Tony knew that his shoulder was out of its socket, so he couldn't carry Alan. Alan himself had a broken arm and several scratches but overall they were lucky. Using the padding Yinsen had used on Alan's box to protect the little guy, Tony bound Alan's arm and made two slings for the both of them. Then he bound the remaining around their heads to shield them from the burning sun.
They started walking, in what felt like hours later, helicopters flew over them. "Hey!" Tony waved with his good arm. "Here!" Laughing he fell on his knees pulling Alan to his chest rubbing his son's back. "We made it buddy, we made it."
Five airforce man ran up to them with weapons drawn. Alan whimpered, scared from more guns but then his eyes found a familiar face.
"How was the fun-vee?" asked Rhodey placing a hand on Tony's and Alan's shoulders. Tony let out a small snort, never stopping the rubbing of Alan's back. "Next time, you ride with me, okay?"
Tony allowed himself to fall in a hug with his friend.
"How hurt are you two?" Rhodey asked.
"Scrapes and bruises, Tony 2's arm is broken and my shoulder." Said Tony, with some help he was pulled on his feet.
Rhodey lifted Alan up, and kissed the small cheek. "Hey buddy I missed you. I've been looking everywhere and Pepper and Happy really scared too. Are you ready to go home?"
Alan only made a chocked sobbing sound and fisted the uniform crying in earnest now. Rhodey handed Tony a bottle water the moment they stepped in the helicopter, keeping Alan on his lap and placing the bottle at his lips so the kid could take slow sips.
"There is a medic at the base and an airplane waiting to take you home sir." The pilot yelled over the noise.
After both were treated for their wounds, Rhodey carried a now completely sedated Alan on the plane with Tony following on shaky legs.
"What happened?" Rhodey asked after he placed the seatbelt around father and son. And Tony started his tale.
The rest of the flight the duo slept, catching up on some much needed rest.
Tony and Rhodey waited until the door opened with standing up. Rhodey lifting a clingy Alan and carrying him down.
Pepper and Happy were anxiously waiting at the car as they watched Tony stumble out the plane holding a tight grip on Rhodey's right arm while Rhodes was carrying Alan on his Left.
"Watch it, coming up here." Rhodey said softly as he guided Tony from the stairs.
Paramedics walked up to them with a stretcher. "Are you kidding me with this? Get rid of them." Slowly he walked up to Pepper. "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss and his mini me?"
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting." Pepper smiled, Alan wordlessly reached out to the woman and she complied cuddling him close and kissing his forehead.
"Yeah, vacation's over." Agreed Tony. They got into the car with Alan now clinging to his father.
"Where to, sir?" asked Happy from behind the wheel.
"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy." Asked Pepper softly.
"No." said Tony firm.
Pepper turned. "No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital."
"No is a complete answer."
"The doctor has to look at you." Argued Pepper. "He has to look at Alan."
"I don't have to do anything." Said Tony back. "We've been in captivity for three months, the medic looked Alan over in Afghanistan and he has a broken arm and a severe case of shock. We can do the hospital later. There are two things I want to do first. I want an American cheeseburger, and the other...
"That's enough of that." Pepper sighed, Alan looked between the two, never releasing the hold on his father's jacket.
"...is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."
"Call for a press conference?" Pepper said unbelieving and Tony nodded. "What on earth for?"
"Happy, drive. Cheeseburger first." Ordered Tony.
They went through the drive through and Alan stayed silent so Tony ordered nuggets for him which he had to feed Alan.
As they drove to the main building, people started to clap.
Obadiah opened the door. "Look at this! Tony." They hugged and Pepper stepped out, immediately lifting Alan from the car.
"We were going to meet at the hospital." Said Obadiah when he released him. Pepper walked around so Alan could see his father.
"No, I'm fine. I'm going to bring Alan there after this."
Obadiah guided Tony away. "Look at you! You had to have a burger, yeah? Well, come on. You get me one of those?"
