Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait for an update. Life has been a bit busy, but I'm still plugging away! I hope you guys enjoy!
Pepper just happened to be at the New York location when Tony made his call. Normally Tony was the one to cancel meetings at a moment's notice and take care of situations, but now it was her turn. Pepper was quick to clear the rest of her day, and she was soon heading towards the compound. Within two and a half hours, she had arrived.
When she had talked to Tony, it was clear that he was very distressed. Pepper knew how sensitive Tony was with issues like these, and now to be thrusted in one...she couldn't imagine what he was going through. By the time she pulled into the compound it was almost six o'clock at night, and it was starting to get dark.
"Friday, where's Tony?" the CEO asked as soon as she entered the building through the garage entrance.
"Boss is in his bedroom. He has not left since he called you," the trusty AI responded.
"Oh Tony," Pepper sighed as she hugged her jacket close to her body and proceeded towards the stairs that seperated the business part of the compound with the living quarters. As she rounded the corner, though, she nearly ran headfirst into a large man who was headed in the opposite direction.
"Pepper?"
"Oh my God, Steve!" The woman said, pressing her palm against her chest as she tried to collect herself. She was clearly not expecting to run into anyone. "Tony said you were here," She said after a moment of catching her breath.
"You talked to Tony?" Steve asked, his head cocking to the side like some sort of golden retriever.
"Yeah...he called me a few hours ago. He seemed really upset," Pepper explained as she looked the man up and down. It had been a long time since she had seen Steve. And honestly, if this were any other time, she might have a few choice words for him. But the woman deemed that this was not in the right moment. The one thing Pepper noticed, though, was how rough the man looked. "You look awful Steve," Pepper muttered. "When was the last time you slept?"
"Both you and Tony are so concerned about my sleep schedule," Steve said with a tired laugh as he shook his head.
"It's because you look like crap," Pepper blurted out.
"Yeah well...I was going to get some rest but Peter was having a hard time being away from Tony so I stayed with him for a few hours till he fell asleep." Steve explained.
"Is Peter Tony's son?" Pepper hesitantly asked.
"Tony told you about him...about the situation?"
"Vaguely," Pepper said as she adjusted her grip on the coat she was holding. "All he said was that you had found his son in some sort of secret lab I guess." Pepper lulled into silence for a moment before looking up at Steve. "How old is he?" the woman then suddenly asked.
"According to the records, he's three," Steve said as he shifted from side to side. "He's pretty sharp for a three-year-old though. Do you want to see him?" Steve asked as he pointed behind his shoulder with his thumb.
"No," Pepper hummed thoughtfully. "Not now. I'll let Tony do that when he's ready. Thanks for the offer though," She said with a smile. "You should get some rest though, seriously," She said, cocking a single eyebrow.
"I will, in a little bit. There were some teenage girls that we found too. I contacted their parents when we got back here and they just arrived about an hour ago. I'm just going to get some extra pillows and blankets from the guest rooms...they want to be with their daughters after all." Steve explained.
"Steve Rogers. Always the gentleman," Pepper hummed, a small smile on her face. "Well, I'll let you go then. But get some sleep when you're done. That's an order soldier," Peter said.
"Thanks Pepper," the bearded man said with a tired smile before stepping to the side to let her pass.
The woman pressed her lips together in a fine line and gave a slight smile as she nodded and moved around Steve. She only looked over her shoulder once as she continued down the hall, but Steve was gone when she did so.
Soon Pepper was at Tony's bedroom door. She paused at the entrance, not really sure what was going to happen in the following moments, but prepared herself for anything.
"Tony?" Pepper called softly as she knocked on the door before opening it slowly. As the door swung open, the first thing she saw was Tony, sitting on the bed with his back leaning against the headboard of the bed. He had a black t shirt on and Pepper assumed he had sweats on, but it was hard to see as the sheets covered his legs. "Tony?" Pepper asked again as she closed the door to the dimly lit room, but the inventor didn't respond. He seemed too wrapped up in whatever he was looking at on his Stark-Pad. Pepper let out a heavy sigh and made her way to the edge of the bed.
Now that she had the chance, she could see that Tony was staring at a picture of a couple. The screen was split and one picture was of both of them, while the other side was zoomed in on the womans face. Pepper eyed the picture as she closed in on the bed. Kicking off her heels, she sat on the edge of the bed next to Tony and laid a hand on the man's arm.
