Tracking the Sun

by LoquitorLatinae

Sequel to "Chasing the Moon". Steve and Tony have everything now: a home, a pack, a purpose, a family. They've come to terms with what it means to be mates and work to keep the peace between Shifters and the human world. But when a new enemy comes after Tony Stark, "human" billionaire, will they be strong enough to endure or will they let it tear them apart? Superfamily Shifter AU.

8. Chapter 8

Heey, the end of the cliffhanger is finally here! Sorry it took a bit longer than I expected. DX But no matter, the wait is over! Whew! Big, loving thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter: kingdomheartslover13, chibi heishi, shine lots, kittygirl998939, I'm a Nerd and Proud, Silver wolf, and WhiteNoiseReflection! Also, if you haven't checked it out yet, if this chapter again leaves you looking for more Shifter!Marvel goodness, check out the one-shot I wrote as an add-on to this AU I created, "Watching the Stars", which delves into Charles and Erik's (you know, those X-men folks) perspective.

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Chapter 8

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Bruce rubbed his eyes then let his glasses fall back into place with a small sigh. He had been home for the past day and a half, basically ever since Tony had woken up from surgery. Once he was sure his friend was stable he had decided that he had earned a break and left Tony's recovery up to the other, very capable doctors in SHIELD's employment. Well, okay, that decision had mostly been based on Tony's own insistence that he "get his ass back home" because he looked like he was "about to flip out and go psycho in the hospital". Bruce had protested but even he knew that his stress levels weren't the best. Having your best friend and your alpha's mate nearly die four times in the span of two months did that to you.

So now he was giving himself a break. Of course, around here that meant that since he was home he was the one who got to watch Peter but he was alright with that. It was easier than watching Tony in the hospital. As much as Bruce loved the Cat, he would tell anyone who asked that Tony really was a high-maintenance patient. He also knew that it gave Steve the chance to relax as well. And by "relax" he meant "free himself up to have the time to accept another mission."

Bruce had slept for about ten hours straight after getting back from the hospital then had cleaned himself up and made himself and Peter something to eat. Now he was sitting on the couch with his laptop, going over the latest report the SHIELD doctors at the hospital had sent to him while Peter rested upstairs. He had requested to be continually updated as Tony's personal physician and no one protested. Bruce had a feeling that they were all too happy to leave dealing directly with Tony to him. He didn't mind though, and was too pleased with Tony's latest test results to worry about the remarks they left in the notes about Tony's obnoxious behavior during said tests.

Taking a moment to simplify the test results and what they meant for Tony's prognosis, Bruce forwarded the email to Steve, knowing that the alpha would appreciate the update as much as he did.

Thank god Tony had pulled through. After everything…Bruce didn't know how he'd be able to handle it after knowing for Tony so long and seeing him have to fight so hard to survive when he was younger. And Steve—Bruce didn't even want to think about what would happen to Steve if Tony hadn't made it. Yes, they were both alphas but they were still most definitely mates and if Tony had died from his heart attack it might not have been long before Steve passed away too.

Bruce slipped his glasses off of his face and looked up as he heard a hard knock on the door. Putting his laptop aside, he rose to his feet, stretched, and slowly began to walk to see who it was. He wasn't expecting any visitors but with the state their lives were in, it really could be anyone: police, SHIELD, FBI, a reporter. There was another loud knock and Bruce sighed. "Alright, I'm coming."

Padding through the room and into the foyer in socked feet, Bruce ran his fingers through his hair to try to comb it into some semblance of looking brushed. He really hoped it was the police and not a reporter; reporters were nearly impossible to get rid of and that wasn't how he wanted to spend his evening.

He reached the door and his hand ran down to rub at the back of his neck as the knocking grew louder, more demanding and his spirits sunk. It was either the state police or paparazzi. He couldn't decide which was worse. "Okay, okay, hold on!" Grabbing onto the handle, he pulled the door open with a glower on his face. "Listen, I would appreciate it if you could keep it dow—"

Bruce's voice caught in his throat as his eyes landed on the small group of men, humans, standing just on the other side of the door. The closest one, the one who must have knocked, was staring right back at him with hate in his eyes and a pistol in his hand.

Bruce gasped and punched the man square in the face. Heart hammering in his chest, he stumbled back shocked at what had just happened as the man reeled back, gripping at his nose as blood spurted from it. What had just happened? He jumped back a bit further as another one of the men lunged forward, towards the house, and he managed to choke out, "JARVIS, lock this place down!"

"Yes, Sir."

The front doors slammed shut so hard that had the man coming through not jumped back he would have been crushed. Bruce swallowed and shook his head. Okay, he had to think. He had to think! There were men outside with weapons and assumedly prepared to use them. But why? Nobody was even here! They couldn't be robbers, what kind of robbers would travel en masse like that? Throughout the house Bruce could hear the sound of doors and windows closing up tight and locks clicking into place. "Alert SHIELD and call the police!"

JARVIS's cool voice sounded unusually terse as the AI replied. "I already have done so according to the lockdown protocol."

"Uncle Bruce?"

Bruce spun around and looked up to the top of the staircase where Peter had come out of his room and was leaning against the banister. "Peter, stay in your room!"

