AN: I've been wanting to write this trope for a long time and I was really inspired by the amount of Iron Dad fics out there. This is not a good idea when I have so many other opened fics (ahem, Wizards of Waverly) I haven't gone back to (I'm sorryyyy ;_;).

I drew huge inspiration from two of my favourite Iron Dad fic-series: "What We Are" and "Congratulations, it's a boy". Check them out! They're amazing!

My story will be in two parts. Might turn it into series, if I'm bothered lol

This is my first time time writing an MCU fic in general. Go easy on me!

Full Summary:

"He thinks highly of you, you know," May smiled at him.

"God knows why," Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"Hey, you saved his life on more times than you know."

There was something in May's eyes, something she wasn't telling him. But it felt best to just leave it for the time being. There were enough revelations to go around today to last a lifetime.

Disclaimer: Ah yes, the Russos are my uncles.

Just kidding. Haha. Hah.

This story is also available on AO3.

Cat's in the Cradle

Part I

Tony couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as he watched his young intern quickly grasp the directions he had given him to tinker with high-tech machinery. Peter was a smart kid, and he was glad to have discovered him before any other tech company, especially Oscorp (he may or may not rub it in Norman's face in the next expedition of who has the most talented team of people).

Tony was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw a card poking out of the kid's (seventh? Or was it eighth?) backpack. "What's that you got there? Is it your birthday?" Tony was pretty sure it wasn't; he had a file on Peter's details. (In his defence, he had a file on every possible recruit for the team.)

"Oh, no," Peter chuckled. "It's a Mother's Day card for Aunt May. I know it's still March, but as soon as I saw this I just know Aunt May would love it."

Tony was caught off guard by this admission but his facial reaction went unnoticed by Peter. Perhaps it was the casual mention of Mother's Day that had him unsettled. It had been so long since he had reflected on the subject of his own mother, especially in front of others. He had never been one to outwardly display emotions - at least, not ones that didn't involve laughing at someone else's expense.

He covered the fleeting emotion with light banter. "Aren't you a thoughtful nephew. Can I see?"

Peter glanced up from what he was doing, showing hesitation. "Um…"

"You don't have to, of course," he quickly withdrew. After confronting him about Spider-Man, lying to the kid's aunt, flying him all the way to Germany to fight a battle he had no business being in the middle of, the least Tony could do was not cross any more boundaries than he already had.

"Sure," Peter finally said, beaming at the prospect of his mentor showing any interest in his life.

The card had a simple floral design with loopy, cursive letters spelling out, "Happy Mother's Day!" Tony flicked it open, expecting to glimpse the average vernacular of a teenage boy but was surprised to find his eyes running over the final sentence: I hope that in the future I can maybe give you a fraction of what you have sacrificed for me throughout all of these years.

The personal message made Tony feel as if he were intruding, reading words that he had no business being a part of. "That's-" he cleared his throat. "May would really like this."

"You think so?" Peter grinned. Though he seemed excited at the prospect of Tony praising something he had created all on his own, there was something else in his expression. It shocked the older man to see something in the teenager's face that he did not believe could have been replicated so similarly in anyone else: an earnest vulnerability, a strong urge to be noticed, liked.

"Can I…" Tony hesitated briefly. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course, Mr Stark."

"What do you remember about your parents?"

Peter's face fell slightly, taken aback by the sudden question. "Uh, not much I guess. They died so long ago I don't even remember what they looked like. I mean, if it weren't for pictures and stuff."

"I see. And your uncle-" he saw Peter flinch and stopped. "I'm sorry. I'm overstepping my bounds." Tony knew enough to know not to bring it up; Peter's silence on the subject had always spoken volumes.

"It's okay," Peter reassured him with slight hesitation. "My uncle was my father's brother. I was lucky to have been raised by him and May."

Tony wasn't sure if losing parents so suddenly at a young age was luck. Tony, at least, had been lucky enough to have been born into wealth and two healthy parents who hadn't died until he was an adult. (Even then, it hadn't been easy. The words he had never said to his parents that day were reminders that there would always be something missing in that part of his life, a moment he could never recreate.) And then there was this kid, who lost three parental figures before he even learned how to shave. (Internally, he bookmarked the day he had to teach him.) "That's all you remember?"

"Well, I remember May telling me they were scientists. After they died Ben didn't really like to talk about my father. May told me they had a complicated relationship."

Tony nodded. "Do you wish you knew a bit more about them?"

Peter shrugged. "Sometimes."

A moment of silence passed, then Tony saw the clock. "Golly, look at the time. You're almost late for curfew. I'll have Happy drop you off."

"Oh crap, yeah. Thanks, Mr Stark!" Peter shoved his homework into his bag and headed to the door. "See you later!"

Tony smiled fondly and thought over the information Peter told him.

xXx

The next morning, Tony jogged down to his lab, bedhead tamed and coffee in hand. After his conversation with Peter he couldn't quell his curiosity and decided to do a little digging. His phone rang several times during the search, FRIDAY insisting on answering them, but he ignored the calls and his AI. He was focused, nothing could break his concentra-

"Yes, sir." Tony heard Rhodey's voice inching closer to the lab. "I'll be sure to tell him." Rhodey hung up and glared at his friend. "Pick up your damn phone, Tony. I'm sick of playing messenger for Ross."

