Author's Note: Hello, hello, my readers! Welcome back to The Many Adventures of Iron Dad and Spider-Son! I know it's been a while since I updated! I participated in Seven Seas July, and I wanted to finish that fic. I didn't, but I will! It's just part of the rotation now. Anyway, we are back with CHAPTER 22! This is pretty much the aftermath of the Kidnapping Arc! Tony and Peter are interviewed by a certain someone from Tony's past about their horrible experience with Justin Hammer. I hope you all enjoy it! BUT…before we get to that…REVIEW REPLIES!

Wandamarie: You're welcome! Thank you for reading!

Sillysammijo: YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed the arc! And yes, it's so cool that people will finally know what I was talking about in RMU! Lol, of course, I'm sure you've seen it by now, but no worries! I knew people were going to put it in comments, so I had to make sure no one did. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Radiant Arabian Nights: YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for reading, friend!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.


In Each Other's Corners, Part 1 (April 25, 2017)

Tony's eyes immediately shot open as he breathed heavily and sat up from where he was lying down on the cold, hard ground, and when he saw where he was…his heart dropped. He was back…back in their room, where Hammer kept him and Peter prisoner for about two days…No, no, this couldn't be right… They couldn't possibly be back…They escaped… Both he and Peter escaped… The billionaire gasped as he looked around realizing that a certain teenaged boy was missing…

"Peter?" Tony called out.

No answer.

"Peter?" he called out again looking around for any signs that could tell him that his intern was with him. His eyes widened as his heart pounded again. Peter was nowhere to be found in this god-forsaken room. "Peter! Peter!"

No answer again.

"Peter, where are you?"

As soon as he shouted that…the door opened, and in walked Hammer's men. Before he could say or do anything, two of them came forward and grabbed him by the arms holding him up against the back wall. He struggled with all his might to get free, but it was no use. He quickly stopped struggling when…

"Oh my god…Tony…Tony…" Hammer said as he walked in, "I can't believe you actually tried to escape again. I really thought you had listened last time."

"What are you talking about, Hammer?" Tony asked furiously. "Peter and I got away."

Hammer laughed out loud…very loud. "You must've hit your head harder than I thought," he said. "You didn't escape, Stark. I mean you tried with my suit, which I have to say was very cute…and very clever…but not clever enough since we found you and your kid right away."

Tony's eyes widened at the mention of Peter, and his heart pounded yet again. "Where is he, Hammer?" he quickly asked. "Where's Peter?"

"Relax, Stark," Hammer replied casually, "he's right outside." He then turned toward the doorway. "Bring in this guy's kid, huh?"

Sure enough, another one of the men in black came into the room dragging in a certain teenager with brown hair and eyes…who was tied up his arms and legs. On top of that, he wasn't struggling as he was dragged in and thrown to the floor.

"PETER!" Tony shouted.

Peter looked up at him allowing him to see the fear in his eyes. "Mr. Stark…" he said.

"Hammer, please, let him go!" Tony said to his rival pleadingly. "He's got nothing to do with this! Please just let him go!"

Hammer simply shrugged. "Sorry, Tony," he said, "I told you what would happen if you tried to escape again."

The billionaire's eyes widened as he remembered Hammer's threat to do what he wanted or else Peter would be killed. His heart pounded even more as he shook his hand.

"No…no…no…please, Hammer," Tony said pleadingly, "no…no…you can't! Please, I-I promise I won't try to escape this time! I swear, please, please! Please don't hurt him! Give me another chance, please!"

"I've given you plenty of chances, Tony," Hammer said, "and now, it's time you face the consequences. Your baby boy has to die."

Like clockwork, one of the men standing over Peter took out a gun and pointed it at Peter's head.

"NO! NO! NO!" Tony shouted struggling with all his might to get free…to get to Peter…to protect him. "PLEASE! NO! LEAVE HIM ALONE! LEAVE PETER ALONE! NO! NO!"

Peter looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "Mr. Stark…" he said.

"NO! NO!" Tony shouted. "NO! NO! PETER!"

The trigger was pulled.


Tony's eyes snapped open as he gasped being jolted awake. He breathed heavily as he slowly sat up looking around. He was in his room in his bed, and it was pitch dark…meaning it was…still nighttime. He looked to his right and saw Pepper sound asleep…and he immediately relaxed at the sight of his beautiful fiancée sleeping soundly next to him. Ever since Afghanistan and New York, Pepper was always the one person, who could keep him grounded after a horrible nightmare, and he couldn't help but smile before leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. When he saw that she was still asleep, he sat up even more hugging his one good leg to his chest…shaken from his nightmare.

He closed his eyes as he remembered bits and pieces of the nightmare…him being back in that room, the men restraining him…Hammer getting in his face…and then…Peter being dragged in…and having a gun aimed at his head. He could still remember seeing the trigger being pulled… The billionaire took a deep, shaky breath. It had only been two weeks since he and May signed hew new will…that stated that he would be Peter's new legal guardian if anything were to happen to her, and it was a whole month since Hammer kidnapped him and Peter…to force him to sign over his company and to build the suits and the arc reactor for him…all because he didn't read an email. The nightmares once again found a way to haunt him…to remind him of that awful experience that he and Peter went through. He didn't care what happened to him. He had been through worse ordeals before, but he hated how Peter got roped into it…all because Hammer thought Peter was his son. All he could see was the fear in Peter's eyes…when he was on the ground with a gun aimed at his head as he tried to convince Tony that it was okay and to tell him to not agree to Hammer's demands. The billionaire didn't regret it. If it meant that Peter would be safe, he would do it, no questions asked.