"They are still classified as missing," Tony muttered, not even looking up at Pepper. "Their family has no idea what has happened to them and it sucks because I have to give them the news that their loved ones are dead." Tony said, his words having a little bit of a bite to them.
"Who…" Pepper began as she looked at the picture before turning her head to look down at Tony. She paused for a moment, the wheels turning in her head before she spoke again. "Were they in the place? The Lab?"
"They were at one point," Tony said flatly. "Long gone before Steve got there though." There was a pregnant pause as Pepper tried to decide what to say to Tony, but the man continued to speak before Pepper could say anything. "Mary Fitzpatrick Parker. The mother of my son," Tony muttered, still looking at the screen.
Pepper's eyes widened and she turned to look back at the screen for a moment. She had suspicions, but Tony only confirmed that. The woman's eyes scanned Mary's face on the screen. She looked so happy in that picture. She had a kind smile and her honey brown eyes had a sense of knowing as they stared back. Pepper had never meet this woman, but she knew that she was smart and witty, and would probably give Tony a run for his money.
"Did you locate her family?" Pepper asked as she reassuringly squeezed Tony's shoulder.
"She doesn't have any. Both her mother and father are dead, no siblings, no aunts or uncles. And the only family I could find for her husband was his brother and wife. Other than those two, he has the same story," Tony said as he scrubbed his face with one of his hands before looking up at Pepper. "I don't...I don't know if I can do this...do that...call them and tell them that-"
"Don't worry about that right now," Pepper soothed as she took her hand and ran it through Tony's damp hair. (He had definitely taken a shower) "I'll take care of it," She said and with that Tony was leaning into the woman, pressing his forehead against her midsection.
"Thank you," Tony said, his voice shaking slightly. Pepper just hummed as she continued to run her hands through Tony's hair. "I'm a bad father," Tony suddenly muttered. "I promised Peter I would be back as soon as I woke up from a nap...and I've been awake for hours, just hiding out in here," Tony huffed, his voice wavering even more.
Pepper didn't even know what to say. She had seen Tony in almost every mood and situation, but this was definitely a new one for her. She wasn't sure how to react.
"Well," She said carefully. "If it helps any, I ran into Steve. He said he had stayed with Peter till he fell asleep," Pepper said. Tony only let out a huff and shook his head.
"He's not even the kids father and he's willing to be with him, even if he's exhausted," Tony grumbled.
"Tony," Pepper said in a warning tone. "You needed sleep too. It's not like anyone is going to blame you for-"
"Peter will," Tony interjected. "I promised Peter I would be there, and I'm not. Pepper," Tony said, almost pleading as he said her name. "That kid was depending on me and I let him down. If I can't even be there for him...If I can't...God. Pepper, I'm screwing things up already."
"Tony Stark," Pepper warned. "Do not do this to yourself," She said as she pulled away and tilted Tony's head up so that he was looking at her. "There was no way you could be prepared for this. It's okay for you to struggle. It's okay for you to feel like you don't know what you're doing, and it's okay to feel scared. That's why you have me, Happy, and Rhody. And that was all Steve was trying to do. He was trying to be there for you. I know things are really messed up between you two. But I really do think that he still cares for you. And if-"
"But Peter. He's depending on me!" Tony said quickly, trying to desperately get the subject off of Steve. He would rather die than proceed down that road.
"Tony." Pepper hummed as she added pressure to her hands to let Tony know that she meant business. "He is a little boy. I'm sure he is just as scared as you. But he can't understand what others are feeling and needing right now. And if he can't do that...there is no way he is going to hold a grudge towards you because you didn't come when you said you would."
"You don't know that Pepper," Tony said dryly as he just blinked at the woman. "He's so smart and he's scared and-"
"That is enough Tony Stark," Pepper warned one more time as she let go of Tony's head. "I'm done trying to deal with your self pity. You can either accept that you make mistakes, forgive yourself, and move on, or I will just go back to New York." Tony's eyes widened and he bit his lip as he looked down at his lap.
"Okay," the inventor huffed quietly as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck. "Do you want to see him?" Tony then asked as he looked back up at Pepper.
"Only if you want me to," Pepper said with a kind smile. - And that was how the two ended up walking towards the medical wing.
