I happened to have some free time today so I managed to get another chapter written. I barely proof read it, so I'm sorry for any mistakes! I felt guilty about the cliffhanger lol.

Rescue

Tony couldn't breathe…couldn't catch his breath as he flat out sprinted out onto the landing pad where the Quinjet waited for him. The others were right behind him...they'd all been on the top floor anyway, thankfully, so it was a short run. It was dark out…he couldn't breathe right and Tish was sobbing on the other line, whimpering with a fear that seemed to rip his heart out of his chest.

"Penny…Penny, wake up…she…Mr. Stark…"

"It's okay. It's okay," he gasped out, trying to sound less than terrified…like an adult figure that could actually protect her. His eyes were hot as Sam jumped into the cockpit, Natasha sitting beside him, and Sam hovered at Tony's side, a strange look on his face as he regarded him. Tony didn't care. He didn't give a single shit what they thought about him…not when his kid was sobbing on the other line and Penny was asleep but she shouldn't be asleep…not now. Not when Tish needed her. Because it wasn't okay! Penny wouldn't fall asleep if Tish needed her! What was going on? Was she hurt? She had to be!

It hadn't been hard to sneak Steve, Natasha, and Sam into the tower earlier that day. Steve had called a few hours after their meeting, letting him know that Natasha and Sam were willing to help too, and so the three had donned disguises and Tony had sent a car driven by a still-distraught Happy…his friend hadn't wanted to give them a ride…he'd wanted to continue the search for the girls…wanted to atone for what he considered his crime of not checking on them…of not insisting on driving them to the movies, even if Penny hadn't asked. Even if she hadn't told him when they were going or which theater they were going to or that they were going to the park afterwards. Tony had insisted though…he couldn't trust anyone else, not when Penny and Tish were missing.

They'd spent all day waiting, keeping an eye on Friday while Tony flew around the city, looking for any clue as to where they could have been taken, and while Pepper spoke to the police and the social workers and the press and anyone else that might be able to help them find their kids. Tony had been on the verge of calling Ross, ready to call in any favors he could think of if anyone would help him find his kids, when Friday had alerted him that he had a call from an unknown number, and immediately he'd turned back towards the tower, just in case. Unknown numbers called him all the time, and Friday usually filtered them out…unless he was in the mood to mess with scammers. "Answer it!"

Part of him had worried that it was a telemarketer or a spam call…that he was getting his hopes up for no reason.

But it was Tish!

The jet shot into the sky as Tony struggled to keep his voice calm…Tish needed him to be calm. She needed to know that it was going to be okay…that he would protect her. So he spoke softly while Sam sat on the bench across from him.

"She won't wake up…"

"It's okay. We're on our way. Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

"I didn't… she…she isn't…isn't hurt…I don't think…it's dark…she jumped…we jumped…the window…" Her stammered words cut off, giving way to terrified sobs, and Tony closed his eyes, forcing himself to breathe.

"Hey, it's okay. Take a breath. I'm on my way. We'll be there in…"

"Thirty minutes!" Natasha called back without missing a beat.

"Thirty minutes. Okay? Are you safe?"

"We're in a tree…she…she climbed the tree and they were chasing us but she kept running…running…climbing the trees…she was running in the trees. Really fast. I think they're far away." Tish was still whispering, struggling to breathe right, and he nodded as though she could see him.

"So you guys climbed a tree? That was good. Good job."

"They chased us for a long time…I don't hear them anymore."

"I'm glad. That means you're safe. Just stay there with Penny. Is she still asleep?"

"Yeah…"

"That's okay. She's probably just tired." It was a lie and they all knew it but he didn't care...couldn't bring himself to accept any reality where Penny wasn't okay. "Did they give you food?"

"Yeah. They…" Tish swallowed hard, seeming to calm just a little. "They put me upstairs in a bedroom. It was…like, it was someone's house. And they put me in a bedroom that looked like a little boy lived there. They had bunk beds. And the lady walked with me to the bathroom and kept the door open and she brought me food for breakfast and lunch and dinner…it was okay. They gave me water too, and I had the cell phone but there was a camera in the room and she said that if I did anything bad she'd hurt Penny, and besides I didn't have service out there. We didn't get it until we got here. And…and I don't know where they kept Penny but she wasn't close to me and I couldn't hear her and I was afraid to ask them anything because they all had guns."