Tony sighed after a moment as he looked at the clock on his night table. It was 3AM, and he considered possibly going back to sleep. However, that was going to be impossible when he couldn't help but think of that awful picture of Peter having a gun aimed at his head…in reality and in the nightmare. He mentally kicked himself realizing how ridiculous this was. He knew he and Peter were home…that they managed to escape…that Hammer was back in prison…and more importantly that Peter was home safe and sound in bed. It had been this way for a month, but once again, it wasn't good enough. He needed to make sure Peter was really okay. He needed to hear his intern's voice. So, he sighed and grabbed his phone and the crutches resting against the night table, and then he made his way out of the bedroom without waking up Pepper and making his way into the living room.

Once he settled himself on the couch and propped his leg up on the pillow, he took his phone and looked for Peter's contact. As soon as he found it, he immediately tapped on it to FaceTime Peter. After one or two rings, Peter's face appeared on the screen, and as soon as it did, Tony breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Mr. Stark," Peter said as soon as he answered.

"Hey, kid," Tony replied with a smile, "you miss seeing my beautiful face?"

Peter couldn't help but chuckle and roll his eyes at his mentor. "I wouldn't go that far," he retorted, "but I did…want to make sure you were okay. I…I…I wanted to hear your voice."

Tony gave his intern a sad smile feeling his heart break hearing why he answered. It broke his heart because Tony felt the same way after the nightmares. It had been that way for the last month after they escaped from Hammer and his men. Whenever they had a nightmare or simply wanted to talk, they would always FaceTime or call each other. It became an unspoken agreement between them, especially after their talk in the Compound's Med Bay…when they told each other that they never wanted to stop seeing each other…that they wanted…needed to be in each other's lives, and while some people would wonder if it was some level of codependency, neither Tony nor Peter cared. Their families didn't seem to care either, and they were perfectly fine with that.

"Nightmare?" Tony asked simply.

Peter paused a moment before he finally answered. "Yeah."

Tony couldn't help but sigh himself. "That seems to be going around tonight, doesn't it?" he asked.

Peter's eyes widened slightly. "You had one, too?" he asked.

The billionaire nodded. "Yep," he replied. "You want to talk about yours?"

"Only if you want to talk about yours," Peter replied.

Tony took a deep breath realizing what Peter was roping him into. If he wanted Peter to talk about his nightmare, Tony was going to have to talk about his as well. "Okay," he said nodding, "that's fair. You want to go first?" He wasn't exactly sure etiquette worked when two kidnapping victims were trying to comfort each other…at 3AM.

"Yeah, I guess I could," Peter replied before he could say anything else. "Uhh…well, I was…uhh…" he snuggled further under his blanket. Whether it was to get more comfortable or because he was still a little shaken up, Tony wasn't sure. "I was back in the room, and I woke up. I…I thought that…I dreamt of us escaping…of our talk… When I woke up…you were next to me…but you weren't moving. I-I tried to wake you up, but…it was too late."

"Aw, kid," Tony said feeling his heart break for his intern.

"And then…Hammer came in," Peter said. "He…he told me that you dying was all my fault…that I couldn't defend myself…that I couldn't save you…that I should've tried harder to fight them or stop you from signing over the company." He thought back to Ben's death…how it was all his fault. He could've tried to stop the robber in the store that night, but…he didn't. Because of his choices, Ben was now dead, and the thought of losing Tony as well for those same reasons made his stomach churn.

Tony sighed and shook his head. "Kid," he began, "you said it yourself…we protected each other throughout that whole thing. It wasn't your job…nor was it your fault that I was ready to sign over SI over to Hammer. That was my decision…to protect you, and I would do it all over again if I had to."

"I know," Peter said, "and I appreciate it. It's just sometimes I wonder if I should've tried harder to…protect you…to stop you from agreeing to his demands, you know? I couldn't bear to think of not saving you like you saved me."

"There wasn't anything else you could've done…" Tony said quickly, "not when they held us at gunpoint and when we didn't have our suits, okay? I promise you…you did everything you could. We protected each other and kept each other safe. We got through it…together, kid, okay? I need you to understand that."

Peter smiled sadly and nodded. "I'll try," he said.

"That's all I ask for," Tony said, "and I'll help you in any way I can."

"Well, you can start…by telling me…what your nightmare was about."

Tony couldn't help but smile and shake his head at how his intern managed to sneak it in. "That was sneaky, Parker," he said with a raised eyebrow, "and I actually like it."

"You did say you would talk about it," Peter retorted with his own raised eyebrow.

The billionaire nodded knowing that the teen was right, so he took a deep breath. "Okay," he said knowing that he couldn't back out now…not when he wanted to set an example for Peter, "well…mine was actually kind of like yours…I woke up in that room…except in mine…y-you weren't there when I woke up…I had no idea where you were, and it…scared me."

Peter couldn't help but think about how often Tony made sure they were never separated when Hammer held them prisoner. He was truly thankful for that as he couldn't stand the idea of being separated from his mentor. He had no idea that it affected Tony that bad too. Nevertheless, he stayed silent and let his mentor continue.

Tony took a deep breath and then continued. "Then…Hammer came in," he said. He exhaled shakily. "He…he told me that we tried to escape…but that we…we failed, and then he had his goons bring you into the room…" He breathed shakily again trying to steady himself. "Then he told me that he told me what would happen if we tried to escape again. I…I…I tried to get to you…to protect you, but…one of his men…uhh…well…" He stopped himself realizing that he probably shouldn't explicitly tell his intern that he died in front of him in his dream.