As they walked through the front doors, the first thing that Tony noticed was the quiet voices coming from the room down the hall. The two approached as as Tony got closer he noticed that it was Bailey's room. The door was slightly open and the lights were dimmed. On further inspection, Tony saw that there were four other people in the room, spread out over chairs that were turned into makeshift beds. Tony figured they were Bailey's family, and he was about to just walk on and leave them alone, but the girl locked eyes with Tony and a wide smile crossed her face.
"Mr. Stark!" The young girl said as tony walked by the door, only to backpedal quickly. As he did so, he could hear some shuffling around in the room and before Tony could fully open the door, it was opened for him. A man in his mid fifties stood before him. He looked like an absolute wreck, but he had a wide grin on his face.
"Mr. Stark," the man said with wide eyes as he extended his arm forward. "My name is Russell, and this is my wife, Lynette," the man said as a woman appeared at his side. "We're Bailey's parents. We- We can't thank you enough. F-For brining our daughter back to us," Russell said as tears began to fall down his face.
Tony took the man's hand and gave a firm handshake before he walked into the room so that he could see the two adults better, as well as Bailey and the other occupants. Pepper simply stood in the doorway and watched.
"There is no reason to thank me," Tony said as he let go of Russell's hand and put both of his hands up in a defensive position. "I hardly did anything. If there is anyone you should be thanking, it's Captain Rogers," Tony said as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his black sweatpants.
"Oh we have," Lynette said with a small laugh. "He was here when we arrived. But don't sell yourself short Mr. Stark," the woman said as she gave Tony a smile. "Because without you our daughter wouldn't be getting such exceptional care...and she's safe. So Thank you Mr. Stark." The mother said, doing her best not to cry like her husband was now doing.
"If there is anything we can do to repay you. Anything at all. Please, let us know," Russell interjected, causing Tony to let out a small laugh.
"The only thing I want you to do is stay with your daughter. Don't worry about money, don't worry about how long it will take for a recovery. She, and your family, can stay as long as needed. There are guest bedrooms down the hall, and if you're hungry, I have a fully stocked kitchen that is for your use. If you have any questions my staff will be happy to help you." Tony said with a small smile. "We'll need to have a debriefing with your family about what happened to you daughter…" Tony said as he looked over at Bailey, who still had that smile on her face. "But I'm sure you have an idea. We'll also need to have a conversation about the future of that baby. But we'll do that at a later date," Tony said before moving to the edge of the bed where he patted on of the girl's feet. "You hanging in there Kiddo?" Tony asked.
"I sure am. Thank you Mr. Stark," Bailey said. "Thank you for bringing my family here. I can't thank you enough," the blonde hummed.
"Like I said, it's no problem. I just want you to get better, okay?" Tony said as he turned to look at everyone else in the room. He now noticed that there were two younger boys asleep in the chairs. Both were in their early teens, if not younger, and Tony figured that they were Bailey's brothers.
"It was nice to meet you," Tony said as he turned back to Russell and Lynette before backing towards the doorway. "You have a very brave daughter," Tony said before giving a quick wave. "Have a good night everyone," Tony said and then exited the room. But not before he heard a wave of "thank you"s coming from the room.
Now that Tony was back out in the dim hallway with only Pepper, he let out a shaky breath, his head dipping slightly. It was clear that the interaction he had just had made him more than a little stressed.
"You did good," Pepper said with a kind smile as she put a hand on Tony's back. And from there, they moved on in silence. They passed another room where Tony saw another family through the window. Tony assumed it was the other girls family, but didn't want to bother them, so he chose to continue on. As Tony rounded the corner, he saw that there was a figured asleep on a couch that was in a small waiting room next to the wing that Tony was about to enter. And who could it be but Steve Rogers.
He was out cold, still in his rogue Captain America uniform, and Tony couldn't help but think that it must be very uncomfortable to sleep in something like that. Part of him wanted to wake the captain up, but in the end he only stared at him for a moment before moving on. Steve needed the sleep. If he was uncomfortable, he wouldn't' be sleeping so hard. Or at least that's what Tony told himself. Anything to excuse himself from interacting with Steve.
Once they were past the doors, though, the thought of Steve being there filtered away. Because now he could see the small children in each bed. All three were either asleep, or looked like they were on some sort of medication.
