Beads of cold sweat trickled down Pepper's back, a realization settling in that this might have been a terrible idea, accompanied by even worse timing.
Anxiety etched across Peter's face, and Pepper couldn't help but regret the decision to share this news today. Maybe waiting until tomorrow or keeping it a secret altogether would have been wiser. Yet, her eyes betrayed her, her eyes already told a story. Obviously telling something's wrong. That something bad happened and convincing Peter that everything was alright seemed impossible.
"Peter, listen carefully to me, okay. Tony— He... Your Dad. After the weapons presentation, they were on their way to the military base for the jet to go back home. The—"
Pepper halted midsentence, a pained expression crossing her face.
"Oh God, I can't... I can't say it. Peter would be crushed." she thought.
"The what?"
Pepper knelt in front of him, both arms gently resting on Peter's arms, maintaining eye level with him.
"Their convoy was ambushed."
"What? How? Where is he? Is he okay? Is he hurt? Is he at the hospital? Can we go see him?"
Panic began to grip Peter's chest, his hands trembling uncontrollably as he struggled to maintain composure. Each breath became short and ragged, the weight of anxiety settling in.
"Peter, just breathe. In and out, breathe," she soothingly coached, her hands gently rubbing his arms in a comforting rhythm until he gradually calmed down.
"Please Pepper, please tell me. Where's daddy?"
Pepper fixed her gaze on Peter, tears welling up in her eyes, the weight of unspoken words hanging heavily in the air. She couldn't bear to put Tony's kid through this.
"Pepper please, where is he?"
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before responding,
"I don't know, Peter. We're in the dark. James and the entire US Military are actively searching for your Dad right now. We won't stop searching."
His eyes brimmed with tears, streaming down like a waterfall,
"No, Pepper. He told me. He said he's coming back tonight. He can't leave me. He can't die, Pepper. He— He can't."
Peter sobbed uncontrollably, rendering him speechless. His tears blurred his vision, and the ache in his eyes and throat reflected the depth of his hurt, pain, and worry.
Pepper enveloped the boy in a comforting hug, pulling him close. She settled him on her lap, gently rubbing his back to soothe his pain. In a shared moment of vulnerability, all she could do was cry with him. Eventually, she carried him to his room, remaining by his side until his breaths became steady in sleep, yet the lingering sorrow still marked the little boy's face.
Tony's bloodshot eyes snapped open, a wave of splitting ache surging through his entire body.
The cold enveloped him, seeping into his bones, and he could feel his arms freezing going numb.
Memories flooded back in an abrupt wave of flashes. The ambush. The detonation of the Jericho missile, and the excruciating surgery devoid of any anesthetic.
Unimaginable pain surged through him, each wave of agony rendering him unconscious, only to awaken to the relentless cycle. Amidst the torment, thirst and hunger added to the ordeal, creating a relentless struggle for survival.
He ripped the tube from his nose in desperation, reaching for a cup filled with water but faltering. A cough racked his weakened body, he needed water. Struggling sideways, he spotted a man and attempted to approach, only to be halted by a pull from a mysterious wire. Confusion struck him.
What the— What is this?
The wire was connected to him.
What…
He tore open the patch and bandages, revealing a shocking sight - his chest being powered by a battery.
A wave of panic washed over him.
Peter!
His absence weighed on his mind. He couldn't help but wonder how his kid would react.
The pressing question lingered: How long had he been gone?
I gotta get back. I need to get back.
"Peter, honey, Ned's here."
Pepper warmly announced as she guided Ned to Peter's room. Before Ned's visit, Pepper had sought and received consent from the Leeds, and Happy facilitated Ned's journey from Queens. Recognizing the significance of friendship in difficult moments, Pepper made sure Peter had the support of his best friend.
"Peter?" Ned said.
Seated on the edge of his bed, Peter gazed pensively at the ocean, holding Oreo, the stuffed dog, close to his chest.
"Ned," Peter said, turning to acknowledge his friend with a smile that failed to reach his eyes, the weight of his thoughts apparent in his expression.