Right. God. Peter was here. Bruce swallowed as Peter hesitated then jumped as a loud bang sounded on the door and scurried back to his room. The sudden noise brought Bruce's attention back to the men outside too and he whirled around to face the door. The door was strong, it would hold up no matter how long they kept hitting it. They seemed to realize the same thing because after another second the banging stopped. The silence was more ominous by far and Bruce found himself wishing for the banging. "Do you have eyes on what they're doing outside?"

"Yes, Sir." A live image from a security camera out front was projected holographically in front of Bruce. "They appear to be trying to gain access through the front door."

Bruce tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he stepped over to take a closer look at the image. Four men were gathered around the other side of the front door, kneeling down with their heads bent together as if they were talking. Bruce could hear small scratching noises coming from outside now but he couldn't make out exactly what they were through the reinforced barrier. "What are they doing?"

"I am unsure." Mere seconds after they had gathered the men jumped to their feet and ran down the front steps, away from the door. As they scattered Bruce could make out a small black box stuck to the front door near the doorknob. The image was high-definition but it was still hard to tell what it was. "They seemed to have set some sort of explosive device. Doctor Banner, I suggest that you go to Master Peter's room and barricade the door."

He didn't have to be told twice. "Y-yeah. Yeah, good idea." Bruce never took his eyes off of the door as he quickly backed up to the staircase. He had been counting on the door holding until the authorities got here but it looked like that might not be an option. Which meant he had to handle it. Which was not good. He just had to keep calm and think. Keep calm, keep calm, keep—Oh hell.

As soon as Bruce made it into Peter's room the little Wolf grabbed onto his sleeve, tugging anxiously on the fabric. "Uncle Bruce, what's going on? Who is that? I heard JARVIS—"

"Shh. Come here." Pulling him further into the room Bruce locked them both in before jamming a chair Peter had at his desk underneath the handle to hopefully buy them a little more time when—Bruce flinched and Peter let out a sharp cry as a loud boom shook the house.

"They have gained entrance to the house."

Bruce shook his head and pulled Peter further back towards his bed, his arm wrapped tightly around the boy's shoulders. He could feel Peter trembling under his touch and did his best to maintain his composure. "Do what you can to slow them down!"

"Yes, Sir."

As soon as the AI's voice trailed off a sharp, high pitch whine filled the house. Peter let out a soft cry as Bruce winced from the piercing pitch but reached out and covered Peter's ears with his hands. Over the noise, Bruce heard the intruders let out angry shouts but their footsteps continued to race through the first floor and a second later the whine shut off.

"I'm afraid I can't get the audio defenses to the proper frequency without doing damage to you and young Mater Peter as they are human."

Bruce's ears were ringing and he tried to shake his head to get his hearing back. Tony had undoubtedly programed the audio defenses to defend the house against Shifters. After all, a Shifter would be the most likely type of person to try and break in to the mansion. Why would a human even try it, knowing Steve Rogers, one of the most well-known Shifters, and his Pack, famous for their unprecedented success in both peaceful and violent SHIELD missions, lived there?

He didn't know what other kinds of defenses Tony had programmed into the house but it was likely that they were all similarly designed to face a Shifter enemy. But their humanity had left them with big disadvantage in that Bruce was anything but. He would have to step in and be the house's—and Peter's-new line of defense. "Okay, new plan. Peter, hide."

Peter's hands tightened on his shirt and Bruce had to pry him off. His eyes were as wide as saucers and it made Bruce all the more determined to push him back towards his closet, the only place large enough for Peter to hide. "What are you going to do?"

"They're human so I should be able to take them in my human form and hopefully just knock them all out." He might not often use it but, just like the rest of the Pack, Bruce had advanced capabilities even in his human form. He just didn't like to use them. It was true he had seen one of them carrying a handgun but hopefully he'd be quick enough to avoid being hit.

"Sir," JARVIS cut in and before Bruce could respond he had holographically projected an image of a military-grade rifle in the middle of Peter's room, "I would strongly advise against it. My sensors are picking up high-powered automatic weaponry."

Bruce stared up at the ceiling then heaved a loud sigh. Right. Of course the pistol he saw wasn't the only gun they had. They were clearly professionals and had come here with a purpose. His human form wouldn't make it within twenty feet of them without being shot down. "Okay. New plan."

Peter grabbed at him again but by then Bruce had successfully managed to corral him into his closet. "Uncle Bruce, wait—!"

They heard footsteps pounding up the staircase and Bruce began to unbutton his shirt with shaking fingers. "Stay hidden, Peter, but if I end up giving you the chance run as fast as you can out of and away from the house. Humans will never be able to catch you."

He waited just long enough to Peter to give him a shaky nod in understanding before he pulled off his shirt and stepped away, back towards the entrance to the room. Bruce made sure that the door to Peter's room was closed tight behind him before he let himself go. The sound of the humans storming inside the building fueled his rage and before he had time to blink his transformation washed over him like a tidal wave, his vision tunneled, and he felt himself slip away just as fur burst from his skin.

Howling through the transformation, the Wolf lurched up onto its hind legs, then raced down the hall from Peter's room and leapt off of the balcony, completely bypassing the staircase as it leapt down to the first floor with a roar. It landed almost on top of two of the armed men and though they had just barely managed to dive out of the way their agility wasn't enough to save them. With one quick swipe of its paws, Bruce's Wolf sliced its razor-like claws at them, raking five deep gouges across their backs and splattering blood across the pale tile of the entry hall.

