A/N: Phew! Wrapping this up took AGES. (winces) Mainly because my mind wasn't decided on a couple of things. Now it is – and I'm BACK! (GRINS) Yay?

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for your absolutely amazing reviews, love and support! You can't even imagine how much they mean to me. (HUGS)

Awkay, before I get sickeningly sappy… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

Lost Children (Found)

Natasha was waiting in a car when Clint made his way out of the prison. Her eyes were mercifully free of pity. She also knew him well enough to not offer a word.

Clint slumped to the passenger's seat with a galloping, aching heart and a painfully tightly clenched jaw. "Well. That was fun."

"Did you get the location?" Natasha inquired, understanding that he needed something practical to focus on, immediately.

He showed her the note, and they were on their way.

It was a circus. Literally. One that'd been abandoned for a very long time. Carson's Carnival of Traveling Wonders ceased to exist shortly after Clint… took his departure. At the time there was no solid evidence of its other owner's sickening deeds but people refused to stop talking. The place never survived its questionable reputation. And Duquesne needed to relocate himself to stay out of the spotlight. But now it was conveniently close and isolated enough for dropping off a little girl the monster didn't want people to see.

Clint never, ever expected that he'd have to come back, yet there he was, and felt sick to his stomach.

At least he had Natasha's presence and a missing child to keep his mind grounded. The detectives advanced swiftly and quietly. The area wasn't a small one but they knew exactly where to look from. The only remaining question was whether they were on time.

The trailer that used to belong to Duquesne was locked, just like Clint remembered it being several times. But now he was an adult. He gathered every ounce of his pent-up rage and kicked with all his might. The thin door gave in easily.

"Michelle?" Natasha called out as soon as they entered the dark space. "Are you here? It's okay, we're with the police. We're here to help you."

They saw a tiny figure, hunched motionlessly to the furthest corner with her back against the wall. They felt a shudder of dread until their flashlights met her face. She had a pink wig that somehow looked like it was made for her, and a pair of squinted eyes that carried fierce determination alongside sheer terror. She was trembling. "I'm cold. And I…" She swallowed like her throat hurt. "I hate it here. Can we go away now?"

Clint shared her sentiment so much that it was almost funny. Almost. "Yeah", he agreed. "Let's go."

Sadly, it wasn't the first time Tony woke up from a floor. Since the first occasion he'd gained quite a few years and his body wasn't as adaptable to his bad decision making as it once was. His back was screaming and cursing him when he drifted towards the waken world with a groan.

"Mr… I mean, Tony?" Peter's voice was painfully tentative. It was the kind of hesitation and fear that might never fade away entirely. "Are you up?"

Tony sighed heavily. "Awake, yeah. Getting up… Not so much." He cracked one eye open and smiled at the child who sat a slight distance away, clearly wondering what he was supposed to do. "Morning. What time is it?"

Peter chewed the inside of his cheek. "Almost eleven thirty. I… I had to use the bathroom, but… I did my best to stay quiet, I swear."

Tony fought the urge to grimace. He'd slept almost half of the day away? While he was in charge over a child? Wasn't he doing a spectacular job as a parental figure… At least Peter hadn't cracked his head open, broken any bones or gotten himself into the kind of trouble the billionaire couldn't even imagine at the moment. He just… sat there, reading a book and very clearly trying to make himself as invisible and inaudible as possible. It was actually pretty heartbreaking.

Tony felt a hint of relief he didn't think he deserved. The kid survived his first night with him. That was something, right?

The sound of a stomach rumbling cut the chaotic string of thoughts. Peter's cheeks colored. "I'm, uh… kind of hungry." That sounded far too apologetic.

Tony groaned and pushed himself to a sitting position. "I'm sorry, kid." He went on at the genuine shock his apology provoked. Had any adult who'd wronged Peter ever apologized? "Of course you're hungry, it's almost noon. I messed up and slept too late. So I'm sorry." A lot of people imagined that the infamous Tony Stark wasn't capable of feeling remorse, let alone expressing it. Good thing Howard's DNA failed to latch onto him there.

Peter stared at him and it was easy to see the wheels turning in his head while the child pondered if this was a trick. Or a cruel joke. And if Tony wasn't exactly familiar with apologies, the boy didn't seem quite sure how to receive one. "It's okay", the kid hurried to reassure him at last, like there was a time limit to replying.

Of course it wasn't okay. But Tony decided to not waste time on arguing with the boy and pushed himself up, the child mimicking his motion obediently. "C'mon. Let's go and raid the kitchen. I'll teach you how to make a proper omelette."

How about that. Peter smiled radiantly. "I like omelettes."