"I'll leave you two be." Pepper stated, closing the door softly as she made her way out.
"What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see how you're holding up, Peter. I'm really sorry for what happened," Ned expressed, enveloping Peter in a tight, supportive hug.
Despite Peter's determined facade, tears began to gather in his eyes, revealing the vulnerability that lay beneath his attempts to be strong.
Ned pulled back, "You want to talk about it?"
"What if he's already dead? They were ambushed in a desert, Ned. It's full of sand. No food, no water, and the mountains are freezing. How will he survive? and what if... What if he's been taken by those terrorists? What if they already killed him?"
"Peter, you can't think that."
"But it has been a month now and no one's ever seen him. They're searching all day, and all night but there's no news, not even one, not even a glimpse to show he's still alive."
"Your father is Mr. Tony Stark. The Tony Stark, Peter! He's a Genius! You said he can do anything, right? I'm sure he's out there trying and making a way to get back to you. Peter, don't lose hope, because we're not. Miss Potts and Colonel Rhodey's not losing hope, so why should you? We believe in your Dad."
Peter agreed with Ned, acknowledging his father's genius and resilience. He'll come back home and they're all going to wait for him.
"Thanks, Ned. Yeah, Dad won't back down without a fight."
Staring into the dancing flames of the bonfire, the warmth seemed to originate not just from the fire but from Tony's rage.
The events drifted into his bearings, saved by a surgeon who had put an electromagnet in his chest that kept shrapnel from entering his heart. An electromagnet hooked up to a battery. His weapons are being used by bad guys for mass destruction, and he's now in one of their caves. How ironic.
In the blink of an eye, his world turned upside down. In a blink of an eye, he's gone from his son.
Forced into a brutal ordeal, immersed in a barrel of water, compelled to fabricate a weapon for a hollow promise of freedom that would never bring him back. No, it wouldn't, because they were nothing but fucking monsters.
"I'm sure they're looking for you, Stark. But they will never find you in these mountains."
Yinsen tried to make a point, "Look, what you just saw... That is your legacy, Stark. Your life's work is in the hands of those murderers. It's that how you want to go out?"
"Peter's my legacy."
Peter.
The mere thought of his little kid sent waves of anguish through him. Peter's probably scared as hell right now. The need to reunite with Peter became an urgency. Tony grappled with the burning question: I need to find a way, but how?
"Who's Peter?"
"He's my son, my life."
"Then what are you going to do about it? You're going to let those weapons destroy the name you built? The future of your son?"
"Why should I do something about it? None of those weapons matter now, none of these! They're gonna kill me or you either way and if not we're gonna be dead in a week."
He knew that's what was going to happen but he couldn't accept it. He can't. He was supposed to be dead but is not. How he survived the surgery is a miracle even. That means something. He's not finished yet. He can't leave his son alone. He was supposed to protect him. There's got to be something.
"You have a son waiting for you home and some of us aren't even lucky to have one. Well, then. This is a very important week now, isn't it?"
His mind started to race with a thousand ideas.
Arc reactor. Repulsor. Suit of Armor.
In an instant, something clicked.
I can make this work.
He finally knew what he was supposed to do to get out of that hell hole.
Even Happy, who's Peter's consistent chauffeur to school now, couldn't help but show concern.
Before releasing the kid onto the school grounds, he offered a supportive pat on the shoulder, saying,
"I know it's tough right now, kid, but you gotta stay strong, okay?"
"Yeah," Peter attempted a smile.
"Appreciate it, Happy." hugging Happy as a way of expressing his thanks.
"I'll be here same time later after school. Okay?"
"Okay. Bye, Happy!"
In an agonizing wait, Pepper glanced at Peter, the passing of two months casting a shadow over their hope. Though hope seemed to slip away with each passing day, they refused to surrender. Now, more than ever, they held onto the belief that news would arrive, refusing to give up, not now, not ever.
"How is he? How's he doing?"
