Author's Note: Hello, readers! Welcome back to Raise Me Up! Once again, I had this all typed up, so I decided to post it a little earlier than I anticipated. Once I get further into the story, I'll probably keep to weekly updates, but for now, I figured "you know what? It's typed and ready, why not?" So this is CHAPTER 3! And Tony really comes onto the scene in this chapter! I really hope you all enjoy it! But…before we get to the chapter…REVIEW REPLIES!

xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Yes, poor Peter, but don't worry, Tony is coming to the rescue!

Konoewpl: Thank you so much! I'm really glad you like it so far!

Writer-at-Heart0: Thank you! Hope you continue to love it!

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


Chapter 3

Tony couldn't remember the last time he ran so fast. Sure, he ran into battle as Iron Man, but that mostly involved flying. As soon as he hung up the phone with Peter, he got on the phone with Happy asking him…or rather demanding that he get the car ASAP to get to Mount Sinai Queens Hospital. They needed to get to Peter right away. With the papers in his pocket, he ran down to the garage to meet Happy with the car, and then he got on the phone with his fiancée Pepper.

"Tony, what is it?" Pepper asked with sleep in her voice when she picked up the phone. She was away on a business trip, and was coming home early tomorrow morning, which made Tony feel even worse for calling her so late in the evening.

"I'm so sorry for waking you up," Tony replied quickly as Happy drove from the tower, "but I need you to get in touch with our lawyer and May Parker's lawyer."

"W-Why?" Pepper asked as she woke up a little more clearly a little perplexed that Tony was asking for her to call their lawyer…and May's lawyer in the middle of the night. "What's going on?"

"Peter just called me," Tony replied. "I don't have time to get into details, but he and May were in a car accident tonight, and…May…" he took a shaking breath, "she…she didn't make it."

"Oh my god," Pepper said in shock as she sat up in bed. "What about Peter? Is he okay?"

"Happy and I are on our way to get him at the hospital," Tony replied. "There's a social worker there with him ready to put him in the system, so I got the paperwork from a few months ago."

"Oh god…okay, do what you need to do and get to him," Pepper instructed. "I'll call Larry and May's lawyer. See if the social worker would be willing to meet up tomorrow morning."

Tony felt some relief wash over him hearing the command in Pepper's voice. It was one of the million reasons why he made her the CEO of Stark Industries to begin with. "You're a life saver, Pep," he finally said relaxing somewhat. He would feel more relaxed once he had Peter beside him.

"I try," she said. She then paused. "Tony…things are going to be different from now on."

"I know," Tony said running a hand through his hair. "I'm honestly surprised that I'm not having an attack right now."

Pepper couldn't help but smile hearing the nervousness in his voice. "You're a lot stronger than you think," she said. "Pete's going to need you more than ever now, and Happy, Rhodey, Vision, and I will support you in any way."

"Thanks, honey," Tony whispered trying to push the nerves down. "Let me know what happened with the lawyers."

"Of course. Call me when you get back to the tower."

"Will do. I love you."

"I love you, too."


Tony barely had a chance to thank Happy and to tell him to wait in the car as he practically bolted out of the car and ran into the lobby of the Emergency Room. He mentally cursed himself for not asking Peter what wing or room he was in, but as soon as he ran in, he saw the receptionist staring him with widened eyes.

"Excuse me," he said completely ignoring the shocked look on the woman's face, "I'm Tony Stark. I'm looking for Peter Parker…15 years old…brown hair…brown eyes…yay high…he came in here after getting in an accident with his aunt May Parker." Tony didn't show it, but he couldn't help but marvel at how he's known the kid for almost a year and Peter was rubbing off on him.

"O-Oh yes…yes, M-Mr. Stark," the receptionist finally said, "the social worker…she said that you would be coming. They're in room 206, and I believe the doctor is just about to clear him."

"Great, thank you," Tony replied quickly. He practically sprinted to the elevator pushing the button to go up aggressively before the doors finally opened. His heart pounded as he jumped in and pushed the button to go to the second floor. His nervousness increased tenfold when the elevator finally opened to the floor as he clutched the paperwork in his hands, but he refused to let it cripple him now…when Peter needed him to come through. He refused to let this kid down on what was probably the worst night of his young life as he ran down the hall to find the room 206.

