I hope everyone will forgive the lateness. I usually try to post once a week, but I started a new college course and free time has been harder to come by. I hope you enjoy!

Hindsight

Later, Tony would berate himself for not knowing that something was wrong. Those were his kids…how could he not have known? How did he feel nothing more than mild anxiety when he sent Penny a text at 6:53 pm to let her know that they were on his way home and didn't receive a text back? Why hadn't he just called? He hadn't wanted to interrupt their dinner and board game night…but he knew they wouldn't have minded. Looking back, it seemed like such a stupid reason not to check on them. If he'd called and she hadn't answered, would he have worried more then? Would he have called Happy or Jackie? He didn't know…couldn't know. Because he sent Penny a text at 6:53, and then got a late dinner with Pepper at one of her favorite restaurants. Then he got on the plane. And it wasn't until he walked into the dark penthouse at 9:28 pm that he started to suspect that something was wrong.

The kids usually stayed up later than that, especially when they didn't have school the next day, and most nights found them together on the sofa. Even when they were in their own rooms, it seemed strange that they'd turn the living room lights off knowing that Tony and Pepper would be home soon.

"Pen? Tish?" he called as Pepper slipped her feet out of her heels. "Kids? We brought cake!" He'd ordered the cakes at the restaurant, making Pepper smile to herself as she'd sipped her cocktail. "Fri? Where are the girls?"

"Penny and Letitia are not in the building."

The background worry turned sharp then, and he pulled his phone out, pulling up his last text to her which, he suddenly realized, hadn't even been read. Stabbing the call button, he tried to push the anxiety down. It was fine. Of course it was fine. This was Penny Parker. Spider-Girl. She would do anything to protect Tish…but why would she have to protect Tish? They'd probably just lost track of time. Right?

No answer.

Penny always answered her phone if he called. She always answered him when he or Pepper texted. She didn't ignore their calls or their texts, and she especially wouldn't today.

He called Letitia's phone then, listening to it ring and ring before giving up.

"Maybe they're still at the movies…or out with Ned," he mumbled, calling Penny's phone again. That didn't make sense, of course. They wouldn't be at a movie this late. It was after 9:30…she'd told him that they were going to a movie in the afternoon. Maybe they'd gone to another one? No…he doubted it. Especially not without telling them when she knew that they'd be home this evening…that they would worry. So he listened to the phone ring, deflating a little in relief when there was the soft click of someone picking up. He opened his mouth to tell Penny that she'd scared the shit out of him…he would try to inject levity into his voice to avoid making her feel bad. He would keep it light so she didn't worry. He would accept her apology and pick her up if they needed a ride.

"Hello?" The man's hesitant voice wasn't Penny and all of the tension came flooding back in as Pepper walked back into the room, freezing at whatever look was on his face.

"Tony? What's wrong?"

"Who is this?" he demanded of the man on the other line. "This is my kid's phone. Who is this?"

"Um…I'm Jeff. This phone was under a park bench…I was out walking my dog and he heard it ringing."

Tony tapped at his watch as the suit formed around him. Penny's phone had been under a park bench. The coordinates in the mask of his suit told him that Jeff was in Central Park by the playground and he gestured for Friday to chart a course.

"Okay…okay. I'm on my way…can you stay there? Was anything else with her phone?" A purse, he thought, or…blood? A weapon? Was she okay? Was she hurt? Had she just dropped her phone or…

"I didn't really look. Um…" the guy hesitated and Tony heard a dog barking. "Hang on, buddy. Um…no…I don't see anything else."

"Okay…I'll be right there."

"Is this really…"

"Yeah. It is."

"Tony?" Pepper asked again as he hung up, voice more urgent now as she reached out and grabbed his metal-covered arm. "Tony…"

"Some guy found Pen's phone in Central Park."

"Where…" She didn't finish the sentence, letting go of his arm and shaking her head. "I'll call Happy and get Friday to check surveillance footage from the surrounding area," she told him simply, lips tightening into a grimace as she took a step back. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to pull her into his arms and assure her that everything was okay…that of course it was. That the girls were fine and that they'd be home soon. That she didn't have to worry. Instead, he had to jump out the window that opened automatically for him, pushing his suit as fast as it could go.

"Friday, call Tish's phone," he demanded, breaths coming a little too fast, his heart pounding in his ears. Thankfully, Friday didn't inform him that he was on the verge of a panic attack. He already knew.

Her phone rang and rang, finally prompting him to leave a message.

"Track it."