Rhodey asked one afternoon. His monthly visits since the ambush were a routine check on Peter's well-being. They're seated in the kitchen, sipping coffee, observing Peter on the couch, engrossed in his Lego sets and toy robots, a cartoon show on the TV adding to his amusement.
"He's been better. He's trying to stay strong James. He goes to school every day, plays with other kids, and still has stellar grades in his subjects. He doesn't cry every day now so that's a good thing, but you can see his eyes… They're distances away, affixed on nowhere. His teachers said they sometimes see him just staring at the window most of the time deep in thought. We hope, we all always hope that Tony's still alive but if Tony died... I'm afraid we won't get the spark back from that kid anymore." Pepper said with worry, her eyes already starting to water.
Peter can't be an orphan again. He just doesn't deserve that.
Pepper continued, "Is there any news? Even a little improvement on the search operations? It's been two months already Rhodey. There's gotta be something we can hold on to."
"We're trying everything Pepper. There are patrols day and night. We started searching the mountain ranges now and it's not easy. These are vast deserts and mountains on ends. I'm sorry. I wish I could've been on that "fun-vee" Tony insisted. I could've been there to protect him."
Pepper smiled amidst the sadness enveloping them,
"That's not your fault, and we know how Tony likes his funvees. Stubborn and stupid funvees."
They both laughed.
Unexpectedly, Pepper's voice softened with nostalgia as she admitted, "Oh, I miss Tony."
"Yeah. I know you do."
"What?"
"Oh c'mon. You don't have to hide it. Those secret smitten looks? Side glances? The room's been bursting with that whenever you two are together."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Alright, alright." Rhodey said as he put his hand up to surrender, "The two of you can fool each other. But nah uh, not me."
Rhodey smirked and started to stand up. He went to Peter and sat the boy down on his lap.
"Hey champ, what movie do you like to watch?"
"There's this really cool movie that's just been released called "Transformers". The cars transform into robots!"
"Wow. Alright, let's take a look at that."
She very well knew what Rhodey's talking about, and she hoped it's still not too late.
Every corner of the mansion served as a reminder of his father—whether it was the piano, where they shared musical moments, the pool where they spent leisurely hours, the living room that echoed with weekend movie nights, or the kitchen where they once had daily breakfasts together.
In each room, the absence of his Dad lingered, and sometimes he would find himself imagining that his father was just at the lab, engrossed in a new project.
However, the harsh reality would set in, leaving the house feeling eerily empty once more. This is why school offered little comfort, the void left by his father's absence persisted, casting a shadow over even the most routine aspects of life.
His Dad's fate remained unsure, leaving him grappling with the persistent ache of not knowing whether he was alive or not.
Pepper went to the house every night to check up on him and tuck him into bed.
"Peter, do you want to stay with me in the meantime?" Pepper asked as she couldn't stand seeing Peter so sad at the house anymore.
"Thanks, Pepper, but I want to stay here until Dad comes back. I want him to know that I'm here to welcome him home."
She can't believe how pure and thoughtful Peter is. There's no wonder Peter had Tony wrapped around his little finger.
"I'm sure he would've loved that, Peter. But don't hesitate to tell me if you want to get out of the house for a while. Your father still wants to see you happy, and he wouldn't want you seeing sad all the time."
"I'm not sad. I just miss him, Pepper. I'm not losing hope, but I just miss him so much that it hurts." his voice broke as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"It just hurts so much Pepper. Please make it stop. Please make Daddy come back."
Peter started sobbing and she could feel his little heart breaking but there was nothing she could do but hug the little boy.
Every time he's about to lose hope, a memory flashes over him...
A memory that happened when he was five years old.
In the grip of a chilling nightmare, Peter's cry pierced the silence, "No, Dad! Please, come back!"
"Peter, wake up. I'm here. Please, wake up," Dad pleaded, voice filled with urgency and concern. Gently but desperately, he shook Peter's shoulders, trying to rouse him back.
"Dad!" His eyes snapped open, and he clung tightly to his father. "You - You were gone! You left me, you didn't come back! Please please don't leave me. Please I don't want to be alone. Don't leave me."