Tony grinned. By then they were waiting for an elevator "See, kid? There's a reason the two of us found each other." It was at least half a joke.

Peter… didn't quite take it like that. The boy looked at him with surprise. Then, tentatively, took an experimental step closer. After a mighty war with himself Peter leaned his head against him. And Tony felt the walls he'd built around his heart shudder dangerously.

Pepper entered the kitchen an hour later, having grown alarmed when Tony didn't answer his phone. What she found… definitely wasn't what she expected. There were egg peels everywhere. And the air was polluted by a distinct hint of something having burned.

Tony and Peter didn't seem to mind. In the middle of the ridiculous mess the two sat right next to each other, munching their late breakfast happily. Peter gave her a shy smile. "Hi, Miss Potts." He pointed towards his plate. "Look! We made omelettes."

Pepper wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh, cry or start screaming. Something told her to start getting used to it.

At the hospital Clint and Natasha were relieved to learn that Michelle hadn't been… touched. She was dehydrated, malnourished, mildly hypothermic and definitely in a state of shock. But she'd make a full recovery. Physically. Emotionally… Now that was a whole another battle. Especially when it turned out that the girl didn't exactly have a safe environment to return to.

Clint, who sat on one of the waiting room's torturous chairs nursing a takeaway mug of coffee, glanced towards Natasha when she entered the room and kicked the wall. Hard. "I take it you didn't find her parents?"

Natasha groaned. "I… did. Apparently her father is unable to come and see her because he got himself arrested for drunk driving last night. For the twelfth time in two months. Her mother is… out of the picture."

Clin's jawline became so tight that it hurt. He glared at the opposite wall and decided that he hated that shade of light yellow. "Sounds like his style", he hissed. Unwilling to mention the monster by the name. "He sees a lonely, helpless child… One who'd do anything for a tiny bit of affection… And lunges."

"Hey." Natasha punched his shoulder lightly. It wasn't enough to make the memories go away but he appreciated the attempt. "Not anymore, remember? He's in jail and will stay there for a really, really long time."

Clint took a sip of coffee and let the bitter taste dance on his tongue before gulping it down. "Yeah." If only it was that simple. If only a piece of that disgusting creature wasn't still roaming free, inside his head.

"You okay?"

He nodded and coaxed his shoulders into relaxing. "Yeah. Just… need to catch my breath." He forced down the rest of his coffee. "I'm glad we got to Michelle before…" He didn't want to spit out the final words.

"So that's why you're wearing your happy face", Natasha scoffed.

Clint grimaced. Bits and pieces of his… talk with a monster came creeping back. "I'm… psyching myself up for doing something unpleasant."

Peter was nervous and very, very excited when after breakfast Tony announced that soon he'd see something really cool. They took the elevator and pressed it to floor twenty-eight. "What's there?" the boy inquired, knowing that he was overstepping his rights and risking punishment. Knowing that he was too nosy for his own good but unable to stop himself.

But this wasn't Thaddeus Ross. Tony grinned merrily instead of lashing out. "Like I already said. Something super cool."

That was when the elevator's doors opened. Peter felt his eyes widen and a shudder of amazement go through his spine where a computer voice greeted them. "Good afternoon, sir, and young sir."

Peter gasped and spun around. And did so again when he didn't see where the voice came from. "What…?"

Tony laughed. "That would be Jarvis. An AI I've been working on."

Peter blinked several times, his heart jumping and fluttering from the kind of curiosity he didn't think he'd ever experienced. "That… That's the coolest thing ever!"

Tony grinned, a great deal of pride in his eyes. "Oh, wait until you find out what else I've been working on. You see… One of the main things my company develops is robotics."

They entered a massive space full of so much never before seen technology that Peter had hard time believing that it was all real. That this wasn't just another fever dream. That he hadn't died in that freezing water and ended up to heaven.

He was too overwhelmed to notice how flattered Tony was by his admiration. "I'm going to give you a full tour. On one condition." His new guardian was very serious all of a sudden. "This place is awesome and all that. But this stuff can also be really dangerous. So you'll never come down here alone. Ever. Because I want you to be safe, especially in this building, since this is your home."

Peter was so excited that it was sort of embarrassing. But he wasn't too out of it to realize how important that rule was. So he nodded firmly. "I promise, Mr. Stark." He bit his tongue the second the wrong name slipped from it.

Tony, mercifully, let the mistake slide. This time. "Then let me introduce you to the pride and joy of the Stark Industries."

They ended up losing track of time entirely in their very own Wonderland. Until Peter's stomach started rumbling so loudly that it sounded like a thunder. At least the kid wasn't embarrassed this time, or hid it well. "We… don't have to eat yet, right?"

