Author's Note: I know I haven't been on in a while, family stuff you know how it is. I am continuing Death and Fate as well as Discovering the Truth. This is part of the Discovering The Truthuniverse. In this version of events Tony knew pipers parents well and knows that it is likely that they were killed because of what they were working on. It also briefly explains, as was requested, how Piper came into Tony's care and how she dealt with his kidnapping. That would be the one from the first Iron Man movie. I do not own anything. Please Review.

When Tony was taken Piper was devastated. She was only fourteen at the time and she had already lost her parents to a mysterious plane crash when she was three, her Aunt May to a heart attack when she was seven and her uncle to a car jacker when she was eleven. When that had happened she was convinced that she would end up alone and in some kind of orphanage, the kind she'd heard horror stories about. She had lost everyone she's ever had, ever since she had lost her parents she had been terrified of being alone. But then she had found her parent's will it listed many things that she barely understood but it also told child services where to drop her off. So she had been dropped off at Tony Starks Malibu home. He had, rather reluctantly, taken her in. The first year had been weird for both of them. Then they had found common ground in Tony's work. Science came easily to her and once Tony had discovered that they became quite close over the past two years. But then Tony was taken, he might be dead. Pepper took her in, became her guardian while Tony was missing.

Piper was a mess. Tony had become the only family she had left in the world. Over the three months he was been gone she was not herself. Everyone at Midtown High saw it even if most had no idea why. Tony had kept her adoption as under wraps as it was possible so piper could continue her normal life. Only her two closest friends knew who her adoptive faster was. Harry Osborn tried to cheer her up as did Mary Jane Watson but nothing worked. She was sure that Tony was dead and that she had left the only person was gone. So when Rhodey called from Afghanistan for the first time in three months Piper had almost fallen off her chair. Pepper was on the phone with him and she was crying. Piper just about snatched the phone from her.

"Uncle Rhodey! What's going on?" She could practically hear her adoptive uncle smiling.

"I've got someone here who wants to talk to you Piper." There was the brief noise of a plane as Rhodey handed the phone over.

"Pipes?" Tears spilled over in the teens deep brown eyes. Her hands shook. Only one person in the world called her Pipes.

"Dad?"

"Hey Pipes. Sorry I haven't called kiddo." Piper was sobbing freely now. He wasn't dead. He sounded like he wasn't at his best but she hasn't lost him.

"Oh my god dad! You're alive! Where are you? Are you ok? Are you hurt? Where have you been?"

"Slow down kiddo, slow down. I'm a little banged up but I'm ok. I'm with Rhodey. Listen have Pepper call you out of school for the day. Meet us at our landing strip, the New York one. How are you? School going good?" Piper laughed a choked laugh.

"We'll meet you there. I'll tell you all about it when we get there. Just be there when I get there." Tony laughed.

"Don't worry Pipes. I will be. I promise. Now hand the phone to pepper real quick. I'll see you in an hour. I love you kiddo." Piper nodded and handed over the phone. Pepper spoke with Tony briefly then with Rhodey then she hung up. She quickly called the school and told them that Piper would not be attending school today. Happy was called and they raced to the Stark Industries landing strip. They waited on the landing strip for a good half an hour before the plane arrived. It was not one of her dad's private jets, instead it was one of the air force planes she had become used to seeing over the past few months. She waited next to Pepper with baited breath as the back of the plane opened and two figures walked slowly down the ramp. The second she was sure she took off running up the ramp.

Tony saw his daughter and couldn't help but smile. She was ok. He'd talked about her a lot over the past three months with Yensen she was the closest thing he had to family even if he didn't, hadn't, spent as much time with her as he should have. She raced up the runway and practically ran him over with the force of her hug. They sank to the floor together holding each other. She was sobbing into his shoulder and he rubbed her back in soothing circles. Pepper and Rhodey watched as happy snapped a photo of the moment with his phone and texted it to Pepper and Rhodey. The father and daughter sat on the ramp for a good five minutes before they made it to their feet. Piper held onto him and looked like she wasn't going to let go of her father any time soon. He didn't look too keen on letting her go either as they slowly made their way down the ramp to where Pepper stood waiting. Tony eyed her carefully, his good arm still wrapped around his daughter.

"Your eyes are red. Few tears for your long lost boss?" Pepper smiled.

"Tears of joy I hate job hunting." Piper was smiling brighter than Pepper had ever seen her smile.

"Plus she doesn't have to put up with me anymore. I may have bugged her a lot while she was gone. She should get a bonus for that. I was hard to put up with." Piper smiled at Pepper who shook her head.

"Piper you were wonderful, especially given the circumstances." Tony smiled at Pepper and squeezed his daughters shoulder looking proud. Piper smiled wide. She had her family back and she hoped to whoever watched over her that they weren't going anywhere anytime soon.