had called it, explaining that all future iterations would have increasing numbers. Was Tony working on the robot suit?

No. He'd built the suit. He'd done it...he'd gotten them out and they'd been walking, Penny reminded herself. They'd been walking through the desert and she'd been so hot and...she'd been hurt. A gunshot wound. Gunshot wounds. Plural. She'd bought him time and had paid dearly, but it had all been worth it. Was Tony okay? Was he hurt too? Was she still hurt? How quickly could she heal from a gunshot wound. Or had the bullet hit something vital? Which brought her back to the whole 'afterlife' theory.

"Penny? Can you hear me?" a woman asked, her voice soothing and soft, and Penny twitched a finger. "Penny, my name is Doctor Helen Cho. You are currently in a private hospital in Malibu. Tony Stark hired me to care for you. Can you squeeze my hand if you can hear me?" A cool, slim hand slipped into hers, and Penny forced her fingers to twitch around it. "We're weaning you off the pain medication."

Even as she said the words, Penny was able to move her hand a little more, squeezing both the hand that held Dr. Helen Cho's and the other, eyes squeezing together tightly then relaxing. She was so tired, but she fought it. Fought to open her eyes.

"That's...remarkable."

And that's when Penny remembered her enhancement. Did this doctor know about her? Had Tony told her? Maybe he'd had to...but what if she told someone else? The beeping beside her sped up, and the hand in hers squeezed a little. "Penny? I'm a doctor. I was hired by Tony Stark, and I'm not going to tell anyone about your enhancement. I'm the only one that knows, and I've signed at least two non disclosure agreements. Don't worry. Your secret is safe. All you need to worry about is getting better."

Getting better. Tony. Non disclosure agreements. All of these things swirled around her mind but she found it more and more difficult to focus.

"I gave you another dose of pain medicine. This one should…but it's lower...not as long…"

And then Penny was awake. Eyes shooting open, she sat bolt upright. Turning toward where Helen Cho had been, she was surprised to find...no one. Nothing. An empty hospital room with a chair in the corner and a pitcher of water on a table beside her. She glanced down at her arm, tracing the tubing from the IV to a bag hanging beside her bed. It was a nice hospital room...or maybe she'd just been in the cave for so long that any hospital room looked nice. Hell, any room at all.

Tugging a little on the arm attached to the needle, she was glad to see that it gave her enough slack in the tube that she could get up on legs that felt mostly stable and pour herself a cup of water that she downed. Then another. Pretty soon she'd drank most of the pitcher and was wondering how to request more when she heard footsteps. Jumping at the approaching sound, she took a moment to be thankful that she was wearing pajamas and not a gown, then decided to stay where she was. It wasn't like anyone had forbidden her from getting out of bed. At least, not that she remembered.

As the footsteps approached, she heard an exasperated woman's voice. "Tony, she's still unconscious. We're weaning her off of some very strong pain medication, and she'll probably be in bed for...Tony…"

"I just want to see her. She's only fourteen, Doctor. I don't want her to wake up alone."

"Actually I pulled her records and she's thirteen..." The woman's words trailed as the door was pushed open, and Tony Stark, with hair slicked back and his signature goatee cut in sharp lines, dressed in an actual suit and tie, came to a sudden halt. She lifted an eyebrow, eyes lingering on the tie, and, after a long, silent moment, he crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow of his own.

"Are there any more lies you want to clear up, Miss Parker?"

She mimicked his position, pretending to think for a moment. "I don't really speak Arabic very well," she admitted, as if it were a great confession, nodding as she gave the floor an ashamed look. "I mean, if you drop me in a city I could order food and ask for help, but that's about…"

Before she'd even finished, his face had softened into a smile, and he let out a chuckle, crossing the room in a few large strides to put his arms around her. To her own surprise, she found herself throwing her arms around him as well, face pressed to his shoulder as he gave her a gentle hug, both of them careful of the IV. They'd hadn't done this before, not really. Sure, he'd comforted her the day before they'd left...when a hot coal had nearly been shoved down her throat. But not like this. He hadn't hugged her with an expression of pure relief like this, a hand cupping the back of her head.