Ten seconds later, the footage showed up in the corner of the display. An empty alley. The display zoomed in on the phone on the ground beside a trash can and some pallets. No bodies. The kids weren't there…they were okay. They had to be okay. He would pick up her phone on his way back to the tower and then he'd give it back to her.

The streetlights in the park illuminated Jeff's antsy golden retriever sitting at his feet, the two of them dressed in matching reflective vests. They both flinched a little when he landed, a hand outstretched to take the phone. Normally, Tony would have apologized…normally, he would have said hello to the dog…he would have gotten Jeff's full name and he would have thanked him, probably with money. After all, the guy could have ignored the ringing phone on the ground under a park bench…a lot of people probably would have. That, or they would have stolen it. Had either of the girls been carrying a purse? Had it been stolen? Had someone grabbed Tish's purse and ditched the phone?

What about their flip phones? The ones Penny had bought them so Tish could always get ahold of her. He didn't have the numbers…why didn't he have the numbers? Why hadn't he asked?

For a moment, all he could do was stare at the cracked screen of Penny's old phone. She had a new one, but the Stark Phone Pepper had given her was still in its box on her desk back at the tower. At least he'd gotten this one back for her. That was something…it had to be important to her for her to keep it…or maybe she just hadn't wanted to accept a new one?

It didn't matter, he tried to tell himself, struggling to focus. He could figure that out later.

"Fri…footage from this spot for the last few hours?" he ordered, not even lifting the faceplate of his suit as Jeff shifting from foot to foot like he was considering asking for permission to leave.

"I'm still working on it, boss," she responded, robotic voice serious in his ear.

"Okay…okay," he whispered, voice shaking. She was working on it. She'd find them. Or he would. He had to.

"Happy is on the phone with Pepper and is on his way to the tower," she informed him gently, trying in vain to calm him down. "I'm scanning all of the footage from the nearby area and working on facial recognition."

"Right," Tony whispered, nodding to himself, heart dropping as he fought to keep his voice level. The kids were fine. They had to be fine. Penny would protect Tish…no matter what, she would keep her sister safe. Penny would do anything to protect her…

But who would protect Penny?

He was supposed to protect Penny! He was supposed to protect both of them!

Why hadn't Tony asked Happy to stay with them? Just because Penny was enhanced didn't mean she was invincible. Tony was her guardian! Why did he leave them? Why didn't he check on them again before he'd gotten on that plane? How could he have let this happen?

He tried to shake those thoughts off, giving Jeff an absent-minded 'thanks' before shooting back into the air, making a mental note to actually thank the man later…then, thinking better of that, made a real note. "Friday, get me everything you can on Jeff and order him something to send to his house. And a card for Pepper and me to sign."

"Yes, boss."

"Something for the dog too…a bone or something."

"Yes, boss."

By the time he'd grabbed Tish's phone from the alley and sped back to the tower, Happy was in the living room with Pepper, her pacing back and forth in the living room, him holding a tablet. The TV screen showed grainy, black and white footage of Central Park, and Tony made another mental note to upgrade the surveillance cameras around New York, if only to better find his kids if the need ever arose again. It was hard for Friday to run facial recognition with such low quality images, but she was trying anyway, brackets appearing around various faces as they flashed by.

"I contacted the police," Happy told him, jaw tight, creases around his eyes as he seemed to struggle to keep his composure.

Right. The police. And the social worker…he'd need to contact them too. Why had he left them alone? Why had he assumed that they were fine on their own? Were they even old enough to be left on their own? Surely they were…it's not like they'd left them for days or weeks or anything…just a few hours!

He'd skimmed the rules sent to him, and had made note of the ones he probably shouldn't break, like not taking them out of the country (well…he'd broken that one, but only once and only for one of them and no one knew). But he was pretty sure they were old enough to be alone for a few hours.

They were supposed to go to the aquarium the next day. Rhodey was going to come. It was going to be fun…a fun outing with his family, something that still felt so foreign. But he'd been looking forward to it and he thought the kids were too, even Penny. He would need to call Rhodey and update him…the press would find out soon so it would be better if they did some kind of press conference. Besides, then people would be on the lookout…the more people looking for his kids, the better.

That's when the idea first occurred to him, hitting him like a lightning bolt.

The police came, sitting on the sofa where the girls liked to curl up under blankets and watch movies or people playing games on Youtube. Penny was okay with couches. She'd sit on one under a blanket, or even lay down. Never a bed. But couches and hammocks and the floor were all safe. He did his best to focus, going over the timeline he'd managed to put together while Friday ran in the background, struggling to run facial recognition on blurry black and white faces. There was no guarantee that Penny had even been on that park bench. Someone could have thrown her phone under the bench while they'd been walking by. Maybe they'd found it somewhere else. Hell, maybe they'd taken it from her at the theater.