"He shot me?" Peter guessed after a moment.

"Uhh…y-yeah…" Tony said rubbing his left arm as it shook slightly, "and…uhh…that's when I woke up."

Peter gave his mentor a sad smile feeling his pain. "I-I'm right here, Mr. Stark," he said. "You did protect me."

Tony smiled in return. "I know, kid," he said. "It's just…well…you know…"

"…not something anyone would want to see," Peter said. "I get it." He paused and took a deep breath. "Do…do you think the nightmares will ever stop, Mr. Stark?"

"It may not seem like it now," the billionaire replied, "but yes, eventually, they will. We just have to power through it…together…keep reassuring each other that they're not real and that we escaped. No matter what happens, we'll be fine. We just got to stick together."

Peter nodded. "Iron Man and Spider-Man?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Iron Man and Spider-Man," Tony repeated. He then sighed again hating that his intern was so plagued by these nightmares and the trauma that came from the ordeal with Justin Hammer. He hated Hammer even more than he had for doing what he did, and…he even hated himself for allowing it to happen in the first place.

Despite what Peter said that night in the Med Bay…despite what Pepper, May, Rhodey, and Happy had told him…he still hated himself for not seeing that email…for not nipping it in the bud with a parole hearing. It was partly his fault that he and Peter were kidnapped, and it wasn't just him, who believed that. News, of course, had spread about the billionaire and his intern being kidnapped, and so did opinions…especially ones about him. Some people actually believed the truth…that Hammer kidnapped him and Peter out of revenge and that there was nothing that could be done to prevent it at the time. However…others weren't so kind. Some people believed that the whole thing was a publicity stunt to announce that the other Avengers were coming back after the Civil War. Others believed that it was a publicity stunt for SI. Others were like Hammer and believed that Peter was Tony Stark's illegitimate son and that Tony used this to eventually announce him to the public. Others believed that Tony could've done more to protect Peter.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter suddenly said jolting his mentor out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, kid?" Tony asked trying to hide that he was startled.

"I saw more of the news today," Peter said, "and I know people are giving their opinions. Do I need to swing over there and knock some sense into you?"

Tony chuckled and shook his head. "I don't think your aunt would appreciate me making you go out as Spider-Man at 3AM just to knock some sense into me," he said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

"Oh…I don't know," Peter retorted. "She was about 5 seconds away from calling all the news stations today. I think she would understand."

"Well, better safe than sorry," Tony replied with the smirk never leaving his face, "stay put, okay?"

"Ugh…fine," Peter said rolling his eyes, "but only if you promise to stop with the whole blaming-yourself routine. Hammer and his goons were the ones responsible for kidnapping us…not you. Even if you did see the email and said your piece at the hearing, he would've found some other way to do it. You protected me. You kept me safe, Mr. Stark."

Tony's smirk turned into a smile feeling the warmth swell in his chest seeing how much loyalty the teen had for him. No matter what, Peter was standing his ground despite what happened to them last month, and he sighed shaking his head. "You never cease to amaze me, kid," he said, "you know that?"

"You may have mentioned it before," Peter replied with a raised eyebrow.

Tony chuckled and shook his head again. "Well," he began, "I'm going to say it again…you never cease to amaze me, kiddo." He then paused. "You know you don't have to come tomorrow, right?"

Peter furrowed his eyebrows together in great confusion. "Didn't Ms. Potts say I was being interviewed too?" he asked. Since Tony was a famous billionaire…and superhero, it made sense that the media would want to hear from the man himself about the ordeal he went through with his intern when word got out that they were kidnapped by said billionaire's rival. It also made sense that the media would want to hear from the intern as well, especially since some believed that he was Tony's son, and when Pepper, Tony, and May talked to him about it, Peter was more than happy and willing to finally clear the air on what happened and his and Tony's relationship and to silence any naysayers that tried to make Tony look bad.

"She did, yeah," Tony replied nodding, "but…I'm telling you…if you have any second thoughts about doing the interviews tomorrow…it's okay. We won't be mad."

"No second thoughts," Peter said firmly. "I want to do this. I want to clear the air and shut them up. You did everything you could. We both did, and nothing can change that. We're a team no matter what anyone says, so we're doing this thing together."

"What would I do without you?" Tony asked.

"You'd be lost without me," Peter said with a smirk on his face.

Tony chuckled as he leaned his head back on the couch. He could feel the sleepiness taking over again, and he was able to see that Peter's eyelids were getting heavier by the minute. However, neither of them said anything. They didn't want to hang up just yet. "Well, like you said," he began, "we're a team…Iron Man and Spider-Man…"

"Iron Man and Spider-Man," Peter repeated sleepily.

"Kid, if you want to go back to sleep, you can," Tony said gently. "I won't be offended."

"I know," Peter said blushing, "but I-I don't really want to go back to sleep yet. I really like being up with you and talking to you. It…calms me down, you know? Takes my mind off what happened…"

"Believe me, I do. I guess that happens when you escape a kidnapping together…"

"…and fight crime together…and build stuff together…the whole 9 yards…" Peter then paused when an idea came to him. "Maybe we don't have to hang up. Maybe we could just stay on until we…fall asleep or something…you know?"

"You know something, kid? That's actually not a bad idea."


The next morning finally came, and both May and Pepper were not at all surprised to see Peter and Tony respectively fast asleep while on FaceTime with each other. Both women couldn't help but smile at the sight. No matter what, the billionaire and his intern were in each other's corners, and nothing could change that.