The other men, probably about a dozen or so altogether, raced back at the noise and the Wolf spun on them, its lips curling up and bearing its sharp teeth in a snarl. They stumbled back at the sight but then one of the men in the back fired a volley of shots straight at the Wolf's chest and just like that all hell broke loose.

The men were trained—not for this, but for regular Shifters—and were just able to avoid his attack as the Wolf charged forward, falling down to run on all fours and snapping its jaws at anything that moved.

O~O

"JARVIS…" Peter swallowed, trying to quiet the tremors in his voice as he peeked out from amongst his jeans, his fingers digging into the rough fabric. "…What's happening?" He could hear muffled screams, gunshots, and roars through the floor and walls and the smell of blood was wafting up through the vents.

The AI responded quietly and Peter knew it was restricting his reply only to the speakers directed towards the closet. "Doctor Banner has shifted but there are more men coming into the house. I will do what I can to distract them."

Peter held his breath and waited. But he didn't have to wait long. Even from his hiding spot he could hear it as JARVIS began to play a recording of running feet, the speakers located throughout the house making it sound like someone was actually running down the halls. Then Peter heard the sound of his own voice playing alongside the footsteps calling for help. Peter's mouth fell open and he cautiously poked his head out of the closet to listen. If he didn't know any better he would say that it really was him out there.

He heard more shouts from outside his room but louder this time and he realized with a stab of horror that the men were upstairs. They were looking for him.

"Quick, the kid's getting away!"

"Down the hall, move!"

A small, relieved smile flickered onto Peter's face and he let himself breathe again. They were going away. JARVIS had really worked. It was like his Dad was here, making sure he was alright. They would chase his voice outside and with Bruce downstairs anyone who stayed would be—

"Wait! Stop!"

Peter slapped a hand over his mouth to keep in the gasp that had been about to burst out and dove back into the closet, pulling the door almost all of the way closed. No, no, no. They weren't leaving!

O~O

Bruce's Wolf's ears perked up at the sounds emanating from upstairs but his eyes remained trained on the men still in front of him. A few bullets that had managed to nick his thick skin left its fur streaked with red but it hardly felt its wounds. There was bloodlust in its eyes made all the more potent with the need to protect the pup upstairs.

A few of the humans has slipped by the Wolf and he could hear them now on the staircase. "Wait! Stop!"

Another man who was holding his rifle out at the Wolf, ready to fire again, shouted back at him. "What? Just go and grab the fucking brat so we can get out of here! Radick is fucking dead!"

"So are Michaels and Korbel! There's nothing we can fucking do about that! But this one," he waved his gun at Bruce's Wolf, "is not making a run for it too." Bruce's Wolf snorted and his lips curled up away from his canines as his ears flattened against his head. "The kid didn't leave. Otherwise this guy would have chased after him. No, he's guarding him. He's definitely upstairs!"

The fur along the ridge of the Wolf's spine bristled up as the man who had spoken and three others raced up the stairs. Knowing that's where the cub was, the Wolf immediately gave chase, howling out a warning as it through itself at the stairs, its claws digging into the metal banister with a grating screech as it clamored over the railing.

The men had split up when they reached the upper floor but the Wolf followed the one that had headed down towards Peter's room, its pace quickening as he heard the sound of a door being kicked in and then the sound of a scuffle. "Hey, no! Let me go! Uncle Bruce!"

The Wolf went charging in to the room with an angry roar and dug its claws into the side of the man who had pulled Peter from the closet. The man screamed and released Peter and the Wolf flung him to the side where he hit the wall of Peter's bedroom with a loud crack.

Peter dove back into the closet and scrambled behind his clothes, clutching his shaking hands over his ears as he heard men screaming over the sound of snapping bone. But it wasn't enough to drown it out or drown out the words of the men who raced in behind Bruce.

"What the hell?! They said this guy wasn't going to be a problem!"

"Shit! That's it! Get the ropes! Get everything!"

More people began to flood in and started to throw ropes around Bruce's arms and neck. The Wolf howled and snapped the first few but then they managed to loop one over his front paws and throat and it seemed like it was getting harder for him to move. Peter whimpered and tried to bury himself further behind his clothes but then a man threw the closet door open and yanked him out. He was strong but he was human and Peter fought back as best he could, struggling and thrashing in his grip and they forced him out into the room again. "No! No, let me go! Let me go!"

His cries triggered another burst of energy in Bruce and the Wolf lunged forward, dragging the eight or ten men holding the ropes along with him as leapt with his jaw open for the man holding on tight to Peter. Before his teeth could close down on the man's head, the humans holding the ropes yanked down hard and the Wolf slumped back. Then one of them pulled out a new kind of gun that Peter hadn't seen before and aimed it straight at Bruce.

"What are you waiting for?! Shoot him, for fuck's sake!"

Peter gasped and shouted. "No! Uncle Bruce!" But the Wolf didn't hear him and before Peter could do anymore a large dart flew out and lodged itself into the side of Bruce's neck. The Wolf jumped in surprised then tore it out when an angry howl. Before he could move though another dart hit the other side of his neck and then another one shot across the room and stuck in his shoulder. After the third dart hit whatever was in them finally starting working and the Wolf's movements became wilder then groggier as it fought the effects.

