Chapter 12
Stephen woke up excited that morning. His son, Peter, was coming to the Sanctum. He worried the boy might be scared of the creepy old building but hoped Peter would warm up to the idea.
"When are you bringing the boy?" Wong asked.
"Now. Wong, I know you're not great with kids, but please don't scare him off," Stephen replied.
"I'm not even going near your son. I'll be in the library if you need me," Wong said, rolling his eyes as he walked away.
Stephen opened a portal to the Tower and stepped through.
"Welcome, Doctor Strange. Boss is getting Peter ready," Friday informed him.
"Alright, I'll wait," Stephen said, settling on the couch in the living room.
After a while, Peter came running toward him, with Tony following behind.
"Papa, I'm ready!" the boy squealed.
"Hey, Pete. Good. Shall we go?" Stephen asked, lifting him into his arms.
The boy nodded eagerly.
"Peter, be good for Papa, alright? Daddy will come to pick you up this evening," Tony said.
"Okay, Daddy," Peter replied.
"Thanks, Tony, for letting me do this," Stephen said.
"Why thank me? You have every right to spend time with Peter," Tony said.
"Alright, bye," Stephen said.
"Bye, Daddy!" Peter chimed in.
"Bye-bye, Petey. Daddy loves you," Tony said, blowing a kiss.
Peter returned it enthusiastically.
Stephen created a portal and stepped through with Peter, arriving at the Sanctum.
Peter stared at the old mansion, wide-eyed.
"Papa, is this your home?" he asked.
"Yes. Do you like it?" Stephen asked.
"It's scary," Peter said, pouting.
"Why are you scared? Papa is with you, isn't he?" Stephen reassured him.
Peter nodded slowly.
"There's nothing to be afraid of here. It's just like your daddy's tower," Stephen added.
"Does it have Friday?" Peter asked.
"No, but we have Wong. I'll introduce you later," Stephen said.
"And Levi?" Peter asked.
"Yes! Get ready to meet him," Stephen said, smiling.
He snapped his fingers, and Levi floated toward them.
Peter's eyes widened in amazement as the Cloak of Levitation started circling him.
"Papa, is it alive?" Peter asked.
"Yes, and he's going to be your friend," Stephen said.
The cloak gently brushed Peter's hand.
"He's saying hello," Stephen explained.
"Hi, Levi. Nice to meet you," Peter said.
The cloak wrapped around Peter in a playful hug, making him giggle.
"I like him!" Peter exclaimed.
"And he likes you too," Stephen said, smiling.
"Come, Peter, I'll show you Papa's home," Stephen said.
He led Peter through every part of the Sanctum, and the boy was thoroughly entertained. Finally, they reached the library, where they found Wong.
Peter hid behind Stephen.
"Pete, this is Papa's friend, Wong," Stephen said soothingly.
"Hello, Peter," Wong said, offering a smile.
"Hi, Mr. Wong," Peter said in a small voice.
"Did you like the Sanctum?" Wong asked.
"Yes, because Papa lives here," Peter said.
"Pete, are you hungry?" Stephen asked.
"Yes," Peter replied.
"Wong, can you keep Peter company while I make some food?" Stephen asked, expecting Wong to refuse.
"Sure, I can," Wong replied.
"Pete, go with Uncle Wong. Papa will be back soon," Stephen said.
Peter hesitated, holding onto Stephen's hand.
"Levi will stay with you," Stephen added.
"Okay," Peter said softly.
Peter walked over to Wong while Stephen headed to the kitchen.
"Come, Peter. Do you want to watch TV?" Wong asked.
Peter nodded.
Wong turned on the TV, but the channels were all news.
"Pete doesn't like these," Peter said quietly.
"What do you like?" Wong asked.
"Cartoons," Peter replied.
"Which one?"
"Dinosaur Train," Peter said.
"Sorry, Peter, we don't have that," Wong said.
Peter pouted, and Wong's heart sank.
"Hey, do you like magic?" Wong asked.
"Yes!" Peter said, his face lighting up.
Wong conjured magical butterflies, making Peter giggle with delight. One butterfly even landed on his nose, making him laugh harder.
Stephen returned with food to find Peter still laughing.
"Papa, look! Uncle Wong made butterflies!" Peter exclaimed.
"Wow! That's amazing," Stephen said with a smile.
He sat down next to Peter and served him food.
"Now, eat this," Stephen said.
"Okay," Peter replied and started eating.
As he ate, Peter talked about his life with Daddy, Aunt May, Happy, Pepper, Rhodey, Ned, MJ, and even Flash, the boy who bullied him. Stephen and Wong didn’t know half the names, but they were charmed by Peter’s enthusiastic storytelling.
Later, Stephen and Peter sat in the bedroom, with Peter playing with Levi.
"Pete?" Stephen called.
"Yes, Papa?" Peter replied.
"Do you hate me for leaving you?" Stephen asked quietly.
Peter stopped playing and looked at him.
"No, Papa. Pete missed you a lot, but I always loved you," Peter said earnestly.