Tony had told her father what had happened, paying him a visit in between calling Steve and patrolling the city. The man across from him had just stared at him, horror and anger mixing on his face, and Tony had hurried to assure him that he would do anything, no matter what it took, to get his daughter back.

"And she's with Penny," he'd finished. "Penny will do anything to keep Tish safe. Anything."

"You bring her here, Stark. The minute you find her, you bring her back here."

"As soon as I can," Tony had agreed with a nod, a promise he intended to keep.

He didn't let himself think about Penny during those thirty minutes. Instead, he asked Tish what she wanted for breakfast, and if she wanted to help make it, or if she wanted to order take out. He asked her about their trip to the aquarium and what she was most excited to see, and if she thought they'd let him buy a shark.

"You can't buy a shark! Where would you keep it?" she cried, laughter breaking through her tears, and he felt himself start to smile.

"I'll bet they'd sell me one. I can put it in the pool."

"What would you feed it?"

"I don't know. Shark food."

"It wouldn't be happy in a little pool," she told him once she stopped giggling, and he nodded.

"You're right. I'll leave the sharks. Maybe we can swim with them, though."

"I don't want to swim with sharks!"

"Why not? They're probably friendly if they're in the aquarium. They're practically pets."

That set her laughing again, and he grabbed a tablet, typing out a message to Friday to get word to Tish's father that she'd been found.

They had to land in the closest open area, and the moment the door was opened, they all shot out of the jet, Tony taking to the sky in his suit, ready to fight whoever it was that had taken his kids if they were anywhere close by. He could see the house they must have been kept in from the sky, but he didn't see anyone searching the forest, so they must have given up…either that, or they'd seen him coming. It didn't matter...he had to find Penny and Tish. He would worry about killing those assholes later.

All the while, he kept up a steady steam of chatter with Tish, assuring her that he was almost there, and that he'd brought the Avengers too…that she would be meeting her favorite Avenger.

"Sam is with you? Falcon?"

"Yep. Him and Spangles and Natasha too."

Her voice wavered a bit. "You…did you tell him that he was my favorite, did you?"

"Nope," he assured her. There hadn't been time, for one, and he didn't want to embarrass her. "I won't say a word. Cross my heart," he promised, eyes glued to the display that led him to them.

They found the girls less than five minutes after they'd landed, Tony scouring the branches as Friday guided him in his mask until he finally spotted them, Tish clinging to a branch she straddled, head swiveling as she searched for threats or maybe for him. The others were on foot close behind him, sprinting up just as Tony managed to lower himself between the branches, making nearby birds take to the air with angry screeches. TIsh gasped when she saw him, tears running down her cheeks as she dropped the phone she'd been clutching. "Mr. Stark!" she cried, practically throwing herself into his metal-encased arms, and he shut off the thrusters in his hands so he could lower the two of them down to the ground while keeping his arms around her. First Tish, then Penny, just like Penny would want it. Tish clung to him, sobbing into his suit as he touched down, opening the faceplate so he could rest his face in her hair.

"You're okay. It's okay," he whispered, tears filling his own eyes. She was okay. She was safe.

"I was supposed to...to call…but I didn't have service…"

"It's okay."

"I was supposed to have my phone! Penny…she told me to always keep it on me!"

He shook his head, squeezing her a little harder. Tish was eleven years old…she shouldn't have to carry a secret emergency phone on her at all times! She shouldn't be in that kind of danger, not ever.

"Penny had hers and she gave it to me but…but I couldn't call you!"

"That's okay. You're okay now. You're both okay."

Then, before he could so much as look her over, Penny screamed, the sound making his blood run cold, and he looked up just in time to see Steve nearly fall from his place on the branch where he'd been crouching in front of her. Penny wobbled, gasping as she tried to scramble away from him, and he shot back into the air just in time to catch her as she listed sideways, gripping her tight as she fought weakly, not letting go until they were on the ground, easing her down until she was laying on the forest floor.