As the men tugged on the ropes and forced the Wolf to stumble back down onto all fours the men that had a hold of Peter began to drag him from the room. Peter shouted and tears welled up in his eyes as he thrashed and kicked, trying to free himself but there were too many of them. He heard Bruce's Wolf let out a plaintive, rumbling whine then the next thing Peter knew a black fabric bag was pulled over his head and he was carried out of the house and thrown into some sort of car. He cried for his Pop and his Dad but no one willing to help him was there to hear it as the car sped off.

O~O~O~O

There was no traffic and the taxi driver he had flagged down had been speeding the whole way but the drive from the hospital back to the manor seemed to take an eternity to Tony. When they pulled into the drive Tony barely took the time to throw two hundred dollars and muter "keep the change" before he practically kicked the car door open. Then Tony leapt out of the taxi and his heart jumped into his throat.

His front door was gone, the front façade of his house covered in black char with a smoldering hole were the door used to be. Pulling the scrub-like shirt the hospital had put on him tighter around his body, he raced up the front steps and rushed right through the destruction. Before he could even step across the threshold the smell of blood hit him like a tidal wave. It was so strong that he physically stumbled back and had to press his nose into the sleeve of his hospital shirt to keep from gagging.

Breathing through the thin fabric he pushed through and saw the tile of his entryway washed in red. There were two bodies sprawled across the floor and his heart sped up and he had to triple check that neither of them were someone he knew, nearly slipping in the puddles of blood around them. But no, he didn't recognize them, just the slashes on their back. There was only one thing Tony knew of with claws that big.

God damn it…Where the hell were Peter and Bruce?

Raising his head, Tony grit his teeth and shouted, "Peter?! Bruce?"

There was no answer.

Cursing, he followed the humans' scents and ran up the stairs as fast as his sluggish body would allow, grabbing so hard onto the handrail that his knuckles turned white as he pulled himself up the stairs. "Peter! Peter! Peter, can you hear me?

His heart dropped as the scents turned and headed towards Peter's room. And there were more drops of blood, then a streak. Tony's voice caught in his throat and he forced himself forward and threw himself at the doorway, trying but unable to prepare himself for whatever he might find inside.

And what he found inside was Bruce. The Wolf was slouched against the wall in the center of a mess of blood and gore, his face buried in red-stained hands.

Tony's breath rushed out of him in a shaky gasp. "…Bruce!"

The beta looked up and his expression looked broken, his eyes unfocused and glazed. "Tony… I…I tried…" Bruce's shoulder's sagged and his voice hitched as he spoke. He reached a shaking hand out, clearly desperate for any kind of comfort, and Tony moved forward and grabbed on to it, just as desperate for some way to ground himself.

This couldn't be happening. This just couldn't be happening.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so, so sorry." He sounded disoriented, like he was only half there.

Tony swallowed and shook his head. "Don't blame yourself. This is my fault."

"No, Tony—"

"This was supposed to stay between me and Hammer. I let it spiral out of control and now Peter is gone because of my mistake."

Bruce didn't have anything to say to that save for a small, disapproving noise so they sat in silence for a minute or an hour, it was hard for Tony to tell at that point. Time seemed to be stopped and simultaneous rushing by at light speed. He needed to do something but he didn't know what. He didn't know what he could do. Peter was gone. His son was gone. Someone took his son.

Finally Tony shook his head, his hand squeezing Bruce's. "I, I don't know how to tell Steve." But he knew he had to call and he couldn't make Bruce do it. Not with the beta looking so haunted.

So he pulled away and somehow found a phone. He didn't remember getting it, just coming back into the room to lean against the wall next to where Bruce was sitting and dialing.

The phone rang and rang and rang and just when Tony was about to give up and try calling Natasha he heard a click and pulled the phone back up to his ear. "Steve."

"Tony?"

At the sound of his mate's voice, Tony swallowed and slid down the wall so that he was sitting next to Bruce. The beta released a shuddering sigh and rested his head on Tony's shoulder. "Steve, you need to come home."

The tightness in Tony's voice must have been audible even over the phone line because Steve was immediately concerned. "What's wrong? What happened, Tony? Was there some sort of complication?"

Complica-? Oh, his surgery. Right. Tony squeezed his eyes shut and ran his free hand over his chest. Less than two days off of the operating table and he had entirely forgotten about his heart. "No. It's Peter. It's Peter…God, Steve…"

The concern deepened in Steve's voice. "What's wrong with Peter?"

"They got him."

"Who?"

Tony grit his teeth and ran a hand over his face and up through his hair. "Justin Hammer. Whatever mission you're on, it's all a fucking lie Hammer made up. I need you to come home."

"Okay." Thank god for Steve's ability to stay calm. His tone had dropped with a deadly serious undertone but he kept his voice even and Tony knew that the other alpha was still in mission mode, just with a new objective. It helped Tony focus, the only thing that let him focus. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Where are you?"

"Natasha and I are in Atlanta."

"Get to the airport, I'll send a jet that will be there by the time that you and Natasha get to the tarmac."

"Don't panic, Tony." Tony didn't have to worry about that. He was too numb to panic. "I'll be home soon. We'll get Peter back."