Finally, he found room 206 and didn't hesitate to open the door not even bothering to knock. There, he found Peter sitting on a bed with…May…lying very still…and the social worker sitting in a chair across from Peter as if to prevent him from going anywhere. Peter clearly heard him come in as he suddenly looked up allowing the veteran superhero to see his bloodshot eyes…and…the gauze around his head…a clear indication that he had been hurt in the accident as well. However, Tony quickly realized that Peter didn't even mention that, but that didn't matter right now. He needed to focus on the kid…his mentee.

"Aw, kid…" Tony trailed off as he stood there letting the door close behind him. He didn't know what to say for once.

"M-Mr. Stark…" Peter replied as he watched his mentor walk over to him feeling even more relief. He couldn't believe it! Tony actually came for him!

"Hey, buddy," Tony said as he crouched down in front of Peter with concern etched all over his face. He gripped Peter's elbows searching the boy for any other injuries. "Are you…I mean…are you…?"

"It's just my head, don't worry," Peter quickly replied. The teenaged superhero was able to see that his mentor was wearing an AC/DC shirt and jeans instead of a suit and sunglasses. It was pretty obvious that Tony had been working in the lab when he called, and Peter wanted to apologize for making the man come all the way to the hospital. However, he didn't have the energy to do so.

"Mr. Stark," a voice suddenly said interrupting the conversation. Tony looked up and saw the social worker mentally kicking himself for forgetting she was there, "my name is Danielle Walker. I'm the social worker. Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Tony quickly replied shaking her hand.

"Why don't we step outside for a moment?" Mrs. Walker suggested. "There are some things I would like to discuss with you."

Tony nodded before turning his attention back to Peter. "Hey, kiddo, I need to step out into the hall with Ms. Walker here, but I'm going to be right back, okay?"

"Okay," Peter replied quietly.

Tony patted him on the knee before standing up and out into the hallway with the social worker closing the door…leaving Peter alone to the silence in the room.


Tony made sure to stand near the little window on the door to keep an eye on Peter. He hated the idea of leaving him alone, but the social worker probably figured it would be easier to not let Peter to listen to it, which was understandable considering what he just went through.

"So…what happened?" Tony finally asked. "What's going on?"

"Well, like Peter said over the phone," Mrs. Walker began, "he and his aunt were in a car accident this evening. Apparently, they had a green light in an intersection, and another driver ran through a red light and crashed into them. Mrs. Parker passed away during surgery."

"Jesus…" Tony muttered shaking his head. He could imagine May and Peter sitting in that car together thinking that they were just going home after seeing a movie, and the night took a turn for the worst in a split second. It painfully reminded him of the night his parents died…how they were going to go away for the holiday…only to meet their horrible fate at the hands of…Tony clenched his fists at the mere thought of that man.

"And Peter told me that May Parker was his last living relative," the social worker continued. "So, I must ask, what exactly is your relationship with him?"

"I'm his mentor," Tony said looking Peter in the room quickly before turning back to Mrs. Walker. "He did an internship for me a while back, and we've been keeping in touch since then." It wasn't a complete lie. Other than the whole ordeal regarding Peter being Spider-Man, he and Peter had been spending time together, getting to know one another, and getting into some crazy adventures ever since the Vulture incident. However, he could still tell the social worker found it somewhat odd that a billionaire like himself would bother to keep in touch with one teenager. Then again, she hadn't gotten to know Peter yet. "So, what exactly happens now?"

"Well, given that he's a minor and does not have any next of kin or a legal guardian as far as we know, he will need to be placed in a foster ho—"

Tony didn't even bother to let her finish that thought. "Actually, I wasn't asking about that," he said crossing his arms. "I was asking what happens in the process…to…become his legal guardian."