It was nice. But for some reason it made her think of a conversation she couldn't quite remember...something she'd said in the desert about...her dad? Someone's dad?

"How long have you been awake?" Dr. Cho asked, her voice somewhat incredulous as she pulled Penny out of her own thoughts.

"Like, five minutes," Penny told the fabric covering Tony's shoulder. "Can I get some more water?"

She felt more than heard Tony laugh, his hand patting her back before he pulled away. He looked different outside the cave. Softer. More relaxed. It made sense, she supposed, and she was glad to see that he hadn't forgotten all about her. Despite pulling away, he stayed close, his sharp eyes looking her up and down as if checking for injuries that might have somehow been missed.

"Of course." Doctor Cho gave a quick nod, seeming to collect herself. "I'll have someone bring you a new pitcher, and something to eat. But first, I need to look you over. Which means I need Tony to wait outside." She gave him a pointed look and he lifted his hands in surrender.

"You got it, Doc. I'll be right outside, Pen." He promised, giving her a quick smile before stepping outside. Dr. Cho seemed to be trying to shake something off as Penny moved to sit on the bed, feet dangling. She could tell that the woman had questions, and she already seemed to know about Penny's mutation. Right...that piece of the puzzle came together as soon as the thought hit her. Dr. Cho had said something about Tony debriefing her on Penny's enhancement. Mutation. Whatever. It was another conversation that Penny didn't quite remember. But if Tony trusted Dr. Cho, Penny guessed she would too. Someone would have had to been told if they were going to help her. Any doctor would have noticed her quick healing. So Penny would trust her for the moment. "Do you work for Tony?" Penny asked after a moment of silence between them, hoping to break the ice a little. The doctor blinked, the nodded, approaching and throwing a glance back at the closed door.

"He heard I was the best and he offered me anything I wanted to come and help you."

"What did you want?"

The doctor lifted an eyebrow. "I told him he could owe me one," she said with a little smile, gesturing for Penny to move her arm so that she could lift up her pajama shirt. "I had to remove two bullets, and another grazed you. By the time you came in, you'd lost a lot of blood...enough that it might have killed a non enhanced person."

"Are there other enhanced people?" Penny suddenly wondered. It wasn't something she'd ever heard of, apart from Captain America, but he was long gone. Lost to the ocean. Never found.

"I've heard rumors. Tony said that you had a run in with a spider?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've never heard of an enhanced person gaining any sort of abilities that way, but I have heard of people born with them."

"Mutants? Like...real mutants?"

"Yes." Dr. Cho pressed on her side and Penny winced, trying to focus instead on their conversation.

"Do you know any?"

"I know one. He runs a school for mutant children."

That thought stopped Penny in her tracks. Would Tony want to send her to a place like that? Even if she wasn't a real mutant...hadn't been born like this, who cared about differences like that. It wouldn't be so bad, she reminded herself. Better than a cave in Afghanistan, being held captive by terrorists. Thoughts of the cave came to her in flashes and she blinked them away, forcing her brain back to the present. She had no time to break down about that. Not now, she told herself sternly. She was free now. That wasn't something she had to think about ever again.

Where she went now, she'd be fine. She'd survive. She'd wanted to give Tony a chance and now she had. She'd just have to wait and see what he did with it.

Once Dr. Cho had rebandaged her mostly healed side, she moved over to the opposite chair and took a seat, hands clasped in her lap. "We were able to pull up all of your records, including the proof of your US citizenship. Tony's having you a new passport made as well. Were we correct that you have no remaining family members?"

"Yeah." Penny nodded, dropping her eyes. It felt like her fault, somehow. How had she managed to lose everyone before turning fourteen?

"Alright. Tony wanted to talk to you about everything as soon as you're feeling better. His house is in Malibu, less than an hour away from here. He's working on making arrangements for you."