"Penny…hey…you're okay," he murmured, resting a hand on her hair. "It's me. It's Tony. You're okay. I've got you." He didn't know if she was okay…didn't think she was okay…but he didn't know what to do…he was just staring at her, heart pounding as he took in her hazy eyes that were barely open, her breaths coming too fast as she stared at him in confusion.

"Mr…Mr. Stark?" she asked, practically wheezing.

"Yeah…it's me. You're okay."

"Tish?"

"She's fine. She's safe. I've got her."

"My leg hurts," she murmured, and for the first time he managed to tear his eyes away from her face to look down at her jeans, one leg of which was covered in blood. So much blood…the fabric was soaked in it. And Tony didn't understand. It was like he was short circuiting…how could she be bleeding this much? How did this happen? What did he do? Why couldn't he think?

"Here," Natasha ordered, dropping to her knees on Penny's other side and ripping her belt out of the loops around her waist, then wrapped it around Penny's thigh. The girl tensed the moment Natasha touched her but she didn't scream like she had with Steve who stood off to the side with Sam and Tish. Sam was crouched beside the younger girl, asking her questions that Tony couldn't hear over the roaring in his ears. Penny was bleeding. Tis had mentioned someone shooting at them…they'd shot her…they'd shot his kid? They'd kidnapped his kids. Why?

Who had done this? Who had shot her? Why? Why shoot a teenage girl? What the hell was happening?

"Tony, breathe," someone ordered, a hand landing on his metal covered shoulder, and his head snapped up as he found himself face to face with Steve who was kneeling beside him just like Sam was kneeling beside a still-crying Tish. She was crying…he needed to go to her. Penny needed to be okay. He needed to concentrate! He needed to fix this! These were his kids! "Tony!"

"Yeah," he nodded, taking in a lungful of air. Spangles was right. He had to breathe. If he didn't breathe, he couldn't take care of his kids and his kids needed him.

"She's lost a lot of blood. We need to get her to a hospital. Now," Natasha ordered, and Tony practically lunged for Penny, scooping her up before Steve could. She was unconscious again but he knew she didn't want Steve touching her…he doubted she'd be okay with him carrying her, but he had to.

"It's okay, Pen…it's okay. I've got you," he murmured, resting her head on his metal-covered shoulder. "You're alright, honey." The others followed close behind as he hurried into the Quinjet, Natasha and Steve hurrying back to the controls as Tony placed Penny on the floor in front of the bench on the wall, sitting cross-legged beside her as his suit opened up and retracted. She wouldn't be alone. At least she wouldn't be alone. He'd sit with her…he'd be there until he could get her to the Medbay and then a doctor…a female doctor, could look at her.

Sam hesitated beside him, coming up short as Tish hurried over to sit on the bench beside Tony, her knees up to her chest. "Tony? Why don't we move her over to the bed? I can help you…"

Tony shook his head, knowing that Sam was trying to be nice and not knowing how to answer. "Nat, get us back to the Tower. I'm taking her to the Medbay."

"There's a hospital closer…"

"Medbay," he insisted. He couldn't let anyone find out who she was. She'd risked her life and her secret to protect her sister…now he would protect her.

Sam crouched on Penny's other side, glancing down at her and then back up to him. "Tony? Why don't we put her on the bed? She'll be more comfortable there and I can take a look at her," he repeated.

If she woke up on a bed with Sam hovering over her or, god forbid, cutting her clothes off, she'd lose it…freak out. Maybe hurt herself even worse. He shook his head, and Sam looked like he was about to argue, but Tish spoke up through her tears.

"No. Don't put her on a bed…she doesn't like it."

Sam stared at her for a long moment, eyes narrowed in confusion until something seemed to occur to him, and then his eyes went wide, face seeming to lose some of its color. Tony dropped his eyes, gesturing for the suit to open. It wouldn't take long to get back to the tower…they could help her in the Medbay. She'd be okay. He rested his bare hand on her forehead, brushing her hair back as Sam stood, reappearing after a minute with a blanket that he draped over her, then pressed a cold bottle into Tony's hand. He glanced down, then opened the bottle of soda, easing Penny upright a little so he could tip some of the soda into her mouth. Her eyes fluttered and she swallowed it automatically.

"Come on, kiddo. You lost a lot of blood. This should help you feel better."