"I'm so sorry, Pete. I shouldn't have left," Stephen said, his voice heavy with emotion.
"It's okay, Papa. But promise me you won't leave me and Daddy again," Peter said.
"Promise. I'll always be with you," Stephen said.
"Pinky promise?" Peter asked.
"Pinky promise," Stephen said, chuckling.
Peter hugged him tightly.
"Peter, can I ask you something?" Stephen asked.
The boy nodded his head.
"Has Daddy ever talked about me to you?" Stephen asked.
"Yes, always. Daddy always told me that you would come back because you love me. Daddy also said you left us because Daddy did something wrong. Pete told Daddy that Papa will forgive him. Won't you, Papa?" Peter asked.
Peter didn't know what his Daddy had done to him. Tony had ruined the trust Stephen once had in him—a trust that didn’t deserve to be forgiven.
"Pete, it's not that easy..." Stephen started.
"Why not?" the boy asked, his wide, innocent eyes fixed on Stephen.
"Because some mistakes can't be forgotten," Stephen said.
The boy frowned, still looking at Stephen. Then he noticed the photo on Stephen's table.
"Papa, isn't that Daddy?" Peter asked in a shrill voice.
Stephen turned to see what Peter was pointing at.
"Yes, and that's you," Stephen said, smiling.
"I'm so small in it," Peter said.
"Yes, you were one year old at that time," Stephen said, smiling at the memory.
"Papa and Daddy look so nice together. Daddy showed me your wedding pictures, and they were so beautiful," Peter said.
Peter was right. Stephen and Tony together had been something special. They had made so many good memories, shared countless happy moments. But one incident had diminished everything and still haunted Stephen.
"Peter, come on. Your Daddy will be here any minute. Let's go downstairs," Stephen said, changing the subject.
"Okay," the boy said, holding Stephen's hand as they walked together.
Tony arrived at the Sanctum as per the location Stephen had shared. He walked into the old building.
"Daddy!" Peter squealed, running towards him.
"Hey, squirt," Tony said, picking him up in his arms.
"I've passed this place so many times, but this building never caught my attention before," Tony said.
"The Sanctum has its ways of staying undercover," Stephen replied.
"Daddy, meet Levi!" the boy said excitedly.
The Cloak of Levitation floated near Tony and Peter.
"What? This is alive?" Tony asked, shocked.
"Yes, and he's cool," Peter said."Okay, okay. Shall we go?" Tony asked.
The boy's face fell, and he looked at Stephen.Stephen walked over to him, cupping his chin.
"Hey, I'll come to the tower to see you when I'm free, or you can come here. Remember, pinky promise," Stephen said.
The boy's face lit up with a smile.
"Bye-bye, Pete," Stephen said, kissing his forehead.
"Bye-bye, Papa," Peter said, kissing his cheek in return.
"Okay, Stephen. See you," Tony said, turning to leave.
"Daddy, stop!" the boy suddenly called out.
"What?" Tony asked.
"Papa, tell Uncle Wong I said bye," Peter said.
"Sure, will do," Stephen said, chuckling.
"Okay, Daddy, let's go," Peter said.
Tony buckled Peter into the baby seat and started the car. The boy was playing with his action figure. Tony watched him in the rearview mirror.
"Pete, how was your day? Did you enjoy it?" Tony asked.
"Yes, Daddy! Papa showed me the whole Sanctum. I was scared when I first entered, but it's a cool place. Then I played with Levi a lot. Papa also made me yummy snacks. And Uncle Wong and I watched TV. When I said I don't like the news, he showed me magic! Daddy, he made a lot of butterflies with his hands," Peter said excitedly.
"So, Uncle Wong was trying his best to impress you," Tony said, feeling a twinge of jealousy.
"Uncle Wong is nice," Peter said.Tony rolled his eyes and kept driving.
When they reached the tower, Pepper was in the kitchen, preparing dinner.
"Aunt Pep!" Peter said, running to her.
"Hey, Petey! Go and change your clothes. Let's have dinner," Pepper said.
"Okay," the boy said, running to his room.
"Tony, how did it go?" Pepper asked."Peter is happy. He likes it there," Tony said.
"Good! Pete misses his Papa," Pepper said.
Tony looked pensive.
"You don't look very happy about that," Pepper noted."
No, no. I'm happy Stephen is back. But... Stephen has changed. He's not the same person I knew," Tony said."Of course, he's changed. He's not a doctor anymore—he's a sorcerer. And he's not your husband; he's just Peter's Papa now," Pepper said.
She walked over and placed a hand on Tony's shoulder.
"Tony, you need to change too. Stop blaming and punishing yourself," Pepper said.
But it wasn't as easy as she made it sound. Every time Tony thought of Stephen, he wanted to end up in his arms and never let go.
Peter came back wearing his pajamas.
"Daddy, I dressed myself!" the boy announced proudly.
"Good job, Pete. Come on, let's have dinner," Tony said, sitting him in his chair.
The two adults listened as Peter animatedly described his day. Tony was happy that his son was so content with the new arrangement. That was all that mattered to him.