Pepper had heard the news the moment it dropped. It had flashed across her computer and she'd immediately ended her current meeting. She was on the phone with Happy before she had even left the room and told FRIDAY to tell her when Peter arrived.

He beat her to the penthouse.

"Pepper!"

He seemed torn between running to her and keeping Michelle wrapped up in his arms. Michelle made the decision for him, ducking out of his arms and nudging him in Pepper's direction.

"I'm sorry!" Peter blurted, eyes wide with panic. "I'm―I don't know―It's doctored footage, I swear to god―"

"Breathe, Peter," Pepper said sharply. He startled, staring at her in surprise, but shocked enough that his panicked rambling stopped and he breathed. "You have to breathe, Peter," she repeated, softer this time.

"I can't," Peter gasped. His eyes flitted to Michelle who was at his side a second later. "They―The whole world knows, Pep. They have MJ's photo and it's just a matter of time before they have May's and your's and Happy's and―"

"Peter."

Michelle caught Peter's hands, stopping his wild gesturing. As if it had been pre-programmed into his brain, Peter slumped into her side and let out a deep breath.

"Pepper?" Michelle asked, turning a worried look in her direction. Peter's face stayed buried in her neck.

"It's bad," Pepper admitted with a grimace. "Fury and I were already working on releasing the footage, but this is―this is bad."

"What do we do?" Michelle whispered. Her arm around Peter tightened. "What can we do?"

Pepper sighed and shook her head. Running a hand through her hair, she said, "I don't know. Not yet, anyway. For now, you'll both stay here."

There was no arguing, but Pepper would have insisted no matter what. The security around Peter and Michelle's apartment was not enough anymore and it was important they stay out of the press's clutches.

"Happy is on his way with May," Pepper added before Peter could worry. "She'll stay here too. Until we know more, none of you leave this Tower, understood?"

Michelle and Peter nodded.

"I'm going to call Fury," Pepper said, more for Peter's benefit than a need to think out loud. "We will get this under control, alright, Peter?"

Peter nodded again, lifting his head from Michelle's neck.

"Thanks, Pep," he said wearily. "Again, I'm so sorry."

"It was bound to happen," Pepper told him gently. She gave his arm an encouraging squeeze then left to call Fury and find Peter a lawyer.

It was over half an hour before May, Happy, and Morgan arrived after Pepper disappeared. While Morgan―unaware of the situation and happily shouting Peter's name―came bursting out of the elevator, May and Happy followed, whispering furiously between each other.

Peter ignored their whispers in favor of catching Morgan in his arms.

"How are you, Mo?" Peter grinned.

"Aunt May says you were on the news!" she exclaimed.

Peter's smile tightened. "That's right, kiddo."

"Are you famous now?" Morgan asked excitedly. "Are you gonna be on TV more?"

"I sure hope not," Peter muttered. Michelle's hand skimmed across his back and they shared a look that, fortunately, went unnoticed by Morgan but not by Happy.

In an effort to distract both Peter and Morgan from Peter's disastrous news appearance, Happy intervened.

"Hey, kid, let's give them some space." He guided Morgan away from Peter, sharing a look with him and Michelle as he said, "They've got to take care of big kid problems."

"But it's Peter!" Morgan protested, pulling out of Happy's arms as she tried to reach back for Peter. "I never see him!"

"You'll see me later," Peter promised. He didn't take Morgan's outstretched hand and her face dropped. "MJ and I are gonna stay here for a while."

"Because you're famous now?" Morgan exclaimed.

Peter bit back a grimace but nodded, trying for a smile as he looked at Morgan. "Exactly that, kiddo."

With a happy shout, Morgan agreed to go with Happy as long as Peter promised to sit by her for dinner. After the promise was made and Morgan stole another hug, she let Happy lead her down the hall to her bedroom where a myriad of toys and games waited to distract her.

May stepped forward the second Happy rounded the corner and Peter deflated.

"This is all my fault, May," he grumbled, grimacing as a police helicopter flew past the Tower windows. "They're sending helicopters out for me―for MJ, even!"

"You can't know that."

"I can hear their radios," Peter interrupted, glancing behind him. "I can hear all of New York, actually, but I'm trying―"

"Oh, honey." May pulled him into her arms. "None of this is your fault, alright? This Beck―it's his fault, you understand?"

Peter didn't respond, neither arguing nor agreeing verbally.

"Peter?" May pulled back to look at him sternly and Peter nodded.

"I know, May," he muttered. May didn't look convinced. "I just―There's a reason I kept my identity a secret, you know? And now everyone knows."

"It was bound to happen," May said, echoing Pepper's words from before. "It's just a shame that it wasn't on your terms."

In the time it took for Pepper to line up a lawyer for Peter, both the TV and Peter's phone remained off. Despite the urge to know what the news reports were saying, FRIDAY had been instructed to say nothing about the situation while Peter was within hearing. That did not, however, keep Michelle from refreshing the New York Times website every few minutes.