"Mr. Stark?" she rasped, and he nodded.

"That's me. I've got you. You're okay."

"Tish?"

"She's fine. She's right behind me. You got her out. She's okay."

Her eyes closed again, and he eased her back down onto the ground, watching Sam disappear and then reappear with a jacket that he folded into a pillow and eased under her head.

It felt like hours before they were back at the tower, even though it couldn't have been longer than thirty minutes. Sam started to grab a gurney, but Tony gestured for the armor to encase him once more, then he crouched and pulled her into his arms. Bad enough she'd have to be in a hospital bed…could he do a couch instead? He'd ask a doctor. "Tish, follow me, okay? I want a doctor to look at you too."

Tish obeyed without a word, trotting on his heels to the elevator, and then to the Medbay, the other Avengers left behind in Tony's penthouse. That was fine…he could talk to them later. For now, he needed to make sure Penny was okay. Thankfully, Friday had already alerted his medical staff, and two women in lab coats gestured for him to place her on the nearest bed.

"Do you have a couch? Anything but a bed? She's going to freak out if she wakes up in a bed. Honestly, I think the floor would be better than a bed," he rambled.

"Martinez, help me with the couch," the shorter doctor ordered a nurse passing by, and he jumped into action, working with the doctor to drag a couch over. Tony eased her down and the doctors took over, the man, Martinez, gently guiding him backwards as he pulled the curtain around her bed.

"They have to get her cleaned up, Mr. Stark. We'll let you know…"

"She…make sure she's covered up. And…and don't put her in a bed."

"We won't," Martinez promised, nodding solemnly. "We'll make sure she feels safe. I promise. It looks like she's going to need a transfusion, but we have all of her information on file. She's enhanced…she'll be okay."

Tony nodded, glancing back and finding a still-crying Tish standing off to the side, eyes wide, her arms wrapped around herself. He hurried to her side, wrapping an arm around her and squeezing hard when she pressed her face into his chest, gripping his shirt for dear life.

"Are you sure you aren't hurt anywhere?"

She nodded into his shirt.

"Okay. Come with me. I'll get a doctor to look you over just to make sure and then we can go back upstairs. I had a message sent to your dad…he knows you're okay."

"Can I go see him?"

"Yeah…it's only three in the morning, but after you get some sleep…"

"I don't want to sleep."

"I know, but you…."

"Is Penny okay?" she interrupted.

"She'll be okay. She's really strong, and she heals fast. They just need to give her some blood and she'll feel better in no time. We can all go to the aquarium together soon…you and me and Pepper…Rhodey too. Just like we planned."

"Is Pepper here?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs. You want me to call her?"

Tish nodded.

Pepper came into the room where Tony sat with Tish ten or so minutes later, another doctor looking her over and taking some blood to make sure she really was okay…it probably wasn't necessary, but Tony needed to know for sure. The second Tish saw Pepper she was crying again, and she pulled the girl into her arms, holding her close and rocking her a little.

"You're okay. You're safe…" Pepper whispered as if reassuring herself, biting down hard on her lip like she was trying not to cry, and Tony wrapped an arm around her, his forehead against her shoulder, wishing Penny was in the room with them.

As soon as the doctor gave Tish the all clear, Pepper led her away, letting Tony know that they'd be right back, and Tony took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting room. There was no one else around…all of the doctors and nurses were working behind the double doors where Penny was, and he managed a full two and a half minutes of sitting still before he jumped back up and headed to the free vending machines, selecting a handful of candy bars and a few bottles of water, downing half of one right off. Then, after walking laps around the room and checking his tablet to see if there were any updates on Penny, he went back to his seat, forcing himself to sit and breathe and look at least somewhat calm. For Tish. He had to be calm for Tish.

When Pepper came back, her arm wrapped around Tish, the girl was wearing different clothes and her face was freshly scrubbed, her hair in her bonnet. "We'll take you to get your hair done tomorrow if you want," Pepper offered, rubbing her back as they sat down beside Tony, Tish in the middle. "Do you want braids again?"

Tish shrugged, leaning against Pepper's side as she wrapped an arm around her once more.