Would she have noticed? Did her danger senses extend to her cellphone? No, he thought, shaking his head. That didn't make sense. It was too much of a coincidence that she would lose her phone on the same day that she went missing. Missing. His kids were missing. And he was telling the cops and then the social worker that she and Tish had gone to the movies, and that his personal assistant and his head of security had been on call and that he'd talked to them earlier and that he'd brought them cake.

When his voice threatened to break on that last part, Pepper took over, her voice soft and somehow calm as she rested a hand on his. How could she be calm? How could she even pretend to be? He knew she wasn't really but his heart was beating out of his chest and his kids were gone…how were his kids just gone? Penny was a superhero! She would have fought anyone that tried to take her or Tish…especially Tish! Who would have taken her? Why? Some kind of plan to get to him? It had to be, right? A plan to get money? He'd give them money. That's what he told the police. If there was a ransom call, he'd give them whatever they wanted if they just gave him his kids back!

The two cops in his living room gave each other looks, their eyes full of pity that he hated. He wanted to tell them to do their jobs…to find his kids. But he knew better. He didn't expect them to be of any help. No…if he wanted his kids back, he was going to have to find them himself.

The social worker was more understanding than he'd expected. Well…maybe not 'understanding.' But she didn't outright blame him. Instead, she seemed to have that same pity in her eyes as the cops and he wondered how bad he must look for all of them to be looking at him like that. "We'll find them," he told the social worker, wishing he could remember her name. "We will. I'll find them. Whatever it takes. They'll be okay. I'll get them back."

Tish's dad…he'd have to tell Tish's dad. But Penny didn't have anyone to tell. She didn't have anyone left…just him. He was all she had. Him and Pepper and Rhodey. But he would find her and he would give her her phone back and…and…

"Tony…"

"I'm fine," he choked out, jumping to his feet and trying to smile at the social worker who was watching him with wide eyes. Happy stared at him from behind the tablet he'd been studying and Pepper had a hand outstretched like she wanted to pull him into her arms, but he had to get out of that room. He had to do something! "Excuse me," he murmured. "I'll be right back."

The flip phone sat in the top drawer of the desk in his lab, and he felt a stab of regret as he stared down at it. Why hadn't he gotten the numbers to those phones? Why hadn't he even asked? If he had the numbers he could track them! Maybe they had their flip phones on them! Penny had told him that Tish always kept hers on her because Penny had asked her to and so Penny must always have hers too! Right? He could have asked. He could have tried.

Tony had thought he would hesitate…had thought that this phone call would be impossible to make. That nothing would ever be so bad that he would ever call Steve again. The man had betrayed him…and maybe Tony hadn't handled the situation well either...either way, they weren't friends and maybe they never had been. They were barely teammates, considering all the fighting they'd done even on their good days.

As it turned out, though, the phone call was easy to make. Who cared about his feud with Captain Righteous when his kids were in danger? So he selected the only contact and hit the call button with zero hesitation, holding the phone to his ear with a hand that shook, either from nerves or his impending panic attack, he wasn't sure.

"Hello?" a familiar voice demanded, heavy with disbelief. "Tony?"

"Cap? I need your help." His voice shook as hard as his hand, and he closed his eyes, trying to do the deep breathing that had been recommended to him to help deal with the panic attacks that still occasionally plagued him.

"Of course. What's going on?"

At least there was that…maybe they weren't friends and maybe they weren't teammates, but they were something.

"My kids. I…" he cleared his throat, trying to ignore the heat in his eyes and the way his thoughts seemed to scatter in a million different directions. He needed to go in some kind of order if any of this was going to make sense and he needed it to make sense because the sooner Steve understood the sooner he could help. "I'm fostering two kids. Penny and Letitia. She's fourteen…Penny. She's fourteen and Tish…Letitia is eleven. Pep and I were out of town for the day…just for a few hours. Penny was going to take Tish to the movies and I talked to them earlier…they could call Happy if they needed to…" He didn't tell him that Penny was Spider-Girl. He wouldn't unless he had to. "And…and we got home but they're not here and some guy found Penny's phone under a park bench. Central Park. And Tish…her phone…it was in an alley. I…I need help. I have to find them."

"Okay," Steve told him, voice surprisingly soft. "Okay, Tony. Slow down," he urged, and Tony wanted to scream. He couldn't slow down! His kids were missing! He was running out of time! Every second he wasted was another second his kids were with whoever had taken them! Unless…unless they hadn't been taken. Unless they'd been…

"Do you have pictures? Are…"

"Yeah…yeah I…I have pictures. And…I'll send them. They'll be in the press too…there's a video. There's…they were at Coney Island…"

"We'll look them up."