"There's only one left. I need it." Tony turned to Alan. "Are you okay Tony 2?" Alan nodded in Pepper's shoulder. "I'm going to talk a little bit up there, you stay with Pepper and I'll be back really soon. You'll be able to see me the whole time okay?" Alan's bottom lip stood out in a pout but Tony placed a kiss and left. There was applause when they entered the press room.
"Hey, look who's here! Yeah!" Obadiah yelled as he pulled Tony through the crowd making Alan whimper.
"Miss Potts?" asked a short man.
"Yes?" Pepper didn't turn because she didn't want Tony to leave Alan's eye sight. She started to really worry about Alan's state of mind.
"Can I speak to you for a moment?"
"I'm not part of the press conference, but it's about to begin right now."
The man smiled. "I'm not a reporter. I'm agent Phil Coulson, with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division." The agent said holding out a card.
"That's quite a mouthful." Said Pepper, kissing Alan's cheek as he started to whimper again.
"I know. We're working on it."
"You know, we've been approached already by the DOD, the FBI, the CIA..."
"We're a separate division with a more specific focus. We need to debrief Mr. Stark about the circumstances of his escape." Phil said calmly.
"I'll put something in the book, shall I?"
"Thank you." And Phil walked off.
Tony had sat down at the stage. "Hey, would it be all right if everyone sat down? Why don't you just sit down? That way you can see me, and I can sit because I'm really tired. And my son he's a little scared of losing me out of his sight. So if you could sit than he can see me... A little less formal and..." Tony took a bite from his burger.
It was a funny sight to see the press sit on the ground like a pre-school class.
Pepper sat down and placed Alan between her legs.
"What's up with the love-in?" asked Rhodey as he took place next to Pepper.
"Don't look at me." Whispered Pepper back. "I don't know what he's up to."
"Good to see you." Tony said clearing his throat.
"Good to see you too." Echoed the press.
"I never got to say goodbye to Dad." Started Tony. "I thought I lost my son, and I felt horrible because I loved that boy more than life itself and I didn't have a chance to kiss him to sleep one more time or play or read together. I thought I had lost what was most important to me and I didn't even had the chance to tell my son how much I loved him. Luckily, Alan survived and I don't let a change get by to tell him that I love him and most important of all how much I need him. This let me to another thought, that I never got to say goodbye to my father." Alan had escaped Pepper's arms and crawled on one hand and two knees to his father. Tony pulled Alan on his lap and buried his face in the dirty blond looks, Alan really needed a bath. "There's questions that I would have asked him. I would have asked him how he felt about what this company did. If he was conflicted, if he ever had doubts. Or maybe he was every inch the man we all remember from the newsreels. I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them. And I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability."
"Mr. Stark!" one reporter raised his hand.
"Hey, Ben."
"What happened over there?" asked the reporter.
"I had my eyes opened." Tony rose up, keeping a firm hold on Alan's hand as he walked around, "I came to realize that I have more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. I don't want to leave my son behind with this, and even more important, I don't want to be responsible for my son's death by the weapons I created. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark International…"
The press jumped on its feet and Obadiah tried to pull Tony away from the microphone.
"until such a time as I can decide what the future of the company will be. What direction it should take, one that I'm comfortable with and is consistent with the highest good for this country, as well."
"I think we're gonna be selling a lot of newspapers." Obadiah started some damage control. "What we should take away from this is that Tony's back! And he's healthier than ever. We're going to have a little internal discussion and we'll get back to you with the follow-up."
Tony sat at a familiar place at Alan's bedside, Alan was reading still not saying a word about the whole ordeal. The doctors were running around to investigate the arc reactor in Alan's chest, since it was made out of metal a MRI was out of the question. So they probed and pocked him, ran x-ray scans, drawn blood and other examinations. Tony was subjected to the same examinations but was released after the advice to eat health for the next few weeks. They asked if Alan could stay for observation until they had the results in an hour but nothing seemed wrong with him.