Tony and Peter unfortunately couldn't sleep much longer after their talk via FaceTime because they needed to wake up early that morning to get to the news station. Thankfully, they agreed to head back to the tower after the interviews to relax with lab day and a movie. It was the perfect opportunity to do so since Peter took the day off from school to do the interview alongside Tony.

Tony and Pepper got in the car with Happy, who drove them to pick up May and Peter at their apartment. The ride over was quiet, but nobody minded as it was early in the morning and the ride back into Manhattan was fairly quiet as there was no traffic.

"You sure you want to do this?" Tony finally asked Peter, who was sitting in between him and May in the back seat, after a while.

"Positive, Mr. Stark," Peter said firmly with a smile. "I mean, I'm a little nervous, but I still want to do it."

Tony snuck a quick glance at May, who smiled at him as if to silently tell him that Peter wasn't going to change his mind. Then he smiled back at Peter. "Okay," he said quietly.


The rest of the drive continued in silence as Happy maneuvered through typical New York City traffic before they finally arrived at the news station. Happy dropped May, Pepper, Tony, and Peter off at the front so that he could find a parking space agreeing to come back to the station for the interviews. Peter couldn't help but stare at the building as they stood outside before walking in with Pepper in the lead. His heart began to slightly pound as he realized that soon he was going to be all over TV. He had already gained some sort of popularity because of the kidnapping incident, but every state in the country was going to know him. It was moments like this that reminded him of why he chose to never reveal his identity as Spider-Man. If Tony's fame was anything to go by, his life would never be the same again. At least with the kidnapping incident and now this interview, he knew his mentor would do everything in his power to make sure he had his privacy.

"You nervous?" Tony asked suddenly nudging him with his arm as he rested on his crutches jolting Peter out of his thoughts.

"A-A little," Peter said with a slight blush, "but I'm trying not to be."

"Kid, it's okay if you are," Tony urged gently. "It's perfectly normal. Just take a deep breath and be yourself. You're just answering questions on what happened with Hammer, and that's it. It'll be over before you know it."

Peter nodded. "Okay," he said.

"And we'll be nearby in case you need any kind of support," Tony added, "but I think it'll be easy as pie."

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah, the guy has interviewed me a few times, and he's a great interviewer. Plus, he agreed to keep it short and sweet for you. Trust me, there's nothing to worry about. You'll be just fine."

Peter smiled and nodded as he wrapped an arm around Tony before they walked inside with May and Pepper. Tony was right. All he had to do was relax and be himself. Everything would be just fine.


As soon as Happy came back, Pepper checked them all in at the front desk, and they were all given visitor's passes and then led to the studio. The producer was there to greet them, and she even took them on a tour of the set as she led them to the green room. Upon entering, Peter widened his eyes at what awaited them. He could see some very comfortable-looking couches, a TV, and a huge table with breakfast foods, pastries, cold drinks, tea, and coffee.

"Please make yourselves comfortable," the producer said as she began to leave them alone. "We still have some time before we go live, but if you need anything, please give a shout. When Ms. Everhart gets here, we can—"

That name made Tony stop dead in his tracks as he prepared his coffee, and then he turned around to look at the producer. "I-I'm sorry," he said trying to steady the shakiness in his voice, "but…w-who is going to get here?"

"Ms. Everhart…Christine Everhart," the producer said with a small smile completely oblivious to the shock in Tony's eyes or the awkward shifting Pepper and Happy were doing. "She'll be interviewing you and Peter today, Mr. Stark."

Tony could only stare in complete shock…missing the confused looks from Peter and May. Thankfully, Pepper was able to step in before it got less awkward.

"I-I'm sorry, I thought…I thought Mr. Gardner was going to do the interviews today," Pepper said with a smile.

"Oh, he was going to," the producer said with a sad smile, "but he called in sick today. Ms. Everhart is starting today, so we gave the assignment to her. We gave her all the questions Mr. Gardner was going to ask, so she's up to date on everything."

"Uh-huh…" Tony said after a moment of silence.

May and Peter could only look at each other with confusion still on their faces and simply shrugged. It didn't seem like that big of a deal. Why did it matter who interviewed him and his mentor?

"Is that a…problem?" the producer asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh…n-no, that…that's not a problem at all," Tony quickly said with a nervous smile. "It's just—uhh—surprising because I haven't seen Ms. Everhart in quite a long time."

"Oh well, then I'm sure it will be a pleasant reunion," the producer said with a smile of her own…completely oblivious to the nervous look on Tony's face and the pained expression on Pepper's.

"Yes, I'm…sure it will be," Pepper said with a fake smile.

"I'll be back to check on you later," the producer said, "and to let you know when Ms. Everhart gets here. Give a shout if you need anything."

"Will do," Pepper said as she closed the door.

"I'll be sure to scream," Tony said with a fake smile of his own. As soon as the door closed, he grabbed onto a nearby table to steady himself and his crutches. "Oh god, I need a drink…or two."

"Mr. Stark, what's going on?" Peter asked rushing to his mentor's aid. "It's no big deal. I don't mind the change."

Tony looked at his intern completely forgetting that he and May were standing there…listening to what was just said. The billionaire sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ugh…I'm sorry you had to hear that, kid," he said. "I-I know you wouldn't mind, kiddo, and trust me, I wouldn't care either. It's just that…I…sort of…know Christine Everhart."

"What? Were you guys…friends?" Peter asked furrowing his eyebrows together. "Did you have some sort of…falling out?"

"Uhh…well…we—uhh—we weren't exactly…friends," Tony simply said, "but…let's just say…we got a little too friendly one night…back in 2008."

Peter stared at Tony for a minute…before he finally understood what his mentor meant, and then his eyes widened. "O-Oh…y-you mean…?"

