Dr. Connor's was sitting in the observatory of his home in a terrible, terrible mood. His boss, Norman Osborn was deteriorating quickly. The retroviral hypodysplasia he'd inherited from his own father was killing him faster than anyone had dared expect, and not only did he want to save his own life, but he wanted to save the future of his little boy Harry. Because the venom extracted from Richard Parker's spiders was only making him sicker, the weight of a cure was falling upon the good doctor's shoulders. The decay rate algorithm, gifted to Dr. Connor's via Tony Stark had helped to regrow the limb of Freddy the mouse…but they were nowhere near ready for human trials…the mouse had not even been under observation for longer than a night or two. There was still no telling yet what the side effects would be.

He was torn. Connors knew that because of his refusal to begin human trials early Osborn was having his men take the formula to the veteran's hospital and by no means was that ethical. If he were going to stop that from happening there was only one person he could test on by his own moral standard…himself. He was sweaty, shaking…his nerves getting the best of him as he stared at the syringe full of green liquid. It was a terrifying thought…he could die. However, at the very heart of him Connors had always been a good man, and he'd rather lose his own life as opposed to the lives of those who had fought for his very freedom. This was his only choice. His only wish was that somehow his colleague's son, Peter Parker, would live to accomplish what he and Richard hadn't. Dr. Connor's was unaware that said child was now under the care of the very man who had solved the equation, nor was he aware that the spider's venom had worked on Peter…and maybe if he had he'd have put the syringe down. The decay rate algorithm wasn't enough to perfect the lizard DNA the way it had with the spiders, it had been done all wrong…and yet, there was no way of knowing until he jabbed the needle into his amputated stub; and that's precisely what he did. He screamed, his body writhing in agony as the liquid coursed hard and fast through his veins, his body alight with fire. Dr. Connor's vision went grey and he was sure he was dying, his eyes closing involuntarily as the pain darkened his world…possibly forever.

Meanwhile, Tony and Steve were sitting in Bucky Barnes office at Social Services and neither man had ever been happier to be inside that wretched building. Peter was asleep in his carry on car seat, which was sitting beside Steve, and Tony was bouncing little Gwen in his arms as she played curiously with his facial hair. Bucky was pouring over paperwork as they sat there, trying to make sure they had absolutely everything in option to finalize this adoption. This was the moment they had been waiting for for what felt like forever…Peter was finally going to be their son, no one would be able to say differently now.

"Please fill this out if you're changing his name." James said slowly, sliding the document over to Steve since his arms weren't full at the moment. He and Tony had already long since discussed this, it wouldn't be right to change his first name on him this late in the game. Peter responded to his name and had been for months now and it was the only name either parent had called him since they'd first brought him home, it would be a hard transition on all of them. That being said, they had decided to change his middle and last name and Steve's heart was full of so much happiness as he stuck the pen to paper. With a few strokes of ink Peter Benjamin Parker was legally Peter James-Buchanan Stark. Steve locked eyes with Tony, as if to make sure this name was still alright with him and then tentatively handed the paper over to Bucky after they each signed it.

"I…this is flattering but…I don't deserve it. No child deserves the name of a murderer." Bucky said quietly upon gazing at the certificate, unresolved guilt rushing to the surface as he thought about all the things he had had to do under HYDRA's control. Those are the things he remembered, despite being unable to recall any of his past life. James Barnes was quite possibly the guiltiest man on the face of this Earth. It broke Steve's heart in half.

"Buck, look at me. If there is one thing you are, it's good. Anyone who has a problem with that can talk to me. Nothing you did with HYDRA was your fault, and we didn't name Peter after the Winter Soldier. We named him after Sergeant Barnes of the 107th, the soldier who risked everything he had to help me defeat the Red Skull…and lost everything doing it." It was a nice sentiment, though it didn't appear like Bucky believed him very much.