She was unlocking her phone to check the Times for the fourth time in thirty minutes when an unfamiliar number flashed across her screen. She glanced at Peter who was in a muttered conversation with May in the living room and pressed answer.

"Hello?" she murmured. Peter's eyes flickered in her direction and he was on his feet before a familiar voice sounded on the other end.

"MJ! Oh, thank god!" Ned exclaimed. Michelle frowned, glanced at the number on her screen, and returned the phone to her ear just as Ned said, "I need you to come bail me out of jail. Apparently, Beck leaked some―"

"Wait, what?" Michelle's frown deepened. "Jail? What the hell happened?"

"Ned's in jail?" Peter echoed. He crossed the room in the time it took Michelle to blink. "Put him on speaker."

Michelle did, saying, "Ned, tell us what happened," as she did.

"I was at work, right?" Ned explained, launching into a hasty story about how the police had arrested him before he even heard the news about Beck. "I've been here for, like, an hour."

"Have you told them anything? Said anything?" Michelle asked. Beside her, Peter told FRIDAY to call Pepper. "Ned, tell me you didn't say anything without a lawyer."

There was a gaping silence on Ned's end of the phone, but it was all Michelle needed as an answer.

"We're getting Pepper now," she told him. "She's been working with Fury to clear Peter's―"

"The police said that Fury's off-world," Ned interrupted.

Now it was Michelle who fell silent. She shared a look with Peter, then both of them turned to May who looked just as confused as they felt.

"Um, we'll get back to that," Michelle said warily. Fortunately, it was at that moment that Pepper came rushing into the room. "Here's Pepper."

"Ned?" Pepper took Michelle's phone from her but left it on speaker. "What precinct are you at? I'm sending a lawyer and Happy to pick you up."

"The 17th."

"Alright, Happy will be there soon," Pepper promised. "Just hang tight. And don't say anything without a lawyer."

"Too late," Michelle murmured, too low for Ned to hear over the phone. Pepper glanced at her and she nodded.

"Don't say anything more," Pepper amended.

After reassuring Ned that they would be there to get him shortly, lawyer and bail money in hand, Pepper ended the call and handed Michelle's phone back to her. May reappeared with Happy and Morgan after having left to tell him about Ned and with a nod from Pepper, they sent Morgan to join Michelle in the living room and stepped into the elevator.

"Pep," Peter murmured, watching as Michelle led Morgan out of earshot. "The police told Ned that Fury's been off-world."

Pepper pursed her lips and Peter frowned.

"He was," she admitted. "He―After the Blip, he left Earth. He's stayed in contact with the team, though."

"But he was in Europe," Peter said. "Unless, do you think Beck could have...?"

Peter trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought that had only just occurred to him. Beck had been able to mess with his mind and make things appear real. It was entirely possible that it hadn't really been Fury or Agent Hill that he'd been working with in Europe. That didn't explain why they had helped him take care of Beck in the end, though.

"I don't know, Peter." Pepper sighed. "A lot of things about this don't make sense. From what I can tell, however, Fury was in Europe. That wasn't Beck."

Across the living room, Michelle and Morgan were pulling out a card game. Peter watched silently. Despite the way Michelle's heart raced every time she checked her phone―he knew she had been regularly checking the news―she looked perfectly at ease with Morgan. Now, her phone was on the counter behind him; out of sight, out of mind. The biggest problem in front of her was how to beat Morgan at Go Fish.

"Go," Pepper said softly, nudging him towards them. "Play with them until Happy returns."

Without taking his eyes off Michelle and Morgan, Peter whispered, "I'm really sorry, Pepper."

"We'll be okay," Pepper replied, her voice just as soft. "Morgan's well protected here. You don't have to worry about us, okay, Peter?"

Peter nodded numbly and let Pepper push him in Michelle and Morgan's direction with another murmured reassurance. He moved on autopilot, sitting next to Michelle and listening to Morgan chatter to her about the first drawing she'd made in her new notebook.

Without pausing to take a breath, Morgan scooted over to Peter's side, still asking Michelle about colors and if she could please finish the drawing that you started?

"I can see your cards, Mo," Peter said, giving her a teasing smile as she settled in beside him.

"We're on the same team," she told him decidedly. "You're supposed to." Turning back to Michelle, she happily demanded, "Purple octopus!"

"Go fish," Michelle replied, a teasing smirk as she leaned forward to hide her cards.

Morgan huffed and as Peter drew the card for her, she shoved all her cards in his hand and loudly declared, "You can hold them better. Just don't show MJ."

"Unlike Miss Morgan," Michelle said conspiratorially, "I don't need to cheat to win."

Morgan scowled and Peter laughed when Michelle said, "Gimme your pink crab, missy," and Morgan plucked the card from his hand.