Chapter 5
"Doctor Strange, what is an ex-neurosurgeon doing with magic? How did you learn it? Who are you working for?" Fury asked, sitting in front of Stephen.
"Nice to meet you too, Fury. I can't imagine a better way to see my old friends than this," Stephen said, looking at the others with a sarcastic smile.
"Stephen, you're not under arrest or anything. We just want to know the truth," Steve said in a soft voice.
"And what if I don't want to tell you? Will you torture me?" Stephen asked, scoffing.
"No, we won’t. But please cooperate with us. This is for the good of the world," Steve replied.
"Rogers, don’t think you’re the only heroes who care about this world, or that you have the right to interrogate everyone with other powers," Stephen snapped.
"As I said before, this is not an interrogation. We’re just trying to coordinate our actions," Steve said calmly.
"I'm not ready to coordinate with you," Stephen replied.
"Stephen, you're not helping," Natasha said.
"I'm not planning to," Stephen shot back, smiling and leaning back in his chair.
He was getting on the Avengers' nerves. They realized there was no point in asking him further. So they all left the room.
Tony stormed into the SHIELD tower. The Avengers and Fury were already there.
"Where's Stephen?" Tony sneered.
"He's in the interrogation room," Steve said.
"What the hell? He's not a criminal to be locked up like that!" Tony fumed.
"He’s not cooperating with us," Fury replied.
"And why the hell should he? What crime has he committed—saving those kids from the explosion?" Tony snapped.
"Stark, he’s not just your husband now; he’s using powers that we don’t understand. We can’t just let him roam freely," Fury reasoned.
"Who are we to make that decision? Hasn’t your little band caused more chaos than the villains, including me? Stephen is a doctor. He spent most of his life saving people. Even if he has deadly powers, he’d never use them to harm anyone," Tony said.
Bruce felt guilty at Tony's words, as he knew when the Hulk was out, he often caused more destruction than the villains.
"And how can you be so sure?" Fury asked.
"Because I know him better than anyone in this room. He’s my husband, and he gave birth to my son," Tony snapped.
There was a deep silence in the room after Tony said that.
"Tony, you can go and talk to him. He won't be locked up anymore," Steve said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Rogers..." Fury started.
But Steve interrupted him.
"Fury, if we’re going to lock up people with powers, we should be the ones staying in lock-up. We know Stephen. He treated all of us when we came home with deadly wounds, without any hesitation. Having power doesn’t change his character," Steve said.
Tony looked at his friend with gratitude.
He walked into the interrogation room. Stephen’s hands were cuffed to the table. He looked up at Tony’s face.
"Is this your round of interrogation?" Stephen asked with a smirk.
"Stephen, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know about this," Tony said.
"I know it was your plan, Stark. Now my son sees me as a criminal. He won’t even come near me," Stephen said, scoffing.
"Stephen, what can I do to make you trust me?" Tony asked.
"Nothing. I lost trust in you a long time ago," Stephen said.
Tony felt guilty, thinking about what he did to Stephen.
"You’ll be free to go in a few minutes," Tony said quietly.
"You think I can’t do it myself? I could annihilate this place if I wanted, but that’s not who I am," Stephen said.
"Steph, I know you hate me for what I did. But what did Peter do? He misses you every day. Why have you stayed away from our son for three years?" Tony asked.
"I don’t want him to be in danger," Stephen said in a small voice.
"What are you doing that’s dangerous?" Tony asked.
"Nice try, Stark. You won’t get anything from me," Stephen said.
Tony was growing frustrated with Stephen’s mistrust.
"Stephen, for the last time, I didn’t know about their plans. I just want to know because… (I love you) because I care about you," Tony said.
Stephen scoffed again..
"Okay, don’t tell me anything. But Peter would like to see you. Will you see him? He’s upset about all this," Tony said.
"I want to see him," Stephen admitted.
"This will be gone in a minute," Tony said, pointing to the handcuffs. He walked out of the room.
Bruce entered the room sheepishly. He walked over and unlocked the cuffs.
"Thanks, Bruce," Stephen said.
"Stephen, I’m really sorry for this," Bruce said quietly.
"It’s okay," Stephen replied.
"You’re still our friend, Stephen. We don’t see you as anything less than that," Bruce said.