"Yeah…" Tony said nodding while cringing hoping and praying that Peter wouldn't ask for details.

Peter cringed. "There's that second-hand embarrassment, Mr. Stark," he said. He exhaled and shook his head. "Those Captain America PSAs were right."

"Okay, you're going to tell me about those later," Tony said simply raising an eyebrow. He then sighed running his hand down his face. "I'm sorry that you're roped into this now. This was not how I imagined displaying my playboy days to you…or even at all." He had hoped and prayed that he would never have to explain his playboy past to Peter. People already looked down on him for that reason, and he couldn't stand the idea of Peter doing the same or worse…deciding that he wanted to go down that same path.

"No, no, it's fine," Peter said quickly holding his hands up. "You didn't know that this would happen. We…just got to get through this interview, and then we'll never have to see her again. But…I mean, maybe it won't be as bad as you think. I mean, that was—what—9 years ago. I'm sure the dust has settled by then. Maybe she won't even remember it."

"God, I hope you're right, kid," Tony said shaking his head and taking a deep breath.


Tony quickly found out the answer when there was a knock at the door, and the producer walked in…with a blonde woman right behind her. It was at that moment that Tony's heart pounded, and his eyes widened. The woman with blonde hair neatly tied back into a bun looked older than when he last saw her…with Justin Hammer in Moscow, but there was no doubt in his mind that that was Christine Everhart… Not only that, but Tony could immediately tell that she remembered their one-night-stand. He wanted nothing more than to just leave and completely abandon the interview, but how could he do that now…after they said it wasn't a problem? Plus, there was no doubt the press would feed on that if he backed out at the last minute, so he took a deep breath and put on his best smile as the producer introduced them.

"Ms. Everhart," Tony said with a smile as he held his hand out for a handshake.

"Mr. Stark," Christine said with a stoic expression on her face…completely ignoring his hand, "and Ms. Potts," she added upon seeing Pepper standing next to Tony. "It's been a long time."

Peter bit his bottom lip feeling the tension rise in the green room. He could see that Happy, Pepper, and even May felt the tension too. Happy looked like he was ready to tackle Christine at any moment. Pepper was holding it together as best as she could, but he could sense the white-hot anger within her toward the woman.

"Right…uhh…w-well, uhh…" Tony began after a moment of silence…awkward silence scratching the back of his neck.

Pepper was just about to step in when…Peter decided to say something to ease things.

"Uhh…hi, Ms. Everhart," Peter suddenly said walking up to his mentor and the reporter making sure to stand next to Tony, "I'm Peter Parker."

"Right, yes, this is Peter Parker," Tony said relaxing slightly as he wrapped an arm around Peter while minding his crutches. "He's my intern…and he's being interviewed…too."

Within an instant, Christine's cold stare turned into a warm smile at the teenager. "Of course, hi," she began, "how are you, Peter?" She shook hands with the teenager.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows together as he shook hands with Christine. "I-I'm good," he said, "thank you, ma'am. I'm looking forward to this interview with you."

"As am I," she said. "I'm just sorry it had to be under these circumstances…with the kidnapping and all that."

"That's okay, really," Peter said with a nervous smile. He couldn't help but be amazed at how quickly she changed her mood for him. "I was really lucky to have Mr. Stark there with me. We're a great team."

There was another slight change in her mood as she grimaced slightly at Peter giving his mentor praise. "Yes, I'm sure you were," she said. "Anyway, I just wanted to come by to see you guys and to go over some things. The plan is for Peter to go first. You each get about 5 minutes, and we'll do it after they go over the weather and traffic. I have all the questions Gardner was going to ask, but if you don't want to answer a question or if it gets to be too much, you both just say the word. And we'll move on, okay?"

"Sure, sounds easy enough," Peter said with a small smile.

"Indeed, quick and painless," Tony interjected feeling slightly more at ease.

"Mmm…" Christine said raising her eyebrows, "I'll have someone come grab you both when it's time." She then turned to Pepper, May, and Happy standing nearby. "And if your little cheer squad wants to come outside and watch, they are more than welcomed to."

"We would love to," Pepper said with a smile of her own. "Thank you." Even though she was smiling, Peter could see the tension behind it.

Peter had forgotten that the CEO of Stark Industries used to be Tony's personal assistant back in the day, so chances were that Pepper had an encounter with Tony's one-night-stands. This was without a doubt a very difficult day for both Tony and Pepper. "Oh boy…" he said to himself before looking at May and Happy.


It wasn't much longer before a staff member came back to the green room asking for Peter. He immediately felt his heart pound before Tony and May gently reassured him that he would be okay, and the staff member spoke up saying that Pepper, May, Tony, and Happy were allowed to come with them to the set, which made Peter feel more at ease.

So, they all followed the staff member to the set, and sure enough, there was a small set when they walked in. Peter recognized it as the set where they performed interviews during the morning news before he went off to school. There were two big red chairs facing each other and a table in between with the bottles of water in between them. There was also a bookcase behind the chairs. It looked like a small living room. It didn't seem so bad…so far.

"You ready?" May said coming up to him putting a hand on his shoulder getting her nephew's attention.

Peter smiled and nodded despite his pounding heart. "I think so," he said. "I just…I'm not sure about—"

"Don't worry about her," May said quickly. "Whatever happened between her and Tony is between them. If she's a professional, she won't take it out on you, and if you feel like it's too much, just say the word. We'll get you out of there as fast as we can."

"Heck, I'll even carry you out with my suit for good measure," Tony said walking up to Peter and his aunt with his crutches under each arm.