O~O~O~O

After the call to Steve, something in Tony had been triggered and he found himself unable to stand still. Instead he dragged Bruce to his feet and together they shuffled around the house to start cleaning up the blood and bodies. Neither of them were at their peak so it took both of them to carry the small collection of bodies upstairs down to the first floor. When they lined them all up side by side there were five bodies altogether, all with deep slashing wounds that had cut through spinal cords or major arteries. Then Tony got to work on the blood. He got Dum-E upstairs and had him start working on mopping up the blood on the tiles in the foyer and went up to Peter's room. One look around was enough to tell him that the walls could probably be cleaned and repainted but that the carpet wasn't going to be salvageable. So he started pulling out furniture then got to work ripping up the carpet before the blood could seep too far through the floor. He knew that he probably shouldn't be straining himself after surgery but at the same time he felt like he was going to go insane if he didn't keep his hands busy. Bruce had stumbled to his room to clean some of the blood off and Tony was pretty sure he had fallen asleep in the shower but decided to let him stay there. He hadn't looked healthy.

According to the clock it took three hours and forty-nine minutes for Tony to hear a sound other than him dragging furniture around and tearing up strips of carpet.

"Tony?"

Hearing Steve call his name, Tony dropped the roll of carpet he had been bundling up and hobbled out of Peter's room and down to the stairs. Steve, still dressed in full mission gear, met him at the foot of the staircase and grabbed on tight to his shoulders. "Tony…"

Tony swallowed. It had been over four hours since Peter had been taken. Now that Steve was here they needed to figure out what to do now. Right now. Too many things could have already happened. He couldn't begin to guess how far Hammer was willing to go anymore and not knowing scared him more than anything else. "Steve, Steve we need to go! We need to go now!"

His mind had started to race and he knew that he was starting to babble but he couldn't stop until Steve was there pulling him into a tight embrace. "Tony! Tony, hey. I'm here now, we'll figure it out."

Snarling, Tony shoved the Wolf off of him. "I don't need a fucking hug, I need Peter back!" Steve opened his mouth to reply but then Tony's attention was caught by Natasha. Specifically what she was holding in her hand, the glint of white standing in glaring contrast to the black of her gear. It was a small flash drive, one he had never seen before and he knew it wasn't hers. He would have noticed it because it was a newer piece of technology. Not Stark tech though. It was Hammer tech. "Wait, what is that? Where did you get that?"

The redhead met his gaze, her lips drawn tight. "It was in the mailbox."

"Damn it!"

Bruce had woken up from all of Tony's shouting and fumbled his way down the stairs as Steve and Natasha followed Tony down into his workshop. All three of them gathered around behind him as Tony pushed the flash drive into an open port on his computer. His fingers danced across the keyboard with practiced efficiency, moving so fast that Steve couldn't keep track of what keys he was even pressing. Lines of programming text streamed down the screen as Tony worked his way into the file and Steve's brows drew up in confusion. "What is it?"

Hissing, Tony worked his way through the file to try and identify exactly what was on it. "It looks like a link to a video connection."

"Where's it coming from?"

"I don't know. I can start tracing the IP address but I can already tell that it's being looped through a bunch of different servers to make it difficult."

He caught Natasha crossing her arms over her chest as she stared up at the screen. "Open up the link."

"Yeah, hold on…JARVIS, any viruses on this thing?"

"None that my sensors can detect, Sir."

The AI confirmed what Tony already thought from the code; it had all looked straight-forward enough but he wasn't about to take any chances on this. Not when Peter's life might be on the line. "Alright. Open it up."

The screen flickered black then, after one of the longest seconds of Tony's life, flickered back to life to show what looked eerie similar to Tony's workshop. It definitely wasn't the same room, weren't his tools or his tech laying around, but it was a space clearly being used for similar purposes. Then Justin Hammer himself appeared on screen with that stupid shit-eating smile on his face and a hot rage flashed through Tony's body. He wanted to kill him. Then he heard Steve let out a rumbling growl and knew he wasn't the only one.

"Should I be insulted, Tony? You didn't exactly get dressed up for me." Tony looked down at his clothes and buried a wince. He was still in his hospital clothes, little more than thin scrubs. But it didn't matter. The only reason that he cared about it was it left him feeling exposed under Hammer's smirking gaze. It showed that he was vulnerable. That he was damageable. It was nothing an alpha ever wanted an enemy to see, especially one that had launched such a devastating attack on his family.

But before he was even able to come up with a snarky comeback to save face Steve had stepped in front of him, shoulders braced and jaw set as he glared back at Hammer. "You've gone too far this time."

Hammer sighed and glared back at Steve. "I didn't think I was talking to you."

Tony definitely did not have the time for his bullshit today. "You have five seconds to tell me what you did to Peter." Leaning forward, he slipped his hands back to the keyboard, knowing that it would be easier to trace location of the link when it was open.

"Ah uh, Tony." Tony froze. "We don't need you fiddling with the video feed while I'm talking…Get your hands up where I can see them." Cursing under his breath, Tony scowled as he slowly backed into center frame again. "There you go, get them up there. Hands behind your head." Sneering, Tony made a point of raising his hands up over his head before tucking them behind his head.

A muscle in Steve's jaw ticked but he swallowed down whatever threats seemed to be ready to slip out over his tongue. "Where's our son?"

"He's right here, and perfectly fine. For now anyway."