Tony ruffled the child's hair. "Nice try. But I've gotta at least try being a decent grownup." Which didn't exactly go well with how he continued. "How would you feel about some pizza?"

Peter reacted exactly like Tony had expected. The boy's eyes lit up. "It's… I haven't had pizza in ages!"

Unfortunately their fun was ruined by a computer voice. "Sir? Your presence is acquired at a meeting."

Tony groaned. His mood didn't improve when he noticed the way Peter's shoulders sagged. "Didn't I make it perfectly clear that today needs to be a day off?"

"I apologize, sir, but this came up unexpectedly."

Tony swore under his breath, and hoped dearly that the kid wouldn't hear. Then, feeling unpleasantly like he was taking after his father, he laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid. I'll try to get rid of this stupid thing as soon as I can. And then we'll have the best pizza you've ever tasted in your life." He gave the child a menu. "Hey, don't look so glum. I'll be right back."

Peter nodded. Some of his former enthusiasm failed to return but the child smiled bravely. "It's okay. I always take ages choosing, anyway. Uncle Ben used to tease me about it."

Tony ruffled Peter's hair once more, affectionately this time, while following the child to an elevator with a mental promise to not let the boy down. Howard Stark never came back early when he promised to. Tony vowed to do better.

Tony had a full rant on his mind once he'd walked Peter back to the boy's room and headed to the meeting. All words died into his mouth when he saw the men waiting for him. One was Peter Quill, the other detective Barton. "What the hell is going on?" he demanded instantly. Dread made his whole body grow cold. "Is this about Ross?" If that pathetic excuse of a human being would cause more problems, he swore…!

"No." Quill was uncharacteristically solemn, seemed almost nauseous. The lawyer gave Barton a quick look before continuing. "Peter's first foster parent, Jacques Duquesne, was arrested recently. And… He had a pretty interesting story to tell."

Barton took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I have to say this. I know that they told you before you took Peter home, but…" There was a long pause. "Duquesne is monster who preys on children." The hostility in the detective's voice was truly chilling. He glared at a wall, his mind obviously far away.

Tony tensed up, starting to feel queasy himself. Of course he'd known, sort of, but hearing it like this… "I know that Peter went through… stuff like that", he stated tensely.

Quill shook his head and seemed to wonder how much he'd be able to hear. "There's… more." The lawyer paused. "Peter's father and mother were only seventeen when they first met. Peter was born five months later."

Tony frowned. Then felt his eyes widen when the pieces began to slide together. "No…! Hell no…!"

"Duquesne says that he saw something familiar in Peter. Now he has his lawyer demanding a paternity test." Clint clenched his jaw. "He knows that he'll never have a lot of parental rights, seeing as he's a sex offender about to serve time until unforeseeable future. But like I said, he's a monster. And if he can try to worm his way back into Peter's life to destroy it… He will."

TBC

A/N: Well… Crap. Just… crap. (winces) Like Peter's life wasn't messed up enough already…!

What will the adults do? How will Peter react? IF he actually finds out what's going on… And how will the new dad and son continue to cope, especially with this new strain…?

PLEASE, do let me know your thoughts? Was that any good? At all? Christmas is almost here. A review could be considered your good deed… (winks, then coughs) Just putting it there…

Until next time, folks! I REALLY hope that you'll all join for that one.

Take care – and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to each and every single one of you!

Pijaaa: That scene was REALLY cute, wasn't it? (smiles) Let's hope that they'll continue to bond like that.

We'll see how much drama there'll be… (gulps)

Colossal thank yous for the review! Until next time.

SomeRandomHuman: Quite the turmoil that chapter was, right? We'll see just how crazy things will get. But aaaaw! Peter really does have the best room EVER, right? (smiles fondly) May he and Tony have many more moments like that!

Monumental thank yous for the review! Until next time.

Srae13: Aaaw, no worries! I'm glad you're back, AND that you enjoyed the chapter so much. (BEAMS) We'll see just what's to come next…

Gigantic thank yous for the review! Until next time.

Peacockgirl: I'm FINALLY back! (smiles)

Oh, those feels…! Poor Peter and Clint indeed! THANK GOSH Peter has Tony, now. Along with the most amazing new home EVER. Let's hope that those two keep on bonding! We'll see just what's up ahead them…

Massive thank yous for the review! Until next time.

Whatsername: Aaaw, I'm glad this story was able to offer you such a moment! (BEAMS) AND, it makes me insanely happy that you're enjoying the story! We'll see just where this crazy train heads next…

Enormous thank yous for the review! Until next time.