"But you see me as a potential threat, don’t you?" Stephen asked.
"No. I know you’re far from that. I know something changed your life, but it hasn’t changed you," Bruce said.
Stephen felt warmth toward him. Bruce had always been his friend since the Avengers formed. They used to work together on many projects. Beyond his brilliant mind, Bruce had a good heart. Stephen admired the camaraderie between Tony and Bruce. Christine, his old friend, used to joke that they'd end up together. But Stephen trusted both of them, even though one broke that trust.
"You’re not curious about what happened to me?" Stephen asked.
"I am, but I don’t want to pry. I know you don’t want to talk about it," Bruce said.
"Thanks, Bruce," Stephen said with a genuine smile.
"Stephen, I know you’re living a different life now, but I’d appreciate it if we could hang out like old times. I have no one to have 'brain talk' with," Bruce said.
"Not even your 'science bro'?" Stephen asked, smirking.
"Tony’s changed a lot. He doesn’t work with me or anyone else anymore. He prefers to work alone," Bruce said.
Stephen was surprised to hear that. Tony always looked forward to working with Bruce. He loved working in a team, enjoying the attention and outshining others with his intelligence.
"Stephen, Tony and Peter are waiting outside. You can go see them," Bruce said.
Stephen nodded and walked out. Tony and Peter stood near a car, the boy holding his daddy’s hand. His eyes lit up when he saw Stephen.
"Magic man!" the boy shrieked.
Stephen walked over and knelt in front of him. "Hi, Peter," he said, smiling.
"Did they hurt you?" Peter asked, concerned.
"No, they didn’t."
"I’m sorry. I caused this. You told me not to tell anyone, but I told Daddy," Peter said, pouting.
"Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong. They just wanted to talk to me. That’s why they brought me here. You did a great job, Pete. You should tell your dad everything," Stephen reassured him.
The boy smiled, relieved.
Tony watched their interaction, feeling emotional.
"You told me you’re not a stranger earlier. Then who are you?" Peter asked, curious.
Stephen didn’t know how to tell the boy who he really was. Would Peter hate him for leaving? Or had Tony kept his existence a secret? Stephen glanced at Tony.
Tony knelt beside Peter. "Pete, who do you want to meet the most?"
"Batman," Peter said.
Tony chuckled. "No, I mean, who do you miss the most and always want in your life?"
"I want my papa back. You said Papa loves me the most and would come back one day," Peter said.
Stephen’s eyes filled with tears. His boy knew about him and had been waiting for his return.
"Yes. And he’s back," Tony said calmly.
"He is?" the boy asked, excited.
"Yes, and who do you think he is?" Tony asked.
Peter looked confused for a moment before realization struck. He turned to Stephen, his big brown eyes filled with hope.
"You’re my papa?" Peter asked in a small voice.
"Yes, Pete," Stephen said, his voice cracking.
"You came back for me?" the boy asked.
"Yes, I came back for you. For my Pete," Stephen said, now openly crying.
The boy hugged him tightly.
"Papa, I missed you. Daddy always said you’d come back, but I thought you wouldn’t because you didn’t want me," the boy said, whimpering.
"Pete, I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I’m never going to leave again," Stephen said, kissing his head.
Tony had tears in his eyes as he watched them, feeling guilty for causing this distance. If Tony hadn’t cheated, Stephen would have stayed with them.
Stephen picked up the crying boy in his arms and stood up.
"Do you want to come to the tower? You can spend time with Peter," Tony offered.
"No, I need to go back. Wong must be wondering where I am," Stephen said.
"Who?" Tony asked, suddenly worried Stephen had moved on.
"Wong... is my friend," Stephen said after a pause.
Tony could tell Wong was more than just a friend, but he let it go.
"Okay," Tony said.
"Pete, I have to go now, but I’ll come back to see you," Stephen said
Promise?" the boy asked, pouting."Promise," Stephen replied.
The boy was convinced and went to Tony's arms. Stephen gave a final wave to Peter and walked away.
"Papa will come back, won't he, Daddy?" the boy asked.
Tony wasn't sure, but he didn’t want to ruin his son's hope.
"Yes, he will," Tony said, his eyes still fixed on the spot where Stephen had disappeared.