Tony snarled at his attempt at intimidation. "We want proof of life!" Those words almost caused him to choke but he knew they needed proof that Peter really was…really was still alive before they even thought about given into Hammer's demands. It hurt to think about but if they had already done something to Peter, Hammer could forget about getting anything except an early death.

"Ever the businessman, Tony, am I right? Okay," Hammer took a few steps back away from the camera and waved to someone off screen, "bring the kid in to say 'hello'."

"Dad? Dad?!"

Steve pressed up to stand next to Tony as Peter was dragged in front of the camera and he and Tony both drank in the sight. Peter looked pale and his eyes were red like he had been crying but Tony couldn't see any signs of physical damage on him which was the only good thing Tony could say about any of this. "Peter, are you okay?"

They watched as Peter swallowed and tried to pull free of the men who were holding him in order to get closer to the camera. Tony heard Hammer laugh then the camera angle jerked and twisted around like someone was picking it up before it was dropped in Peter's hands. From this distance Tony could see tear tracks on his cheeks even as the picture shook from Peter's trembling hands. "Dad, Pop, I'm scared! I wanna go home!"

Steve nodded, his whole face dangerously neutral. "Stay calm, Peter. We're going to get you out of there. It'll be alright."

"O-okay. But I—ah! No!" The camera was wrenched from his hands, the image jerking around as Hammer took control over it again and directed it back at his face. Steve pressed his leg up against Tony's behind the desk as the sound of Peter's cries echoed back out through the speaker. "Dad! Pop!"

"Shut him up, get him out of here."

"Let me go!" Tony let out a low hiss as they heard Peter being dragged away, fighting to get back to the image of his parents and he wanted to kill Hammer all over again in even more painful ways.

Hammer had been looking back, as if watching his men take Peter away, before he turned back to the camera. "There, satisfied? I'll tell you, that kid is a bit of a handful."

Tony's hands clenched into fists and he just barely withheld a low growl. "You hurt one hair on his body and I swear to god I will kill you!"

"Such harsh words, Tony. Don't get so worked up, it's just business."

"Why you-!"

Steve cut off by resting a firm hand on his shoulder and stepped so that he was in the center of the screen. He was still virtually expressionless but there was a tightness about his eyes and jawline that Tony knew meant that his mate wasn't just mad, he was really fucking pissed and hanging onto his control by the tips of his fingers. "I'm only going to say this once. If you return Peter to us now, unharmed, I'll be willing to ask the courts to go easy on you. If not, I will hunt you down. There isn't a place on Earth you can hide that I won't find you. And when I do find you I will make sure that my teeth and claws are the last things you will ever see."

And Hammer, the bastard, just laughed. He didn't take either of them seriously which was just ridiculously stupid. He didn't know the truth about what Tony was but he should have known better than dismiss Steve's threat. "That's cute. It really is. Tony, you should put a leash on your pet. How are we supposed to have a real conversation if the animals get to chime in?"

Tony did growl then. How dare this son of a bitch talk about his mate that way? "He's dead fucking serious and so am I when I tell you that you'll regret this."

"We'll see. You know what I want, Tony. Make it happen in thirty-six hours or I'm going to have to start pushing the matter. And you really don't want me to do that."

With that Hammer reached forward and the feed went blank. Tony slammed his hand down on the desk then spun around and released an angry shout. "That stuck-up, smirking bastard! I'm going to kill him!"

"Not if I get to him first." Tony turned back around to see Steve pull out his phone. "Tony, you and Bruce see what you can learn from that link. I have a call to make."

O~O~O~O

"I'm so sorry, Steve. Given the circumstances, I can't keep this from Fury any longer. Before you or Tony do anything, please report to the SHIELD building as soon as possible."

Steve snarled as he paced the length of the living room, his phone pressed tight against his cheek. Phil had sounded genuinely apologetic but that didn't change what he had just said. "We don't have that kind of time."

"Unfortunately that wasn't a request."

"Phil—"

"You know I wouldn't be doing this if I had a choice in it."

"Tony won't be happy."

"And he shouldn't be."

Scowling, Steve pulled the phone away and hung up on the SHIELD agent. He didn't have it in him to be polite at the moment. He had called Phil to arrange for a new set of equipment and some back-up but he had instead been assigned a summons.

Storming back down to the basement, Steve looked up to find Tony and Bruce with their heads bent over the computer while Natasha hung back, her thumbs moving across the miniature keyboard on her phone. Steve gave her a look as he passed her and she spared him a glance. "I'm updating Clint and Thor."

"Good. Tell them to get back as soon as possible. Tony," the Cat grunted to show he was listening, "we need to go to SHIELD HQ."

That really got Tony's attention, his head bobbing up with a scowl twisting his lips down. "Like hell we do."

Steve sighed and rested his hands on his hips. "If we don't, I think they'll come and get us."

Straightening up, Tony growled and managed to look threatening even in his hospital clothes as he walked over to him. "I would like to see them try. I'll dig my claws into their flesh."

"Antagonizing SHIELD won't help us get Peter back."

Tony glared at Steve, pushing so close into his space that their noses were almost touching. Steve stared right back and finally Tony seemed to understand that Steve wasn't going to give on this matter—that, as counter intuitive as it felt—neither of them could afford to. "Fine." Pushing roughly past Steve, Tony marched back towards the stairs. "I'm going to change and then we're leaving. Bruce, keep looking."