A soft knock sounded through the room making Tony and Alan look up. "Mr. Stark?"
"John? What are you doing here?" Tony looked up. "It's pretty late."
"I heard that Alan Anthony was found, so I took a bus, and a few more and now I'm here. I needed to see him." John lingered in the doorway. "May I come in?"
"Yeah sure. Listen kid, can you sit with him for a little while. I really need a bathroom break and some coffee. I'll be back in five."
"Yes, yes off course." John hurried over to the bed and sat next to Alan. Tony gave a small kiss on Alan's head and hurried out of the room.
John smiled at Alan, "We missed you at school. We have a large book and everyone wrote something nice in it, we didn't think you would come back."
Alan looked up but his lips stayed stubbornly shut.
"What are you reading?" John didn't lose his smile, and he slightly lifted Alan's book up. "Narnia, I loved that book. You know when I was feeling sick my big brother read to me, shall I read to you?" Alan moved to make room for John on his bed. The now seventeen year old crawled next to him and careful of the IV wires he wrapped an arm around the thin shoulders.
Tony, now carrying a fresh coffee, stopped at the desk before he entered the room. "We got a visitor from Tony 2's school and I think that his father doesn't know he's here." Reported Tony. "He's no trouble and I will gladly take him home for the night if Mr. Tracy can't pick him up but I don't want him to go back to boarding school unattended this late at night."
Lisa smiled. "If you send him out, we'll call his parents and I'll let you know."
"Parent, he only has a father." Corrected Tony and he entered the room again. John was reading with Alan at his side, he let them sit that way until the doctor entered. "John, can you go to the desk and ask for Lisa, she'll contact your dad." Requested Tony as he sat on the bed with Alan on his lap.
John nodded and left. The next ten minutes were not fun, John had to enter his father's number and Lisa told the man what had happened and the two options before handing the phone to John. "He wants a word. Good luck."
Jeff made it quite clear what he thought about this stunt and John hoped that the nurses were giggling about something other than his father's booming voice. He was lucky that Scott was on leave, the elder brother was going to pick him up in two days' time from school anyway. The vacation had started a few weeks ago but John had to finish his extra curriculum work to start another class in September at CalSi University, he only returned home now. Scott was able to pick him up tomorrow early from Starks beach house and they would return to new York the day after.
"You're grounded until school young man, I thought I could thrust you to be responsible with the freedom I've given you but I was sorely mistaken. We're going to talk about this when you're home."
John barely suppressed a wince when the horn was thrown up.
"Don't worry about your father." Lisa let him sit behind the desk. "He was just worried, he'll be calmer when you return."
"I really hope so. I just hope he doesn't pull me out of CalSi because of this." John said miserable.
"So you're going to the same school as Walter?" asked Lisa, ordering her files.
"Walter?"
"Oh I'm sorry, I keep slipping. I mean Alan Anthony. His name was Walter before the adoption, I've known him as Walter for the better part of three years and I sometimes slip." Apologized Lisa blushing. "Don't tell him, he hates that name."
John's mouth was suddenly dry. "Why?"
"Not sure, I believe it's because his father named him that and he was abandoned by the man. Sad story actually."
"Yes, I still can't believe it. What kind of cold hearted bastard can leave his dying son alone in a hospital shortly after his mother died." Another nurse shook her head.
"Well from what I heard, the man had other sons who were healthy and he decided to focus on them."
"No excuse." Said Lisa, "Alan Anthony was still recovering of a major heart surgery, and yes it looked like he was going to die with the condition they found him in but you don't walk out on your child when they're dying."
"Alan Anthony was lucky that Dr. Manson was a top surgeon who took his case pro bono. And the doctor has been rewarded for it by Stark so Manson had some luck working for him too." The nurses gossiped, while John was just lucky he was sitting down or he might have clasped.
This couldn't be happening.