"Sign here." Was all he said, pointing to the final document…the one they had been craving the entire time. Tony's eyes were on Gwen, whose big green eyes were staring into his deep brown ones. She was smiling, her tiny fingers still attempting to tug on his beard though it was trimmed much too short for that. He wondered what was so interesting to both children about how he cut his facial hair, his eyes wandering to his sleeping little boy. One more signature and he would become his only child…only son. The next generation of Stark's was sleeping like a rock in his little car seat and all Tony could think in that moment was that he'd been stupid to ever think this was something he didn't want. Especially as he held Gwen, who was becoming like a daughter to him as the days went by. He couldn't sign the paper fast enough. Steve signed not long after Tony and then it was official. Peter was theirs.

"Pleasure doing business with you." Bucky said with a polite smile, though he chuckled after a moment and got up to hug Steve.

"Congratulations, man."

Back in Dr. Connor's conservatory the scientist was coming to. His head was swimming and pounding and he sighed, forcing himself to sit up straight at his desk and attempt to clear his mind. His eyes suddenly landed upon his arm, not his left, but his new appendage that was wrapped in some sort of nesting of sorts. He couldn't contain his excitement, tearing at the confines to reveal a slimy and pale arm. It was miraculous, though it was nowhere near a normal feeling arm and hand. Though he was pleased with the breakthrough he had to call Norman Osborn's assistant, the veteran's hospital was no place for this yet. As he dialed the proper number on his cell phone he suddenly spasmed, as if something from underneath his skin was trying to burst from his body.

"No, no, no, he can't go y-you have to stop him―" He stopped abruptly in horrendous pain as the woman on the other end tried to tell him the person he was looking for was already crossing the Brooklyn Bridge. His mind was made up immediately…something was going very wrong and he had to save those people. It would seem, however, that fate had the opposite in mind.

Tony and Steve wanted to go out to celebrate the official adoption, because to them it was almost the equivalent of the birth of a new baby…their baby. They were going to go out to a nice restaurant in Brooklyn and invite Natasha and Bruce as if it were some sort of christening of the child into the Stark family, though they had to head back to the tower first to change their clothes and get Peter and Gwen's things. So on the way back home Tony called Natasha and told her to meet them at DeStefano's Steak House on 89 Conselyea Street in about fifteen to twenty minutes. Steve dressed Gwen in a little white dress with black leggings, a grey scarf, and a tiny white beanie over her beautiful blonde curls as he packed a bag for her dinner of a small bottle and some strawberry baby food. Tony was busy fixing up Peter while this was happening, styling his messy hair to look like his own and putting him in a small waist coat and slacks that matched the suit he would be wearing. They might have only been going to dinner, but they were going to look damn good doing so, Tony had decided.

"Hot damn…" Was all Steve could say as Tony entered the room with Peter in his arms, both looking very handsome in their formal attire though Tony was striking the solider as a little more than handsome. Tony's thick black hair was gelled back beautifully and his smoldering eyes were looking up and down cap, who had only just finished dressing Gwen and was still without a shirt.

"I could say the same to you." Steve looked happy, he really did, and even a little horny as he gazed hungrily at his husband…but there was something else settling behind those blue eyes and Tony knew better than to ignore it.

"You okay, Stevie?" Steve sighed and reached for a nice shirt from the closet, buttoning it up as he thought about what he was going to say. He didn't want to ruin their perfect day, but for some reason he couldn't put his finger on there was a pit in his stomach, as if something bad were going to happen.

"I just feel like something is going on, and I don't know what. It's the same feeling I had right before the whole thing with Loki went down." Tony wrapped an arm around Steve and kissed his temple gently.

"Now isn't the time to worry about it, Steve. You're probably just stressed about what's going to happen with Fury. The fact that he hasn't retaliated yet is a little unnerving." This was true, Steve was more than a little uptight about what the future of the Avengers was going to hold now that they had royally pissed off the head of SHIELD but also, Rogers had never been one to distrust his instincts, so he decided to keep his eyes and ears open once they left for the restaurant. Tony put cap's shield in the car and slapped on his tech bracelet that would immediately send his Iron Man suit to him if he needed it, just to make his partner relax a little bit and they left toward Brooklyn in silence.