"Arrangements?" Penny asked, hoping to get a heads up before she actually had to face him.

"Yes. He had a press conference this yesterday morning and he's been meeting with lawyers...it's why he wasn't here. He's been by your side every other minute. I was...well, anyway, he's been talking to the social worker assigned to your case, and I believe everything is nearly finished."

"Finished?" Penny prompted, dying to have an actual answer to the question weighing on her. Anything would be good, she kept reminding herself. Tony owed her nothing, and anything he did for her would be amazing. Maybe he knew a kind family. They'd never be her family but it would be better than nothing. A school of other kids with cool powers would be fun. At least she'd never have to hide. Fighting back tears, she reminded herself of this over and over. Anything would be better than that cave.

"Yes. He'll be able to give you the details himself, but he's had his assistant order everything you'd need. I think the room is nearly ready, so by the time you're discharged…"

"What room?" she finally demanded, unable to wait anymore. "Where am I going?"

"Oh...I'm sorry, I thought you already...Tony's house in Malibu. He's been working with the social worker to have you temporarily placed in his home. It won't be permanent until you can all talk with the social worker and discuss things. And the worker will keep in touch. He's had...trouble in the past. With his public image. But I think things will work out." Her smile softened when Penny dropped her head back against the wall, the relief running sharply through her. "He was never going to let you go without a home, Penny." Dr. Cho stood, moving over to the bed and placing a hand on her shoulder. Penny almost burst into tears at the motion, so unused to any kindness like this anymore from anyone other than Tony.

Almost two months. Maybe actually two months. Keeping track of the days had been so hard when all she'd done was try and sleep for long as possible. And now she was free and Tony was really going to take her in...it was a lot.

It was too much.

"I don't know Tony very well," Dr. Cho admitted after a moment. "We haven't exactly had much time to get to know one another. But I know him by reputation."

Penny wanted to interrupt...to insist that it wasn't all true...or that it wasn't the whole story. Tony Stark was something else besides a possible alcoholic and playboy billionaire. He was something more than that.

"When he contacted me, I was expecting...something else. But he cares about you. Quite a bit. From what I've seen, he would never let you go somewhere that you weren't safe. And I believe he thinks the safest place for you is with him."

It was, Penny wanted to say. Because, in some strange twist of fate, Tony Stark was the only person she had left. And she didn't know how she would have coped with losing him.

Dr. Cho had just reached for a clipboard beside Penny's bed when there was a knock on the door. The doctor lifted an eyebrow, turning briefly to Penny before crossing her arms. "Yes?"

"It's me? Is everyone decent?"

Penny snorted and Dr. Cho softened, shaking her head a little and smiling to herself. "Come on in, Tony." The door swung open, and Tony stepped inside with a bag in one hand, a big cup in the other. Dr. Cho stared at it, then shook her head. "Tony, she really needs…"

"She was held captive by terrorists for almost two months, Doctor, and I promised her an American cheeseburger."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Penny felt her mouth begin to water. Tony carried it over, placing it on the tray beside her bed along with the cup. "I went with good old regular coke, but if you…" Tony broke off with a laugh when she grabbed the soda and took a huge drink, closing her eyes at the taste and the rush of sugar. "I'm going to take that to mean you approve."

"Oh god that tastes so good…" Penny muttered, then opened the bag, throwing out a quick 'thank you' before biting into the burger.

"Don't choke yourself, kid. You can have all the burgers you want. Hell, I'll buy Burger King if you want."

"Okay," she said through a mouth full of fries, and he chuckled as he made his way over to Dr. Cho, taking a look at the clipboard in her hand. The doctor sighed and handed it over, giving him a look.

"You have heard of HIPPA, right?"

"Yeah, sure…" he spoke under his breath as he read, but Penny didn't care. He could look at whatever he wanted because never in her life had anything tasted as good as that cheeseburger.

Once Dr. Cho had left, Tony drummed his hands on his leg, seeming to debate with himself for a moment before speaking. "So...you probably have some questions."