O~O~O~O

The ride to the SHIELD offices was tense and Tony was pretty sure he broke about twenty traffic laws but Steve didn't say anything in the passenger's seat, just sat there with a hard look on his face and his arms crossed tight over his chest. When they pulled in, Tony pulled right up into the loading zone in front of the building and parked there, in no mood to go hunting for a parking spot and willing to pay whatever fine the city slapped him with if they ticketed him for it. They marched inside and the receptionist, who must have seen them both coming and going hundreds of times, actually looked a bit frightened and stammered out a room number.

Phil was there to meet them in the small conference room they had been directed to and he silently motioned for them to sit. The only reason Tony actually did sit was because he could feel himself growing tired—his body protesting after having laid still in a hospital bed then been forced into quick action—but Steve remained standing, positioning himself right behind Tony's chair.

Phil watched them both for a moment before he sighed. "I want to apologize again that it had to come to this. But thank you both for coming. Director Fury will be here in a few moments to—"

Before Phil could even finish his sentence, the door to the meeting room flew open and Tony growled low in his throat and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as Fury walked into the room. The human Director of SHIELD looked just as irate though and glared back. "Stark! Rogers! I can't leave either of you alone for more than a week without one of you causing city-wide chaos."

Steve bit back a snarl. If he was referring to the multiple attempts made on Tony's life, that was hardly their fault. "Do you know what's happening?"

Fury nodded but his expression didn't change. "I've been informed."

Leaning forward in his chair, Tony snapped back ,"Then you should know that every second that we're in here could be costing Peter his life so what the hell are we doing here?"

"You are here because it is my job to make sure that fools like you don't ruin every bit of human-Shifter relations we've spent the last decade building up."

Phil pursed his lips then murmured softly. "Sir—"

"Unless the next work is 'you're absolutely right, Director Fury', I don't want to hear it, Coulson. You are already on thin ice for not informing us about this situation before it got out of hand."

Tony gripped the armrests of his seat and it looked more like he was holding himself down. "So you dragged us out here to tell us what exactly?"

Narrowing his eyes further, Fury took a step closer and Steve instinctually tensed up, his body ready for a fight. "To tell you not to do whatever you're thinking of doing. You are not going after Hammer yourselves."

"But he-!"

"I know what he did but the last thing SHIELD needs is for our agents to go tearing up a human billionaire. I would have thought that out of anyone you two would've understood that we are still not on the best of terms with the public. Do you really think that an incident like that could just be swept under the rug? This whole organization has been struggling to keep our feet ever since that clusterfuck with Hydra and that lunatic Schmidt. If the media gets wind that we lost control of one of our senior operatives they will start circling like vultures and I will not have the two of you ruin nearly a decade of negotiations and planning by running off and playing vigilante. Do I make myself clear?"

Something in Steve writhed to get loose at Fury's domineering tone but he stamped it down. There had to be something they could say to make this work. They had no other option but to go after Peter so they had to make this work. Forcing a growl from his tone—knowing it wouldn't win him any favor here—Steve tried for the traditional approach. Among Shifters there were certain unspoken rules of conduct and what had happened definitely violated a number of them. "Hammer took our cub, from our home. That gives us the right to do whatever it takes to—"

Fury interrupted him before he could even finish. "If Hammer were a Shifter maybe—maybe—you would have. SHIELD and the law tend to ignore inner-Shifter conflicts if they keep it to themselves. But guess what, Hammer's human. So people will actually care."

"That is it!" Everyone in the room started as Tony suddenly leapt to his feet, his eyes burning with anger as he threw back his chair and lunged straight at Fury, claws forming on his hands as he started to shift. If Steve had moved fast enough he could have stopped him but some small part of him lacked the motivation to do so and he grasped the air where Tony had been a second too late. But then Phil was moving and instead of moving to stop Tony he was jumping in front of Fury instead.

Steve let out a worried shout and he saw Tony try to reverse his transformation, to turn back into his human form but before he could he had slammed right into Phil. There was a spatter of blood and the man let out a muffled cry and he shuddered and collapsed against Tony.

The whole thing had happened in less than a second but time seemed to have stood still as Tony's eyes grew wide. "Phil! God, I—I didn't mean...!"

Steve's eyes were locked on Phil as the man blinked up at Tony, a small, pained smile on his face as he moved to clutch a hand to his chest where Tony had cut four scratch marks through his suit. None of them noticed that Fury had whipped out a small gun from underneath his trench coat but then there was a loud pop and Tony dropped to the ground, Phil falling too with a surprised shout as the Cat hit the floor.

It was Steve's turn to lunge forward then as he leap to his mate's side, pulling him up into his lap as Phil pushed himself up, the man's face white. "Sir!"

Growling, Steve checked Tony over with trembling hands, only able to breathe again when he saw Tony's eyes flicker open. "What did you do to him?" His words rushed out in a dangerous snarl. After coming so close to losing Tony not a week ago it just, when he saw Tony fall, it had just been too much too soon. Not with Peter missing.

"Just a tranquilizer dart. You're lucky that's all after he assaulted a SHIELD agent."

Steve's eyes flashed as he lifted Tony's arm to see a dart embedded in his side and pulled it out the crushed the glass cylinder in his hand. "He's still recovering from heart surgery!" He wasn't all the way healed yet! Who knew what might trigger another one while he was recovering?