The mood lightened once more, however, when they saw Natasha and Clint waiting on them at the restaurant. Each man kissed Nat on the cheek and gave Clint a hug, thanking them both for being there. Stark rose an eyebrow at Natasha as they sat Peter and Gwen in their high chairs and sat down to look at their menus.

"Not the man I was expecting on your arm. Did you finally work Bruce a little too hard in that little black dress?" He teased, earning a smirk from the Russian as she took a sip of her dirty martini.

"You can't work Bruce too hard…his endurance is outstanding." She purred and glanced at Tony seductively, though it was understood that she was messing around. Tony pretended to gag and let out a chuckle.

"That's more about the green guy than I cared to know." Natasha laughed and took another sip of her drink.

"No, he's actually sick. I didn't want to leave him but he insisted I get out of the house…I think he's afraid of what might happen if he blacks out." Steve opened his mouth to offer to come and see if there was anything he could do to help when Clint decided to interject.

"Congratulations on the adoption you guys. Never thought when we pulled him out of that bloodbath that he'd end up going home permanently with you two. I'm happy we didn't have to send him off someplace, you know. It's a good ending to a terrible start for the little guy." Steve sighed and nodded, watching Peter lovingly as he played with his toys quietly. He couldn't imagine how his life would be different if he'd had to be raised by Maxwell Dillon and god only knows how many other bad homes he could possibly have landed in.

"Yeah, we just sort of fell for him. You can't raise a child from 0 to 6 months and expect them to not feel like your own. That's what Nick just can't seem to understand." Barton nodded but the table quieted as their waitress came to take their orders. She started with Natasha, and while the assassin was inquiring about the soup and salad menu something on one of the many restaurant TV's caught Steve's eye. It was on channel 12 news and there appeared to be some sort of chaos going down on the Brooklyn Bridge about five miles away from where they were eating right now.

"Tony…" The couple locked eyes for a moment before Stark followed his husbands gaze to the television. It appeared as if an enormous mutated lizard was assaulting civilians stopped in traffic on the bridge and several automobiles were being torn to shreds by the giant claws of the creature, who was in no way being slowed down by the police. Steve almost wanted to say I told you so but Tony was already rising from his seat, alerting Natasha and Clint to the situation and scooping the children into his arms. He turned to apologize to the waitress, but she knew good and well who they were and she smiled.

"Go get 'em." The four of them bolted from the facility and ran toward their cars, Steve promising the others they would be there as soon as they could find someplace to drop off Gwen and Peter. Steve looked at the clock in his car, they were just in time for Bucky to be off of work and he lived in the area. When they swung by, they left their car in the drive way and Tony pressed a button on his bracelet while Steve was inside making sure Bucky was okay to watch the kids for a few hours.

"JARVIS, suit now!" In no time at all Tony's gleaming red and gold suit was attached to his body, JARVIS intact and ready to go. Steve ran outside quickly and retrieved his shield from their backseat, climbing up onto Tony's back and closing his eyes as Iron Man shot off in the direction of the danger.

When they landed on the bridge Natasha and Clint were already kicking some ass, though it was apparent that they needed a little more firepower against a giant lizard, which Tony was happy to provide them with. He reared his arm back and shot a blast from his repulsor beam, sending the lizard flying back a few feet. It hissed and snarled it's fang like teeth at Tony, who almost wanted to laugh. It looked like a dinosaur to him.

"Uh oh…somebody's been a bad lizard." Dr. Connors picked up an SUV and chucked it at Stark in retaliation, Tony's heart nearly stopping in his chest as he heard a child scream from within it. The force of the car had knocked them off the bridge and out across the water and Tony was fighting very hard to make sure he didn't allow himself to drop the car as he struggled to remain in the air. Even in his suit a freaking van was incredibly heavy and if he ran out of power in his attempt at keeping them afloat this kid was going to die.