For a brief moment, Mrs. Walker stared at him with widened eyes clearly not expecting the Tony Stark to ask about becoming the guardian of a minor he met months ago through an internship. However, she managed to recover from the shock with a smile. "Mr. Stark, I understand you know the child," she began, "but I already have some families who would love to—"

"No, no, you don't understand," Tony quickly replied trying to keep his emotions in check. He needed to remain calm for Peter, especially after the night he had. "His aunt…uhh…a few months ago," he took the envelope out of his pocket presenting it to her, "May Parker changed her will, so that…I would be named as Peter's legal guardian if anything were to happen."

Mrs. Walker eyed the veteran superhero as she took the papers from him and unfolded them reading it closely. She was able to see that it was in fact a copy of May's will and turned to the page that stated that the care of Peter Parker would be left to Tony Stark in the event that May was no longer able to provide for her nephew.

It felt like an eternity before she finally looked back up at Tony. "I see," she simply said before continuing, "and do you know of anyone who can verify this and act as an executor? I can't just simply hand Peter over to you."

"My fiancée is calling our lawyer and May's lawyer as we speak," Tony replied using all of his strength to remain calm and not make any jokes. "They all witnessed us signing the will and can verify it and answer any questions you might have. Peter needs someone he's familiar with…someone he could trust. He doesn't need to go into the system. I can take him home with me tonight, and my fiancée and I will gladly meet with you and the lawyers tomorrow to sign any paperwork that needs to be signed."

Mrs. Walker crossed her arms and bit her lip in contemplation. Usually, these situations ended with the child going with her to CPS. It never ended with the child in question calling a billionaire, for whom he did an internship a while ago, and said billionaire claiming that the child's aunt named him as a guardian. Why would Tony Stark be here if this child didn't mean something to him?

"Please," Tony whispered. He could feel his heart pounding. For someone who was used to making things happen, the veteran superhero had never felt more nervous and helpless. He wanted more than anything to be able to fulfill May's dying wish and to take her orphaned nephew home, but if this social worker refused to comply…the thought of failing May and Peter…on top of the thought of possibly never seeing Peter again—after everything they had been through…done and seen together…made Tony sick to his stomach.

Mrs. Walker gave him a small smile. "Very well," she finally replied. "Tomorrow at 8AM, we can meet at CPS, and if all goes well, you can be granted temporary guardianship until a court hearing can be scheduled."

"Absolutely," Tony replied with a huge smile on his face. "We'll be there." Relief coursed through his body.

"And not for nothing, but I do think the fact that he thought to call you speaks volumes of how much he trusts you," she said. "We can talk to his doctor and get his release papers signed, and then you'll be free to take him for the night."

"Hopefully, for longer than that after tomorrow…" Tony thought to himself.

"Perfect," Tony said quickly, "and you have my word: you will see us in your office tomorrow."

"Good," Mrs. Walker took out a small card, "and here is my card with all my contact info and the address to the office. If you need anything before tomorrow, you can reach out."

"Much appreciated," Tony replied as he took the card from her. He used one of his famous Tony Stark smiles. "I can tell you really care about your job and these kids."

"It's what I do, Mr. Stark," she replied with a small smile. "Now, shall we get back to Peter?"

"Absolutely," Tony replied. He wasted no time in opening the door to walk back in with the social worker following him inside. "Hey, buddy, I told you I'd be back."

Peter looked at Tony and the social worker as if he was trying to figure out just what they were talking about. "So…what's…I mean…" he tried to say before Tony sat in the chair across from him.

"I know what you're going to ask," Tony said holding a hand up to stop Peter, "and I promise, we'll talk more about that tomorrow. Right now, we're just going to talk to the doctor, sign some papers, and get you all set, and then we'll head home. You need some sleep."

Peter didn't even bother to question as to whether Tony was talking about the apartment or his penthouse in the Avengers Tower. He could only nod accepting that he and Tony would talk tomorrow. "Okay," Peter finally said. "Thanks, Mr. Stark."

"You bet, kid."


Author's Note: Annnnnd that's all for the third chapter, guys! I hope you all enjoyed it! Yes, May planned for Tony to be Peter's back-up guardian just to be safe! We'll just have to see how they handle this new change! And I will see you all in the next chapter! Thanks again, guys!