Tony was quick to lead Pepper over to the bed where Peter was quietly sleeping. His eyes were closed and his long lashes tickled his cheeks that were pushed up from the way he was sleeping against the pillow. Peter's face was not peaceful. In fact it was very obvious that he had been crying, and a drying wet spot from the tears was evident on Peter's shirt, but Tony tried to ignore that. And to top it all off, the Captain America plush was held tight against Peter's chest as he slept.
"Oh Tony," Pepper gasped as she peered down at the sleeping boy. "He's absolutely precious," Pepper cooed as she leaned down and gently carded her hand through the boy's choppy hair. "He looks just like you did when you were a baby," She hummed quietly.
"You never saw me when I was a baby," Tony shot back, though he too had a smile on his face.
"Well, I saw pictures," Pepper replied quickly. "Did you...pick out his name?" Pepper suddenly asked. "Or did they give him that at the lab?" She suddenly asked.
"His mother gave it to him," Tony muttered, still not taking his eyes off of Peter. "It was one of her last requests...or at least that's what it said on their files."
"Mr. Stark!" A soft voice suddenly interjected. It was the doctor on call to the medical ward. The man had been in the corner of the room at a desk when the two had entered the room, and he didn't want to disturb them right when they entered. "It's good to see you," The black haired doctor said as he extended a hand to Tony. The inventor shook it once before turning away from Peter, hoping their talking wouldn't' wake him.
"Well, thank you for coming out Dr. Lucas. Do you have a status report for us?" Tony asked.
"I do," the man said as he motioned for Tony and Pepper to follow him towards his desk. Doctor Lucas sat down in his chair and began to type things into the computer as he spoke. "All three children have a few things in common. Malnutrition, a little bit of dehydration...and worms." The doctor said, causing Tony to raise a single eyebrow. "Actually everyone who was held captive has worms. After talking with the older girls, it is my understanding that their food was delivered to them on a dirt floor that was never cleaned. Honestly it's not surprising. But all of them are are being treated for that now." Dr. Lucas said, trying to put Tony's look of panic at ease.
"Anything else?" Tony asked, hoping the doctor had looked into Peter a little more.
"The other children have a few other issues, but that's all Peter has. Physically at least." Dr. Lucas said with a small smile. Tony opened his mouth to say something but the doctor raised a hand to quiet the man down. "I looked over the blood sample that was left for me, as well as the file that they had on Peter."
"Is he enhanced like the file says?" Tony said, maybe a little too quickly.
"To a degree, yes. Like I said, I looked at the blood sample, and It looks like his DNA has been infused with something else. I'm still trying to figure it out, but it is definitely not found in humans."
"Are there any sort of side effects to something like that?" Pepper suddenly asked.
"Well…" the Doctor said as he tilted his head from side to side, the pitch of his voice going up slightly. "It honestly looks like who ever was doing this stopped in the middle of what they were doing. It's obvious that Peter has heightened senses. Especially hearing. And I'm sure when we get an optometrist in here, we can see about Peter's eyesight. But honestly, that is all I see that's enhanced. I'm not sure if other things will appear as he grows, but it does look like whatever they were doing is incomplete. I'm sure some sort of foreign material would need to be introduced into his body before the full enhancements took place. Luckily for you, I'm one of the only doctors on in the country that specialises in enhanced individuals."
"You'll keep looking into his DNA, though, right? Make sure we know what's inside of him." Tony prompted.
"Of Course," Dr. Lucas said with a nod. "I will get back to you as soon as soon as I find anything else. In the meantime, I have an optometrist and a pediatrician scheduled to come in tomorrow to look at everyone. We'll just have to go off of what we find there," the man said.
"And when can Peter get out of the medical wing?" Tony asked, his arms crossing his chest.
"We will meet with the doctores tomorrow and then make a game plan from there. If everything goes smoothly I don't know why he couldn't be out in the next two days," Dr. Lucas replied.
"Two days," Tony muttered as he scrubbed his face with a free hand. "Okay. Two days. Got it. Thanks again for your help Dr. Lucas. Just keep me in the loop, okay?" Tony said as he began to turn back towards the beds in the room.
"Will do Mr. Stark," Dr. Lucas replied.
