Finding Their Way Home

Chapter Six

Tony sat in his lab forlornly. Dum-E poked his side, letting out an unhappy buzz. Tony sighed and leant back in his chair, allowing his arm to flop over the side and softly pet the bot. "What am I supposed to do, Dum-E?" he asked. "Peter was..." he grit his teeth, refusing to even say it.

(Bought. His baby boy was bought.)

(Like a fucking animal.)

"How am I supposed to tell Pep?" he asked instead. "She's barely keeping it together as is. I don't want to add to her stress."

Tony groaned and dragged his hands down his face. This was a fucking mess. Someone had hurt his son, and worst of all; Tony didn't know who it was, so he couldn't destroy them for it. Yet. It went without saying that Tony was going to annihilate whoever thought they could do this to his son. The fact that he didn't know who it was yet was just letting them enjoy borrowed time.

Tony stood. If he didn't know anything about his son's kidnappers, then he may as well do something about that. "FRIDAY, pull up everything I have on the Kidnapping case." Tony said. On the computer in front of him, dozens of files pulled up.

He began the long process of going through everything he had. Which wasn't a lot. Over the twelve years that Peter had been missing (The immeasurable relief of not being forced to say dead made Tony sag slightly) Tony had only managed to find a handful of information on it.

He had one particular man pegged as suspicious. Tiberius Stone. That man had always had it out for Tony, ever since they were children. And he just so happened to go under a few weeks after Peter was kidnapped? It was all too coincidental for him. But he was never able to find any solid evidence.

So what did Stone have to gain from taking Peter? From a business standpoint; everything. Stark Industries profits went down by a landslide the months Peter was missing. Tony had no doubt that Stone's profits increased the very difference that S.I went down.

However when Peter was 'dead', Tony threw himself into his work. It was his method of coping. That added onto the sympathetic customers made S.I grow from a multimillion dollar company to a multibillion dollar company. It made no sense for Stone to want Peter dead. Peter's 'death' nearly but Stone out of business.

And what could Stone possibly gain from selling Peter? Tony grit his teeth at the thought. He didn't want to think too deeply about what kind of person would buy a child, lest he throw up. Or destroy something. Probably both.

The only other thing in the file was information about Peter's kidnapping. How and where it happened. Tony had been in a meeting when it happened. He had pressed a chaste kiss to Pepper's lips before hugging his toddler's body to him for a quick second before he was out the door.

He didn't even tell Peter he loved him before he left.

He was already late.

Happy, Pepper and Peter had gone to the park. Pepper had turned around for one second and just like that, Peter was gone. There was no CCTV around the area where he had been taken, and try as he might, Tony couldn't get anything about how he was abducted.

When he had gotten home the first thing he was hug his wife. Pepper was hysterical and she admitted to him later that she was terrified that he would blame her for losing their only son. (Tony never would. He was too busy blaming himself) He then raged at the world for taking Peter away before he searched for him.

"What are you doing?"

Tony let out a sigh and looked back to Rhodey. "What do you think I'm doing?"