Penny shrugged. Now that she wasn't starving anymore, she felt just a little shy. Just a little worried. Sure, Dr. Cho had made her feel better, but what if the doctor had been wrong? What if Tony didn't actually want her to live with him? What if he didn't want that kind of responsibility?

"Well," Tony went on, "I thought I'd, uh...lay everything out. And then, we can...we can go from there. Sound good?"

"Um...yeah."

"Right. So...I talked to my lawyers and the social worker...apparently you automatically get a social worker if you're a minor with no living family. And I filled out some paperwork...and my lawyers filled out some paperwork. Anyway, you can...if you want, you can stay with me. If you want to go somewhere else that's fine...I get that. I know you don't...um, you can just let me know and we'll find you a family that we can trust. But in the mean time I've got a room ready for you. And I know you're from New York so...so we can always go back there. If you want. I've got a tower there and it has a nice penthouse. Not exactly beachfront but what can you do?" He laughed under his breath, shaking his head. "Anyway, as soon as you're cleared to leave you can see the house. And I'll introduce you to Pepper."

"Tony?" Penny asked when he finally stopped talking. He looked up, hands shoved in his pockets, looking surprisingly vulnerable for a billionaire. "Can I...I mean, how long can I stay? With you?"

He smiled then, his eyes meeting hers before he moved over to her bed, taking a seat beside her. "Long as you like, kiddo."

Penny felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and she leaned against him just a little. Instead of pushing her away like some part of her had worried he would, Tony lifted his arm as though it were the most natural thing in the world, throwing it around her shoulders and squeezing her to his side.

"I don't really have any experience...I mean...hell, Pen, my dad was...bad. Not that I'm saying I'll be…" He trailed off, shaking his head once more. "I might suck at this, Penny. I mean...hell, it's a pretty safe bet that I'm going to screw this up."

"I think you're doing fine."

He squeezed her again, the side of his resting against the top of hers, and Penny closed her eyes, taking it in. "There something I wanted to show you."

"Yeah?"

"Here." He pulled out his phone, tapping a few buttons, then holding it up so that she could see. Penny stared at the slightly grainy video of Tony sitting on a stage, a cheeseburger in one hand, one arm in a sling. Had he hurt his arm? He seemed okay now…

The room was full of reporters, but everyone sat on the floor, and Tony spoke softly as though talking to friends. On the screen, Tony stared earnestly out at the people as a man she didn't recognize hovered nearby. "I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability. I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up."

Penny frowned, turning, to Tony, but he just gestured for her to pay attention as he continued to speak despite the other man on the screen that seemed to be confused. Or maybe upset...it was hard to tell.

"Which is why I am shutting down the weapons creating division of Stark Industries. Effective immediately."

The crowd erupted in questions and flashes of cameras, while the man on the screen jumped to his feet, followed by Tony who moved more slowly. Penny turned back to Tonny, eyes wide, only to find him smiling at her. "What do you think?"

"You...you aren't going to make weapons anymore?"

He shook his head. "You were right. The weapons I was making...I didn't know that they were being sold to terrorists. And I'm going to find out how that happened. But from now on...I'm done making things that can be used to hurt innocent people. You asked me what I was going to do about it…" He gestured to the phone, then turned off the screen, placing it on the bed beside him. "That's what I'm going to do with it."

Penny just stared at him, eyes wide. He'd actually done it. He'd shut down the weapons division of his company...the biggest part of what they did.

"Well...what do you think, kid?"

"I think you're a really good person." The words felt inadequate, somehow, but they were all she had. Tony squeezed her shoulder, giving a soft smile, something in his expression telling her that he understood what she meant...what she wanted to say but couldn't figure out how.

"I'm going to try, kiddo. I really am. Now, you ready to see if Helen will let you out of here so I can show you the house?"

And, pushing away thoughts of the cave and the terrorists, of her uncle's last words to her and the people she'd loved that were gone now, Penny nodded, ready to forget everything and move forward. "Yeah. I am."

The End

Thank you for reading.