A/N: Welcome back! I hope you all enjoy the chapter and sorry it isn't as long as the first one. It's hard with school and stuff to get a consistent schedule, but I'll try. :)

Tuesday, September 17

8:01am

"Boss?" FRIDAY's voice floated into the lab, waking Tony. He was lying face-down on some papers, and empty mug of coffee in his hands.

"Yeah," he groaned. "Yeah?"

"Peter was not at school yesterday and has yet to show up today. You asked me to report when this happened?"

"Yes. I did… thanks. I'll get on it." He dragged himself up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He had to at least try to look presentable.

Deciding to go to the apartment alone, Tony hopped into his favorite Ferrari and sped over. When he got there, he put on a hat and sunglasses. Not like the car was inconspicuous or anything, but he had to try and hide from the media or Pep would yell at him.

The metal steps creaked as he walked up to the 3rd floor. The complex wasn't horrible, but it was no penthouse. Rat droppings and random stains littered the carpet. Tony made a mental note to call someone about that.

He knocked on Apt. 301 and waited, again plastering on his Tony Stark Smile. No one answered. He raised his fist up to the door again, but before he knocked a voice called from behind, "It's not worth it, trust me."

Tony spun around to face a brown paper bag. Actually it was a person, but they were carrying so many groceries that the bags completely covered their face.

"Whoa, let me help you there," he said, lifting a few bags from their arms. When he did this, it revealed a woman's face.

She was young and pretty, with long black hair tied into a bun and small circular glasses perched on her petite nose. She did the usual when she made eye contact with him: Gaped for a moment. Recollecting herself, she scrambled for keys.

"Thanks! You're Tony Stark…"

"That I am," he nodded and grinned.

"Well… I'm May Miriam. Not to be rude but… exactly what are you doing here of all places?" She slid her key into Apt. 303, right across from Peter's, and hip-checked the door open.

"I'm here to see Peter Parker… he works at my internship."

She flicked on the light and gestured for him to come in. "Oh right! He told me about that!" Setting the bag down with a thud, she bustled around the kitchen and tidied up a few cups.

"You know the kid?" Tony walked in slower, taking in the small space. It was really clean, a stark contrast to the hallway, with white couches and neutral-toned pillows.

"Oh yeah! Peter's lived there for… I don't know… 6 or 7 years? He comes over and has tea sometimes."

He set down his collection of bags on the counter. "Before… you said it's not worth it… what did you mean?"

May sighed and rubbed her head. "You should sit down. Anything to drink?" Tony shook his head and wandered over to the couch area. She joined him, a water glass of her own in hand.

"I'm sure you know Angela," she said, pursing her lips. "Every month she shuts the door, locks it. No one comes in or out of that apartment… but that's not even the weirdest part."

"What is?"

"I don't hear a sound. Not anything. I mean, other times of the month, I hear her… yelling or something. I've hear doors slam and you know… house things. But not these days. Nothing." May shook her head, sighing again.

"Can't we call the cops or something? That has to be illegal."
"Not technically… I mean, it's all circumstantial, Mr. Stark. I don't know if they could do anything. And Angela's his legal guardian… she has the right to excuse him from school."

He let out a frustrated grunt. "There's really nothing I can do?"

She looked down at her water sadly. "All we can do is wait."

Monday, September 16

5:03am

Yesterday

"How many people?" Her voice was sharp and clear, like a bell. "How many people?"

"I-I don't know, ma'am," Peter cowered, ashamed at how scared he was. It shouldn't be like this. He was Spider-Man! And she was his… mom. What would his dad say if he hurt her?

"Three, Peter. And how many did we agree on?" He lowered his head. "I said how many did we agree on?"

"None, Angela." As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, he regretted them. She hated it when he called her Angela. It was either mom or ma'am. Her arm came flying out of nowhere, landing on his cheek with a heavy thud. She may have looked small, but Angela had served for 4 years overseas. She could pack a punch.

Admittedly, that one would not have normally hurt Peter very much. But he happened to have gotten in a fight with some criminals last night, and they left him a little bruised. Plus, he hadn't eaten last night.