Peter chuckled. "Not sure how you can do that with your leg, but I appreciate that, guys," he said. "Thank you."

Before they could say anything else, Christine walked up to them with a smile at Peter. "You ready, Peter?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

Christine couldn't help but chuckle. "Please, call me 'Christine,'" she said. "Come on, follow me."

Peter followed the journalist all the way to the small set, and they took their places in the seats across from each other.

"Now, don't pay attention to the cameras," she said as another woman came up to her from behind and began brushing her hair and putting in the finishing touches on her make-up. "Just keep your eyes on me. We're just talking for a few minutes about what happened, okay?"

Peter cleared his throat and nodded. He then took a deep breath to ready himself. "I'm ready," he said.

Someone—a man—came up to him placing a microphone on the collar of his shirt and turned it on.

Christine gave him one last minute smile and cleared her throat. "It's almost time," she said.

"Alright, Christine," the producer shouted from where she stood near the camera, "we're going live with you in 5…4…3…2…" She pointed to the reporter signaling that she was now live on TV.

The lights got brighter until Peter could barely see the crew, May, Pepper, Tony, and Happy.

"Good morning," Christine began, "I'm Christine Everhart. Mike Gardner has the day off today. About one month ago…the country went through a very intense few days when genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark and his intern…a teenager from Queens…Peter Parker…were kidnapped by Stark's rival, Justin Hammer. We've heard from the police when they were taken and when they were finally rescued and brought home safe and sound. However, we have yet to hear from the victims themselves, but…that changes today as we will finally hear from both Tony Stark and Peter Parker themselves in this exclusive interview. Up first…is Peter Parker." She then turned to him. "Peter, thank you so much for joining me this morning."

"Thank you for having us, Christine, Peter replied. So far, so good…

"Of course," Christine replied with her smile widening, "and I have to say that I wholeheartedly commend you for coming out here this morning to talk about what I'm sure was a harrowing experience for you, especially for someone so young."

"Oh, well, thank you," he said, "but it wasn't all me. I've had a lot of support, especially from my aunt May and Mr. Stark."

Christine nodded. "So, I know we've heard reports from the police and the press," she began, "but I would like to hear…from you about what happened that night…when you and Mr. Stark were taken."

"Uh…well," Peter said taking a deep breath, "Mr. Stark and I…we went to this big gala event together. I'm his intern, so he thought it would be good experience for me to get out there and meet other scientists and all that. Ms. Potts was out of town, so Mr. Stark and I were to represent Stark Industries that night. We get there, and…everything seemed fine at first." He then paused and took a deep breath remembering how everything seemed okay that night…before those men burst in through those doors.

"Do you need a break, Peter?" Christine asked gently.

Peter took a quick look at Tony, May, Pepper, and Happy, and he could just barely see them smiling at him. So, he smiled and looked back at Christine. "Nope, I'm good, ma'am," he said. "Mr. Stark and I were sitting at a table, and then…" he was careful not to mention that tingling feeling, "these men burst into the ballroom. They…they had guns…and they told everyone to get down on the ground. I couldn't really see much of what was happening because Mr. Stark pushed me down to the ground behind the table. They then called out for the both of us…Mr. Stark and me…to come forward…or they would shoot someone."

"So, they knew exactly who they were looking for," Christine commented. "These…men…knew exactly who you were from what I saw in the video recording."

Peter nodded. "I-I was going to reveal myself to them because the leader threatened to shoot an innocent bystander," he said.

"I can…only imagine the fear you…felt in that moment," Christine interjected.

"It was scary," Peter replied, "but I had Mr. Stark with me. He protected me. He hid me under the table and told me to call for help while he revealed himself to the men, but it didn't work. They knew he had an intern…and when Mr. Stark came out alone, they grabbed him and…called out my name. They threatened to kill Mr. Stark if I didn't come out of hiding."

"I'm truly sorry, Peter," Christine said. "That must've been very hard for you. No one should ever have to make that kind of decision."

"It wasn't fun, I'm not going to lie," Peter said with a sad smile, "but…I couldn't…wouldn't let anything happen to Mr. Stark. My uncle always taught me that when you can do something, but you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you. I wasn't going to let anything happen to him, so…I revealed myself. Then they forced us out of the building into a van and took us."

"Did you have any idea where you were?"

"We were somewhere far upstate, but it was hard to tell. They put sacks over our heads and tied us up until they locked us in this room."

"How have you been coping with everything that happened during those two days?" Christine asked. "I can…I can only imagine the horror and trauma that this whole ordeal put you through."

"Well, it…it hasn't been easy," Peter said thinking back on the nightmare from just the night before. "I mean…I was scared then, and I get nightmares even now…of Hammer…and his men…waking up and…not finding Mr. Stark…" He then smiled again. "But like I've said, I've had a lot of support from my friends and family."

"I'm sure," Christine interjected.

"Yeah, especially Aunt May and Mr. Stark," he said. "I mean, both of them and Ms. Potts and Happy…I-I don't know where I would be without them. Mr. Stark and I…we depended on each other. We protected each other and…really stuck together, and we still do. As much as I hate what happened to us, it showed us how much we can rely on each other and be in each other's corners when we need it most." He smiled, but…he couldn't help but notice how Christine stiffened and clenched her jaw.

"Mmm…" she said. "Anyway, why don't you tell me about what happened with Justin Hammer?"

Peter continued to smile and nod, but he still couldn't shake the confusion over why this woman seemed to have such an aversion to Tony. It was a one-night-stand…from 9 years ago. Surely, she must be over it.