"Okay. I'm…Friday is running facial recognition but…the cameras in New York are shit. She's…she's still looking. I'm going to fly around…"

"Why don't you meet me? I'll send you the coordinates and we can talk in person."

"Okay…good. Yeah. Thank you."

"Boss, I think you should see this," Friday told him at the exact moment his regular phone lit up, Happy's name appearing on the screen. Closing the flip phone and ignoring the call from Happy for the moment, he turned to the screen that hung from the ceiling, nodding and gesturing for her to get on with it.

The figures on the screen were blurry, but he could almost make Penny out as she sat on the bench in the park, phone in hand, what looked like Tish's purse at her feet. The footage was all black and white from a camera several feet away on a light post, but knowing Tish, he was sure the purse was pink. Penny didn't look up until a person came up and sat beside, and it was impossible to see details…did Penny stiffen? Did she know this person? Was it a man or a woman? He wanted to guess woman but wasn't sure. He had to assume that Friday wasn't able to identify them based on the lack of information he was getting, and the cameras didn't have audio. Penny looked somewhere else for a moment, and then back at the person before standing up and following them out of frame.

Another video appeared on the screen…Tish, he was pretty sure, walking with another person. And finally, a shot of a blurry Penny climbing into a van that pulled away from the park. Then the video changed, rapidly moving between different frames as the van moved through the city.

"I was unable to track the van after they left the city, but I did identify the license plate." A close up of the plate appeared on the screen then. "The license plate is not registered to this vehicle. A van matching that description was reported stolen within the last three months, although the company logo is not one that belongs to any company I could find. I believe it may be a fabrication. The license plate is registered to an elderly couple living in Colorado."

So someone had probably switched the plates. "Get me everything you can on those reports," he ordered unnecessarily. Of course she would find everything she could, even if it was a dead end. Black market stolen license plates had to be a pretty common thing. "Happy and Pep know all this?"

"Yes, boss."

He'd figured as much…that was probably why Happy was calling him. "Good. Send a text to Happy. Tell him I'll be back soon…and send the footage to my phone."

The coordinates Cap sent him were only about ten minutes from the place Penny's phone had been found in Central Park…he landed on the roof of the building with boarded up windows, wondering if he should try and go inside, when Cap opened the door to the roof access and stepped out.

The moment felt heavy, like apologies or explanations should be given…like maybe they should try again to work things out. But there was no time…not yet. Instead, Tony held out his phone and showed the images. The first was Penny, the picture taken by Tish back when they'd been at the beach. Then the one of Tish from that same week, a selfie she'd put on her (very private, very well guarded by Friday) Instagram. In both, the girls were smiling…almost laughing. They were happy…they'd been happy at the beach.

Where were they? Were they hurt? Or…

"We looked up the video," Steve told him, voice gentle. Tony pushed past that.

"This is the footage that Friday was able to get from surveillance cameras in the park." He played the video, pointing Penny out as he narrated, Steve's eyes glued to the hologram. "I don't know who those people are…the ones taking them to that van. The logo on the side is probably made up…Friday can't find the company anywhere. The license plates were switched with someone in Colorado." He shook his head. "She tracked it until they left the city. Surveillance is patchy outside city limits." Steve nodded. "A guy in the park found Penny's phone. Tish's purse was left under the bench…someone grabbed it two hours after Penny and Tish were taken. Tish's phone was ditched in an alley a few blocks away."

Steve nodded, keeping up, that horrible pity in his eyes, and Tony wanted to scream, but he made himself keep talking and keep breathing.

"They both have flip phones…prepaid. Penny got them so Tish could always call her. Their last foster home was…it was bad." He waved a hand, not about to explain any further. "Penny said they always keep those phones on them but I don't have the numbers. I…I should have asked…"

"So they're not in the city…no one has contacted you about a ransom?"

Tony shook his head. "I've got a memo out to everyone at SI that they should be on the lookout for any phone calls or emails…hell, letters. Anything mentioning the kids."

"Can Friday give us a direction?"

"They were headed north when they left the city but…" he shook his head. "That was hours ago. They…"

They could be anywhere. They could have done anything to his kids. Anything.

"Okay. I'll go meet the others and tell them what's going on. We're going to find them, Tony."

Tony really wished he could believe that. Still, he nodded, swallowing hard and trying to look comforted as Steve rested a tentative hand on his shoulder.