"Baby, I'm here. I won't leave you. I'm never gonna leave you. You're okay, I'm okay, we're okay, baby."
Tony carried him into his arms. Peter wrapped his arm around his dad's neck and hugged him. Clinging desperately, afraid that his dad's going to disappear in the blink of an eye.
"You went into a black hole Dad. I tried calling you but you can't hear me. I tried to reach you but you're too far gone. I screamed and screamed for you to turn your back around but you didn't!" The words rushed out at a frantic pace, reflecting the urgency and helplessness in Peter's voice.
"Peter, breathe. Breathe, baby. Hear my breathing, follow it. Relax... I'm here. I'm never gonna leave you."
Tony assured his son, kissing him countless on his forehead. They went to the terrace to get some fresh air. Tony knew that his son relaxed at the sight of the ocean. It's now glistening from the light of the moon.
"Peter, remember, I won't leave you okay? and No matter where I go, I'll never leave your side. I'm always here—" Dad pointed a finger into his chest indicating his heart. "When you feel your heart, you remember that I love you, okay? I love you so much Peter, I'm here and you will never be alone."
Dad kissed his forehead. He can hear his Dad's heart beating, relaxing him, humming him to sleep.
The memory was a soothing balm for him, transporting him back to his father's room. It had been three months already. He took out his dad's collection of watches, reminiscing about his favourite one, the Jaeger watch. His father had plans to upgrade it into something extraordinary, although the tech design was still in the works. The anticipation of something awesome lingered in the air. Excitement bubbled within him, and he couldn't resist jumping on his dad's bed, reminiscing familiar haven of memories. Each leap seemed to release pent-up energy until he finally settled, exhausted but content.
When is he going to come home?
Spotting a long-sleeved white shirt, a garment reminiscent of his dad's usual attire, Peter decided to try it on along with a pair of shades. The lingering scent of his dad enveloped him, evoking a sense of warmth and connection. Finally, he stood before a full-length mirror, taking in his reflection.
"Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace. Call me Tony. Tony Stark."
Peter playfully mimicked his Dad, donning his clothes and flashing a peace sign, all the while sharing a laugh at his own attempt. He couldn't help but miss his dad's snarky and witty comments.
With the weight of a long day settling on him, he eased into bed, allowing the gentle pull of sleep to slowly envelop him.
I wish Dad's already here in the morning.
Despite the smooth ride, Yinsen's words continued to resonate in Tony's thoughts.
"Don't waste it. Don't waste your life."
With a gradual motion, the plane hangar doors opened, permitting the dawn sunlight to gracefully stream inside.
Thank you for saving me Yinsen.
He owed it to Yinsen's sacrifice and to himself to make his life worthwhile and purposeful.
How? He was about to find out.
Familiar faces awaited him on the tarmac, a reassuring sight that filled him with relief. Rhodey, his ever-trusted ally, assisted him as they descended the hangar, taking deliberate and careful steps.
Discarding the stretcher, he walked directly towards Pepper, whose presence felt like a radiant sun, providing him with a comforting warmth in contrast to the cold he'd experienced.
"Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?"
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."
Gratitude overwhelmed Pepper when she received the call from Rhodey the night before, informing her that they had found him. Almost unable to believe the news, she couldn't help but exclaim, Thank God!
"Yeah, vacation's over."
As they got situated in the car, Happy asked, "Where to, sir?"
"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy." Pepper replied.
"No."
"No? Tony, you have to go to the hospital. I can pick Peter up at the mansion and he'll be there."
"No is a complete answer."
"The doctor has to look at you."
"I don't have to do anything. I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger and I want to go home and see Peter. You haven't told him yet, right?"
"No, he's still sleeping. It's early morning, the sun has just risen."
"Hogan, drive. I want to surprise him. He'll be happy I bought a cheeseburger as a souvenir."
"How's Peter? How is he? Tell me my boy's alright. No, tell me everything."
"Oh Tony, you have no idea."