Peter's interview went extremely well. Tony was practically beaming with pride as he, May, Pepper, and Happy watched along with the crew. He couldn't get over how poised and professional the teen was. He truly was better than him. Sure enough, the interview ended, and they went to a commercial break. They all took turns congratulating Peter on a job well done, and soon enough, it was Tony's turn to be interviewed.

"You've got this, Mr. Stark," Peter said as Tony followed Christine to the set.

"Don't worry, kid," he said with a smirk. "I've been doing this for years."

"Of course, you have," Christine said as she and Tony sat down in the chairs.

Tony gave her a small nod. He wanted to do everything in his power to avoid talking to her as much as possible…to make this as quick and painless as possible.

"Alright, Christine," the producer said suddenly, "we're back with you in…5…4…3…2…" she pointed at them signaling Christine to begin.

"Welcome back," Christine said to the camera. "Once again, I'm Christine Everhart covering for Mike Gardner on this exclusive interview. Before our commercial break, we heard from Peter Parker tell us about the night he and his mentor…former weapons manufacturer Tony Stark were kidnapped by Justin Hammer. Now, we get to hear from the man himself…Tony Stark." She then turned to Tony with the smile never leaving her face. "Mr. Stark, why did Mr. Hammer kidnap you and Peter?"

Tony couldn't help but notice that she used his old title and skipped the pleasantries. However, he figured that it was a matter of not running the segment over the time limit. So, he smiled in return. "Well, Ms. Everhart," he said, "I…I didn't know it initially, but after Peter and I were brought to his…base, Hammer told me that he wanted to get back at me for what happened at the Stark Expo…7 years ago. He wanted me to build him a new arc reactor and Iron Man suits and to sign my company over to him."

"I see," Christine said nodding, "then tell me this…if this was something that Hammer wanted you for…then why was Peter…an innocent child…kidnapped alongside you and put through such horror and trauma for two days?"

"Uh…well…" he took a deep breath, "he…uh…he actually thought Peter was my…m-my son—which he's not—and used him as a bargaining chip to…to get me to do what he wanted."

"Oh, so you're telling me that a teenager—an innocent child was put in grave danger and traumatized—probably for the rest of his life—because of you…because he simply knows you."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows together and felt his heart begin to pound. "W-What?" he asked.


Peter furrowed his eyebrows together and looked at Happy, May, and Pepper before looking back at Tony and Christine. That last question wasn't even a question, and it sounded so hostile and accusing.

"What the hell?" he whispered to himself.


"I think you heard me," Christine said with a smirk.

"Y-Yeah, but I didn't hear a question," Tony said trying his hardest to remain calm.

"Right, of course," Christine replied, "since Peter was kidnapped, put in danger, and had his life threatened for two whole days, do you ever blame yourself for that?"

"N-No, no, of course not," Tony said quickly as his heart continued to pound…and his breathing became shaky, "it…it wasn't my fault." He had to remember Peter's words from that night in the Compound and from the night before. "Hammer chose to do that. Not me…I didn't choose for that to happen."

"You might not have chosen it," Christine said coolly, "but Hammer kidnapped you both simply because he thought you two were related and wanted revenge against you…not Peter…you. Does it ever cross your mind that…maybe he would be better off if he had never met you?"

Tony clenched his jaw and fists, but he did everything in his power to remain calm as he smiled. "You know," he chuckled, "I thought we were talking about the whole thing where Peter and I were kidnapped."

"We are," Christine said with the smirk leaving her face, "so my question stands: does it ever cross your mind that…maybe…Peter would be better off if he had never met you?" She didn't even give him a chance to answer. "I mean…it seems like no matter what you do, you have enemies and disasters wherever you go…and not just with Hammer, but from being a war profiteer to being an Avenger…the attack on New York…Ultron and Sokovia…the Accords and the Civil War. Why would you pull a child down with you?"

The billionaire clenched his jaw again breathing heavily as he rubbed his left arm trying to stop the tremors. Anger at Christine and guilt swirled inside him, and he hated every minute of it. He had considered that Peter would be better off without him, but Peter chose to stay close…to continue being his intern. Perhaps, he should've pushed harder. She was in a way right. Enemies and disasters followed him everywhere. Why would he ever put Peter in harm's way like he did with Hammer? "I-I have thought of that…" Tony said shakily, "but—"

"But what?" Christine interjected. "Seems like it's an easy answer to me. Even when you claim to be all of word peace and accountability, you still seem to make a profit off war and destruction in almost every aspect of your life…especially with the people you know."

"That's not true."


Peter clenched his jaw and shook his head watching this interview. He could hear Tony's heart pounding and May and Pepper talking to the producer trying to convince her to stop the interview…to let Tony leave, but she wasn't budging. Neither was Christine. These weren't the questions that were supposed to be asked at all, and he could clearly see how uncomfortable Tony was, especially when she asked if Peter was better off without him and if it was his fault that Peter was kidnapped as well…even when the billionaire had no control over that or what Hammer did. He then saw Tony rubbing his left arm, and that was it. This interview needed to stop. He then turned to Happy.

"This is getting out of hand, Happy," he said to the forehead of security. "We have to stop this interview."

"Okay," Happy said with his own clenched jaw. He moved toward the set ready to grab Tony, but Peter quickly moved in front of him placing his hands on his chest to stop him.

"Not like that," Peter replied. He took one last look at Tony, May, and Pepper. "I have a better idea, come on." He didn't wait for Happy to respond as he immediately took off back toward the green room.

The head of security wasted no time in following Tony's intern to the green room. Thankfully, no one else was in there, so they could talk freely. "Alright, so what's the plan?" Happy asked.