"Hungry?" Tony asked, and she shrugged again, but when he held out the handful of chocolate bars, her eyes went wide and she stared up at him, unsure. "Go ahead. We'll have a vegetable tomorrow."

Pepper snorted at that, taking one of the candy bars for herself, and Tish scarfed one down, then another, taking the water Tony offered her and taking a long drink.

"You want to go to bed?" Tony asked after a moment, watching as she nursed her bottle of water. Tish shook her head.

"I want to see Penny."

"You probably won't be able to tonight," Pepper warned gently, then checked her watch. "Um…this morning. She needs a blood transfusion, and she needs to get some rest, but she's going to be okay."

"Then I'll wait until I can see her," Tish insisted, staring at the double doors that led to the other side of the Medbay where Penny was, like if she stared hard enough, she'd be able to see through them. Tony shrugged when Pepper glanced at him…they couldn't make her go to bed, so they just sat with her as she stared at the doors with heavier and heavier eyes until she was resting with her head on Pepper's shoulder. After a while, she brought her feet up and curled up on the seat that was probably more comfortable than regular waiting room chairs but was still a chair and not her bed. Still, Tony forced himself to stay awake, offering her another bottle of water.

It took almost a full hour, but sometime after four, Tish finally nodded off, eyes closing and not opening again, her breath evening out as her head rested on Pepper's shoulder. Pepper ran a hand over her back, her own eyes heavy as she rested her head on the wall.

"I'm going to take her to bed," Tony murmured, shifting carefully to stand. Tish didn't stir, not even when he slipped an arm around her back and one under her to lift her. She just rested her face against his shoulder, bringing a hand up to grip his shirt. Pepper stood with them, a hand on his back like she didn't want him or Tish too far away.

"We should get some sleep too," Pepper suggested softly, and he nodded, even though all he wanted to do was sit beside Penny's bed until she woke up. He couldn't do that…it felt impossible to keep his eyes open as it was even as he carried Tish into the elevator. They all needed sleep, and Penny would be awake soon and they would all be okay.

The living room was empty, something he was grateful for as he carried a mostly-asleep Tish to her bedroom, Pepper heading to their room to try and catch a few hours of sleep herself. As he stepped into Tish's room, Friday turned the lights up just enough that he could see, and he eased her onto her bed, ignoring the twinge in his back. Slipping her shoes off, he pulled the blankets up over her, tucking her into bed as Friday turned the lights back down.

"Mr. Stark," she mumbled, rolling over and peering up at him.

"Yeah, it's just me. Get some sleep."

"Is Penny okay?"

"Yeah, she's going to be okay. The doctors are with her."

"You promise?"

Hesitating, he nodded. Penny was okay. SHe had to be. "Yeah. I promise."

"Can I go see my dad?"

"You sure can," he promised, brushing her braids away from her face. "I told your dad that I'd bring you as soon as I got you home. We'll go see him today."

"Can Penny come?"

"I don't know if she'll be up for it just yet, but you can tell him all about how she saved you, okay? I'm sure he'll want to thank her as soon as he can."

He knew that she wanted to say more, but in the end, she couldn't keep her eyes open for any longer, and not ten seconds later she was sound asleep, curled up in a little ball in the middle of the bed. He rested his hand on the blankets that covered her shoulder for a long moment, closing his eyes and listening to her breathe, then headed for the door.

"Friday, alert me when she wakes up."

"Yes, boss."

"And let me know when the doctors are ready to talk to me about Penny…or if she wakes up and asks for me."

"Yes boss."

"And order more groceries…if the others are going to be here for a few days, we'll need more food."

"Yes boss. Might I suggest you get some sleep?"

Tony sighed…he didn't want to sleep any more than Tish had. He wanted to go back to the Medbay and sit beside the couch where Penny lay and wait for her to wake up. He wanted to hold her hand and promise that he'd keep her safe and tell her how sorry he was that this had happened. And he wanted to go back to that house in the woods and find out who had done this to his kids and then he wanted to make them pay.

In the end, he couldn't do any of those things, so he contented himself with sitting on the living room sofa, eyes glued to the tablet that told him how Penny was doing, until he couldn't keep them open anymore, the tablet slipping from his hands sometime after five in the morning.