Author's Note: Like I said Eddie's is two parts. This is the Confrontation. Most of it is in my other story Great Responsibilities as well. The two are kind of running parallel for the moment. That is likely to change soon but for now here we are. This one's a bit short. I own nothing.

How Eddie Found Out

Confrontation

Eddie had gone pale when he spotted Piper on a hospital bed over MJ's shoulder. She'd been bandaged and unconscious but they'd been ushered back into the waiting room by Pepper before they could even get into the room completely. MJ had sat down hard in one of the cozy chairs and Pepper had wrapped an arm around the redhead. Eddie hadn't been able to sit down. He couldn't help the panic that set into his bones. He'd never liked hospitals or what they usually meant for people he cared about. He knew that this wasn't really a hospital but it was too close to one for his tastes. Then James Rhodes had called him into the room. He'd steeled himself but entered regardless of his slightly shaking knees.

Eddie couldn't help but think that Piper had looked like shit. She had been pale, like a sheet of wax paper, and her eyes were glassy bit determined. He smiled, it was only slightly forced. Too much had happened in the past few weeks. He'd still had her mask, Spider-girl's mask in his pocket. The lightweight fabric had felt like a boulder sitting in his jacket. But she smiled back as he had held up her backpack. Tony Stark had been standing next to her one hand on her shoulder keeping her from sitting up. She'd coughed and held out a hand for her bag. He'd tried to hand it over but her hands were shaking so bad she'd almost dropped it. She had let out a frustrated noise and coughed loudly. It took a bit of time but in the end Piper handed the USB her parents had left her to Tony. He had left a bit reluctantly. James Rhodes had turned to him and smiled speaking.

"Thanks for being there for her no matter what. Don't tell Tony but I'm gonna give you two a minute, you look like you have something to say to her. But no funny business. JARVIS will let me know." Eddie had nodded and the taller man headed back out into the waiting area. Eddie took a deep breath and sat down in the arm chair next to Piper's bed. She'd smiled at him.

"I'm glad we decided to tell dad." Eddie had nodded.

"Me too, keeping secrets can't be easy." Piper had nodded in return and they were quiet for another second. Eddie had cleared his throat and spoke.

"You know you can tell me anything right Piper? Anything at all…" Piper frowned slightly but nodded, she hadn't looked at him though. Eddie carefully laid a hand on hers.

"I'm serious Piper. You can tell me absolutely anything. You don't have to keep secrets, not from me. You know that right?" Piper's frown deepened.

"Secrets keep people safe." It was barely a whisper. He'd almost missed it but shook his head when he realized what she'd said.

"No they don't, they tear you apart from the inside. Especially if you're keeping them alone." A tear slipped down Piper's face. Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out her mask. He'd placed it in her hand gently.

"You're not alone anymore Pipes." Piper sniffled and shook her head.

"No… I never wanted to drag you into all this. I didn't want to drag anyone into this. You can't have found out. I don't want you to get hurt." Eddie shook his head.

"I'll be ok Piper, I promise. You get better and we'll talk ok?" Piper nodded slightly before opening her hand slightly.

"Can you put it back in my bag. Dad doesn't know. Dad can't know, ever." Eddie nodded and put her mask back in her bag. She smiled at him.

"You know you're gonna have to tell me how it happened one of these days right?" Piper had laughed slightly. It had been another two weeks before things had settled down enough for her to tell him everything.

It was one of the rare times she showed up at his door instead of his window. He sat her down in his tiny kitchen on one of the folding chairs he'd found at the thrift store and began her story. It was a long one, starting with a field trip to Oscorp and a genetically modified Spider and ending with her recruitment to a SHEILD program for teen heroes. She refused to say much about it only that she was considering leaving SHEILD because of everything she'd learned in the past month about their parents. Eddie shook her head.

"Just when I thought our lives couldn't get much crazier." Piper had laughed at that and just like that everything slipped back into its normal place. The world would never be normal, especially when it came to Piper Parker but Eddie wouldn't have it any other way.