"Just watch the door for now," Peter said quickly as he ran to the buffet table. "Make sure no one comes in here."

"You're not going to tell me?" Happy asked incredulously.

"Just trust me. I'll tell you as soon as I do this."

"Ugh, alright," He turned back to the door to make sure no one came into the room while Peter did…whatever he was doing at the buffet table.

Peter worked as fast as he could crushing food and pouring whatever mushy food and liquid he could find and mixing it together in a cup. Once he was satisfied, he grabbed the cup and turned to Happy. "Okay, done," he said with a smile.

"Okay, so what's the better idea, kid?" Happy asked as he walked over to Peter.

"This," Peter said simply. Then…he made a retching noise…as he threw the mistake onto Happy's clothes. It took everything in Peter's power not to burst out laughing at Happy's shocked face. All he could do was smile. He had to focus on helping Tony.

"What the f—"

Peter wasted no time in turning Happy around and pushing him out the door. Once Happy was not, he turned to Peter clearly still not understanding what the plan was. Then Peter continued to smile and gave Happy a thumbs up…before continuing to make retching sounds.

It was at that moment that Happy finally understood what the plan was and smiled before running back to the set while Peter poured the rest of the contents out of the cup on the floor and on his hand, as he sat on the floor near the couch continuing to dry heave.

"Hurry, Happy," Peter thought to himself.


Happy ran back to the set as fast as he could, and he could see the interview was still going. That was going to make the result even better. He ran past the crew…past May and Pepper, who were still talking to the producer…and straight to Tony.

"Tony! Tony!" Happy called out as he ran up to the set completely ignoring Christine.

Tony looked and saw his head of security running over to him looking panicked…and his suit had…God knew what on it. His eyebrows furrowed together. "Hap, what are you—?"

"Excuse me," Christine interjected to Happy, "we're in the middle of an interview."

"Not my problem, lady," Happy retorted. He turned back to Tony. "Tony, you have to come with me quick. It's Peter. He's really sick."

Tony felt his heart drop to his stomach as he quickly stood up trying to not put too much pressure on his injured leg. "What?" he asked. How could Peter be so sick all of a sudden? He seemed fine all morning. Did they all miss something?

"What?" May and Pepper asked in unison.

"Where is he?" May asked looking around realizing that Peter was nowhere to be seen.

"He's back in the green room," Happy replied. "We got to get him home. He's running a fever and throwing up. It's pretty bad."

"Okay," Tony said grabbing his crutches, "let's—"

"Excuse me!" Christine interjected louder this time. "You can't leave! We're not done yet."

"Oh, we're done," Pepper said firmly. "Tony, let's go."

Tony couldn't help but feel a huge weight being lifted off his chest. He hated that Peter was so sick, but he was also relieved that Pepper gave him the chance to leave. He then turned to Christine as he adjusted his crutches under his arms. "Sorry, my fiancée and sick intern say otherwise, so…bye!" He practically ran off the set before turning back to her. "Oh, by the way, for someone who's so concerned about an innocent child's mental health, you seem really concerned about his physical health, too." He didn't even bother to stay to hear what Christine had to say as he took off with May, Pepper, and Happy toward the green room.

He and May were the first to arrive as he opened the door, and sure enough, there was Peter retching and dry heaving against the couch with a puddle that matched the one on Happy's suit on the floor in front of him. His heart broke seeing the teenager looking so sick. He didn't bother to question how Peter could've gotten so sick so quickly. All he knew in that moment was that Peter needed them and that he needed to be brought home. "Peter!" Tony said as he and May got down on the floor on either side of him.

"Oh, baby, are you okay?" May asked as she took Peter's face in between her hands to get a better look at him. "What happened?"

"I-I'm sorry…" Peter said before retching again. "I…I don't…know w-what happened. I…I just felt queasy all of a sudden, and then I…I couldn't hold it in…I'm sorry…I threw up on Happy…and…and the floor."

"Hey, hey, sweetheart, it's okay," Pepper said as she got down on her knees in front of Peter. "It was an accident."

"No reason to be sorry," Tony added placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. "It's all good. We're going to take you home, now, okay?"

"O-Okay," Peter replied nodding weakly. Then he retched again.

May didn't dare to waste another second as she began to help Peter to his feet. "Okay, let's go," she said. "Tony, help me get him up."

No other words were spoken as Tony and May worked together to guide Peter back up to his feet and out of the green room with Happy and Pepper in the lead. May kept her arm wrapped around Peter the entire time while Tony hobbled beside them with his crutches in case Peter fell. They walked down the hallway away from the set…away from her…and they were making their way toward the elevator when…

"Mr. Stark!" a voice called out from behind stopping them all in their tracks.

They all turned around only to see that it was the producer frantically walking toward them. "Please, if we could just—"

"Sorry, need to get my intern home," Tony said. "He's not feeling well." With that, they turned around and resumed walking…despite the producer's pleas for them to come back, and Tony refused to do just that. If the press or whoever had any problem with him leaving in the middle of an interview, he didn't care. Peter needed him, May, Happy, and Pepper the most now, and that was all that mattered.


Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnnnnd that's all for now, boys and girls! So this chapter ended up being really long, so I had to split it up into two parts. Part 2 will come in CHAPTER 23, and that's pretty much where we'll get the reactions and Tony and Peter have a conversation toward the end! I hope you all enjoyed it! And I will see you guys in Part 2, which I'm almost done with! Don't forget to leave a review! Thanks, guys!

OH! Also, shout out to my bestie, Superherotiger, for making an amazing banner for this fic! You can find it on Tumblr and here in the cover for the story!