"Steve!" Cap turned around immediately, leaving Agents Barton and Romanoff to the lizard once more as he jumped off of the bridge and onto the car in his husband's arms. The extra weight almost did Tony in, a growl of pain tearing from his chest as his suit creaked and screamed at him in exhaustion. Steve tried to be quick, ripping the car door right off of its hinges and climbing inside in search of the child. There was a little girl inside the car, terrified and choking on smoke.

"Sweetie, do you know who I am? I'm here to help." The child turned around to face him, her wide blue eyes full of panic.

"Captain America!" Steve smiled sweetly and extended his hand to her, noticing her name written on the side of a backpack that was in the seat next to her. Her name was Sarah.

"That's right, c'mon Sarah. I need you to be quick, okay honey? Iron Man is outside protecting us, but you need to come with me so we can make sure he's safe too alright?" She nodded, taking hold of his hand and allowing him to pull her against his chest as he tried to maneuver around the rest of the seats and get back out before the car, which was catching fire, exploded.

"U-Ugh Steve….a little faster please!" Tony barked, a new fear rising as he watched the car become consumed by flame. The fire wouldn't burn through his suit, but he knew once the sparks reached the gas tank this was going to be over for all of them unless they did something fast.

"STEVEN!" He screamed as his suit finally gave out, dropping them a few feet right as Steve leapt from the car and grabbed onto the side of the bridge with one arm, the child wrapped securely in his other.

"Sir…we are now running on emergency back-up power." JARVIS dutifully informed Tony, who was just barely hovering in the air as he let the SUV drop into the water. He knew this power wouldn't get him much of anything, but he had to at least get Steve and little Sarah out of harm's way. While Tony was fighting to get the three of them safely back on the bridge, Natasha and Clint were experiencing some issues of their own. Barton was down to only one arrow, and all of his others had merely blown bits of flesh away that were regenerated in a few short moments. Natasha was injured and out for the count…so this final arrow was going to have to count for something.

"Alright you son of a bitch…" Clint had his arrow out and ready, he was aiming for the lizard's face this time. Even if it didn't kill it, it could at least buy them some time until they could contact the rest of the Avengers. Ready…aim…shit! Right as Clint had fired the arrow Tony had emerged with Steve and the little girl and used the last of his power to zap the lizard about twenty feet with his chest piece.

"Damn it, Stark!" Barton roared, becoming even more infuriated when Tony looked over at him and asked 'What?', an indication that he hadn't been paying attention whatsoever. He was about to go on a rant about how Tony's negligence had just cost them their final line of defense when Steve suddenly piped up.

"Guys…where is the lizard?" Dr. Connors had slithered off towards the sewers to recuperate, Tony's blast having weakened him considerably. But there was one thing that Connors had that they didn't…and that was the element of surprise. He knew who every one of those avengers were and they had no earthly idea what or who he was. If SHIELD was coming after him then fine, so be it. It wasn't going to be hard, he thought, to take every one of them down piece by little piece.

Steve cursed under his breath and ran to Natasha, who had taken quite the blow. The lizard had dug his claws into her chest pretty deep and she was still bleeding. Clint lifted her into his arms and headed back toward their car.

"I'll take her home to Bruce. He may be sick but I know he can dress these wounds better than any of us can. You did great, Nat." He soothed her, though she looked severely pissed off that she'd allowed that to happen. She'd fought the best she could with what she had, but she was underprepared and it cost her one of her favorite dresses.

"Got enough power to get us back to Buck's?" Steve asked tiredly as Sarah was reunited with her father, who thanked them in bouts of tears. Tony's faceplate opened and he smirked sheepishly at his partner.

"Uh…we're gonna need a taxi." Steve sighed and closed his eyes, feeling Tony's arms snake around him playfully in an attempt at an apology. He knew Steve didn't want the attention they were going to get when broken and battered super heroes who happened to be married decided to ride through New York City with public transport. Especially not when one was Tony Stark, paparazzi was merciless.

"Hey…could be worse, I could be drunk and naked and in need of a taxi….you know me, that's totally believable." Steve tried to shoot him a stern, cold look but it dissolved into a ghost of a smile.

"Shut up Shell-Head, let's go home."