It was nearly three in the morning, and Tony was still awake. Both he and Pepper had taken up camp next to Peter's bed. They quietly talked back and forth between each other for a good part of the night. Pepper would get all of the legal stuff sorted out so that Peter would actually exist in the eyes of the government. From there they worked out getting a room ready for Peter. Tony wasn't sure how long Peter would stay with him, but both he and Pepper thought it was a good idea to give Peter his own room. From there they talked about little things, but soon Pepper fell asleep.
From then on Tony was only left with the information Dr. Lucas had given him, in addition to his own thoughts. Ideas and worries circulated through the inventor's mind before a tiny voice pulled him out of his head.
"Tony?" the small voice said, and Tony instantly turned his head to see Peter looking up at him from the bed. He hadn't moved, or even shifted, but his eyes were definitely open.
"Hey there Pete," Tony said as he shifted in the chair so that he was leaning closer to the bed, his elbows resting on his knees. "Did you have a good sleep?" He asked.
"Yeah," Peter said with a large yawn, but didn't move other than that. "Did you?" He then asked, his big doe eyes staring into Tony's soul.
"I sure did kiddo," Tony said with a warm laugh. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm still scared," Peter muttered sleepily, "But you're back...so it's okay." Tony was so taken back by Peter's statement that he honestly didn't know what to say, and that gave time for the little boy to ask another question. "Why did you come back?" He suddenly asked.
"Oh Peter," Tony said, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart climbing out of his chest. "I would never leave you."
"But why?" the little boy asked, his eyes growing wider. "I'm not important."
"And that's where you're wrong kiddo," Tony said as he lifted a shaky hand and rested it on Peter's shoulder. "We...We are...We're connected in a lot more ways than you think." Tony was having a lot of emotions coming up and he wasn't sure if he should bring the subject up now, but before he could fully think, words were coming out of his mouth.
"Do you know what a father is Peter?" He suddenly asked.
"A father?" Peter asked, a little confused. Tony only nodded, prompting Peter to answer the question. "A father is someone who is related to a child. They share the same DNA...usually," Peter said as he blinked up at Tony.
The inventor raised a single eyebrow because, wow. That was a definition straight out of the dictionary.
"Yeah Peter, you got it right." Tony said as he nodded, trying to figure out how to get to the next question he was about to ask, but Peter beat him to it.
"Are you my father?" Peter asked, and suddenly Tony felt like he couldn't breathe.
"I-I-I-" Tony stammered as he quickly wiped his face with a hand before looking over at Peter. "Yeah Peter, I am," Tony said, cracking a nervous smile. Peter seemed to like this answer because a smile spread across his face, going from ear to ear.
"Can I call you dad?" Peter asked, his small eyebrows going up in anticipation.
"Oh Peter, no buddy." Tony said, his face falling as the tone in his voice fell as well. "I-I-I'm not your dad. Okay. There is a big difference between a dad and a father and-"
"Can I call you dad?" Peter asked again as if he hadn't even heard what Tony was saying.
The inventor let out a heavy sigh, his head dipping slightly as he tried to decide if he could tell this kid "no" a second time.
"Yeah Petey, you can call me dad," Tony said. Peter seemed to accept this as a good answer and simply closed his eyes before shifting slightly into a more comfortable position. "Good night...dad," He muttered.
Tony did his best to ignore the fluttering feeling that he felt in his chest, as well as the way Pepper grinned from ear to ear.
God. Little Peter just gets to me so much. I can't stand how cute he is.
So a few things here:
You should definitely find me on Tumblr (or leave a comment). I love interacting with all of you, it makes me so happy. I love to see what you enjoyed about the fic, what I could work on, and any ideas. (Because let's be real, this fic is constantly evolving. I would love to get readers ideas and input!) - My tumblr url is: Pookiethefrickinbunn - so come find me!
Secondly, have anything you want to share with me about this fic? Or want to find some stuff/extras for this fic? You can find it under the hashtag: "YAMS Fic" on Tumblr. I've decided to do a little bit more on Tumblr with this fic so that's what is behind that...(and Honestly, I just started the hashtag today, so don't expect anything for a little bit.)
And lastly. Would anyone be interested in hearing my spotify playlist for this fic? I have one, if it would help set a mood or anything...I just don't know if ya'll would be interested. Just let me know.
Again, thank you all for all of your support. It means the world to me!