"Maybe he should have thought of that before he slashed a hole in a senior agent."

At the sound of the commotion other SHIELD agents had rushed in to assess the situation and Fury waved back to them. "Escort these two outside. Rogers, Stark, consider yourselves on leave until further notice."

The agents slipped in passed Fury but when they moved to haul Tony up, Steve snapped at them and tightened his grip around his mate. "Don't touch him." His instincts were flaring and he felt like he would tear into anyone who tried to lay a hand on the Cat. The agents looked to Phil who nodded and they took a step back, helping him up instead.

Tony groaned as Steve gently began to pull him to his feet. "Ugh…Steve?"

Steve's tone gentled as Tony flailed a bit, trying to get all his limbs working again. "Easy, it's just a sedative. Can you walk?"

"Just get me upright…" Steve did, holding Tony tight around his waist with one of the Cat's arms pulled over his shoulder to help him keep his balance. Tony wobbled for a moment, as if he were fighting a bout of vertigo, before he tilted his head up. "You're a…Where's he?" Disoriented, Tony's eyes swung around the room until they landed on Fury. "You're a dick."

Steve couldn't have agreed more.

O~O

By the time they got home Clint and Thor had gotten back and were waiting up with Natasha and Bruce. All three of them jumped to their feet as Steve and Tony walked in. The car ride back had given Tony's body the chance it needed to burn through the rest of the sedatives so he was able to hobble inside on his own but flopped down into an open seat between Bruce and Clint.

Steve could tell they were all waiting for instruction and he shook his head, wishing he had something better to tell them. "Fury put Tony and me on leave with a direct order to stay away from Hammer." Thor grumbled out a low protest and Clint swore darkly under his breath, even the Hawk's usual levity wiped away by the news. "Bruce?" His Beta picked up his head and met Steve's eyes with his own tired gaze. "Were you able to track that link to a physical location?"

The other Wolf shrugged. "I got it down to within a ten mile radius but it seems to be out in the middle of a rural area so I couldn't get it any closer than that."

"That's fine. I have one more phone call to make. But everyone, suit up and get whatever gear you have together. We're leaving as soon as I'm done."

Thor had leapt to his feet before Steve even had time to finish and Natasha tilted her head, her expression not judging, just assessing. "You're going to go against a direct order from Fury?"

Steve paused then nodded. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get Peter back. You don't have to come if you feel that's not something you can do, Natasha, and I would respect that."

"No," the Spider rose to her feet, "I'm coming. I just wanted to remind you of the consequences."

He nodded his thanks and watched as the rest of the pack hurried out of the room to prepare and Tony moved into the kitchen muttering that the only gear he needed was an espresso. As soon as they were all out of the room Steve had his phone back out and was dialing a familiar number and his last chance of support.

"Hello, Peggy? It's Steve."

"Hello, Steve."

The complete lack of surprise in her voice told Steve that she had been expecting his call. "You heard what happened." It wasn't a question. He knew she had. About a month after they had adopted Peter Steve had realized that she held the position of Assistant Director within the SHIELD organization. He had figured it out entirely on accident, he had just been trying to look up her office at the front desk so he could stop by and say a quick 'hello'. He'd been…surprised, to say the least, and a little frustrated that she hadn't told him earlier. But he wasn't mad. They had talked about it afterwards and she had explained why she had kept him from him: because she was afraid that he would think that she had held too much sway over his life. It made him wonder just how many opportunities she had opened up for him in the past but he didn't begrudge her for any of it. He knew that only he had ever decided what to do with his life and that every decision he had made had been so on his own free will.

He heard her sigh. "Yes, I've heard. And I can guess why you're calling."

"I need to know if there's anything you can do. Peggy, you know I wouldn't be asking this of you if I didn't need to."

"I'm so sorry, Steve." He could hear the regret in her voice as she spoke and it sounded like it hurt her to say the words she had to say. "Coulson came to me before he contacted Fury asking the same thing but there isn't anything I can do other than offer my personal assistance."

"If…I asked you to look the other way…to not ask any questions, could you do that?"

There was a long pause before she finally responded. "If we are speaking in the hypothetical, I could. But in the scenario you are creating I would also worry about your safety, assuming that you would be acting without the protections offered by SHIELD."

"Don't worry. I won't be going in alone."

There was another long pause before Peggy spoke again. "I know you, Steve. And I know when you're set on a certain task. And I know when there is little I can say to sway your opinion on the matter. So, although it goes entirely against my desires, I am going to hang up so that I do not hear any more about it. But before I let you go know that if things spiral out of hand call me and I will come for you, no matter the consequences. I am certain Coulson feels the same."

"I understand, and I don't hold anything against you. We're each doing what we have to. But thank you. Good-bye, Peggy."

"Good-bye, Steve. Stay safe."

"You too."

Ending the call, Steve looked up to find Tony leaning in the doorway, a mug of hot coffee in his hand. "What did your girlfriend have to say?"

Steve ignored the girlfriend comment. Tony and Peggy were friends and he knew Tony had only said it to try and relieve some of his own stress. He couldn't blame him. "We're heading out by ourselves."

"Alright." The Cat glanced up. "JARVIS? You get that? Have everyone meet us in the garage. It's time to get this party started."