Angela seemed to compose herself. She sucked in a breath and fixed Peter with another glare. "That's right. We agreed on none. And yet… you allowed three. Again. We've talked about this. I thought we had talked about this!" Realizing she was yelling, she glanced around at the walls, wary of neighbors.

Angela's cool voice dropped. "I have to punish you, Peter. It's because I love you… It's so you learn…." she sighed. "You know the drill," she hissed. "I'll be back in three days. And if you even think about breaking any of the rules..." She didn't have to finish. He knew.

Grabbing her usual supplies, his step-mom marched out, shooting him another disappointed frown. This time, the apartment door shut softly. The neighbors were asleep after all.

Peter wished he had eaten last night.

Thursday, September 19

3:06pm

"So kid... where you been the past couple days? I stopped by on Tuesday, but no one answered." This was Tony's way of trying to find out something, but not make it obvious. He didn't want to freak Peter out again.

"Oh… just a family trip with Ang- my mom," he said, cringing a little. Tony nodded and decided not to push the subject.

"Sounds fun," he said carefully. "Let's get to work, kiddo."

Peter jumped up from the chair, excited by the change of subject. His mind swirled as he did this and dizziness overcame him. Peter pressed a hand to his head and leaned on the table. His stomach cramped, his muscles suddenly aching and trembling.

"So I was thinking that we could start with the molecular-" Tony stopped when he heard the thud. It sounded like-

"Peter!" The kid was in a pile on the floor, groaning. Tony ran over to him and crouched down. "Hey, bud… you doin' ok? What's the matter?"

Peter tried to shake the darkness from his vision. He struggled to sit up, but he was just so tired. Everything felt slow and pointless. He just wanted to sleep.

Vaguely, he remembered someone calling for a doctor… but he didn't have the motivation to remember who.

"FRIDAY! Get the med team in here! Now!" Tony lifted Peter by his neck trying to get a response. "Peter? Hey, bud, hang in there." Now that he thought about it, the kid was really pale. And skinny…

"Jeez… do you even eat?" He whispered to himself as the door banged open. A doctor scurried in, leaning over Peter with a concerned face. Tony recognized her as Dr. Marzian. The woman felt the kid's head and chest, and then placed her hand to his neck, checking his pulse.

"What happened?" She asked, looking at Tony in the eye.

"I-I don't know… he just collapsed… his arms were shaking… I don't know."

She nodded and picked Peter up, carrying him to a gurney by the door. Tony had a thought about how strong she was, but he had more pressing matters.

"I'm pretty sure that he has been underfed, but I'll have to run some tests. Either way, I need to get him up to the Med Bay immediately and get him on an IV. Does he have someone you can call? A parent or guardian?"

"Uh… yeah. I can call someone," Tony said.

Thursday, September 19

3:37pm

"Oh my gosh, Mr. Stark! What happened?" May dashed over to him, a dark brown purse clutched in her hands. She was still wearing her scrubs from the hospital. "And why did you call me?"

He grabbed her arm and began to lead her to the elevator. "The doctor said he's fine… just not eating enough. I couldn't call Angela, could I?" She put a hand to her mouth and gasped.

"Not eating…" the rest of the way to Peter's room was quiet. May sat in a shocked silence and Tony was lost in thought.

Underfed? Peter was the strongest 16-year-old in all of Queens. He couldn't just not eat. That would have twice the effect on him than an average teen. Also, he was Spider-Man! Couldn't he just swing to a McDonald's or something? Tony didn't understand.

When they got to Peter's room, May stopped outside the door. "Should I even be here? I mean, I'm just his neighbor…"

"Come on, May. He cares about you, he talks about you all the time! He needs you right now." She nodded.

"Okay… okay." She grabbed her purse tighter and walked in.

A/N: Thanks for reading! And thanks to all of you who followed and favorited. ;)

REVIEWS:

Belbelanne: Thanks! Me too.

Elizabeth357: Surprise! She is in the story! Haha, I always planned to add her in, so here you go!

xSapphirexRosesxFanx: Sadly, I can't tell you yet. :) You'll just have to wait and find out.

See you all next time!

-katilange