Tony grinned. "Good morning to you too, shnookums. What did that old goat want anyway? Wait, that was an insult to all goats."

Rhodey ignored the remark, however much he agreed with it. "Oh, I don't know, Tones. Do you remember signing a brick-sized contract involving the world's nations coming together and requiring you to answer when they call?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I was drunk." They stared at each other and then chuckled.

"Seriously, Tony. We can't have them riding our backs again."

"If it's important, I'll know."

Rhodey was ready with a rebuttal when his eyes glazed over the screen monitor. "What're you working on?"

"Research."

"Based on…?"

Tony thought about making another snark but he decided he may as well go for the truth. He owed Rhodey that much. "Peter's parents."

"Peter as in...your intern Peter? Why on earth would you be looking at that?"

"His parents died when he was young and I thought if I could get more information about them for him…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Rhodey nodded, not making a comment. "What have you got so far?"

"So far? Nothing. Aside from a brief article about their death in The Daily Bugle, it's like they never existed."

"That's odd."

"Right? The more I dig, the more mysterious it gets. And you know how I like a good puzzle, Rhodes."

"Wait, are you hacking into SHIELD's database?"

"Accessing briefly," he corrected. "I figured, if anybody has the sources to make someone disappear it would be the government, right?" The computer beeped with results. "And voilá!" Tony clicked on the two results he found - Richard and Mary Parker.

"Dang. Right on the nose, Tony. These two actually worked for SHIELD."

Their eyes scanned over the information and pictures of the two. It turned out that Richard and Mary Parker weren't just scientists, but CIA agents who started working with SHIELD the year they died. Peter had mentioned at some point that his parents died in a plane crash, but now to read that HYDRA may have been behind it all?

Tony hadn't pondered over it yet. Instead, his eyes focused on Mary... "Rhodey."

"I see it, Tony. You sure these are his parents?" he said. He may have met the kid briefly, but he could determine the fact that neither Richard nor Mary have brown eyes.

"Rhodey."

"And they worked for SHIELD? I mean, what are the chances?"

"Rhodes!" That finally caught his attention.

He looked at Tony, worry overcoming him when he saw the look on his face. "What?!"

"I knew that woman."

Rhodey's jaw dropped.

"Let me rephrase that...I slept with that woman."

Rhodey would've laughed if Tony's face wasn't so serious, because of course he did. "How long ago?"

"Almost sixteen years. At the time, she was Fitzpatrick - before she got married, so tone down the judgment." Tony's mind wandered to the night that he had met her. New Year's Party, 2000. Mary was not a woman to forget. He remembered how she confidentially carried herself and wasn't afraid to call out on his bullshit. In a lot of ways, Mary reminded him of Pepper. If they weren't cities apart and Tony hadn't been wrapped up in his own downward spiral of self-sabotaging, a part of him entertained the idea that something would've started between them, something true.

"Jesus, Tony," Rhodey rubbed at his face, starting to put the pieces together. "You don't think... I mean, it was a long time ago..." he shook his head. He always figured with his friend's ways, something like this was bound to happen. In the past, there had been a line of women who claimed they were pregnant or they were already pregnant with his Tony's child. Half of which Tony hadn't even slept with and the rest dismissed with a simple test. But this? This was an actual possibility. "What're you gonna do?"

Tony hesitated only for a short time. "FRIDAY, run a paternity test using my and Peter's DNA."

"Why do you have your intern's DNA?" Rhodey asked.

"Right away, boss."

"Of course you have your intern's DNA."

Tony ignored him.

"When would you like the results, sir?" FRIDAY asked.

"As soon as possible. When will it be ready?"

"Normally, paternity testing can take up to four to five days of lab work."

"Okay, so I have some time-"

"However, scanning and confirmation under my system will take as little as 15 minutes, sir."

Tony's heart did a little flip. "That quick, huh?" He turned to his friend. "I guess it's now or never."

Rhodey nodded. "He might not be yours?" he said, uncertain if the statement was supposed to comfort him. The waiting was beginning to feel too long in the silence.

"Come on, Rhodey. His parents worked for SHIELD and I just happen to know his mom? I wouldn't be surprised if Fury played cupid in all this."

"Could you possibly have known? Did you have any idea if-?"

"Of course not!" Tony snapped. "Jesus, if you think for one moment that I knew I would enable Peter with a suit? I would head straight to his aunt and ask her to make him stop all this crime-fighting nonsense. Focus on being a kid!"

Rhodey stared blankly at him. "Okay, you lost me there. Crime-fighting nonsense? What're you talking about?"

Crap. Tony had just outed Peter's alter ego.

A look of realisation suddenly spread across Rhodey's feature. "Wait a minute...I knew there was something about that kid! I should've guessed it from his voice. Peter's the one in that red spandex."

"It's not made of spandex," Tony retorted in offence.

"I can't believe you never told me!"

"We're all figuring out secrets today, Rhodey!"

"Results are ready, boss." The sound of FRIDAY's voice made them both jump.

Tony took a deep breath. "Lay it on me, FRI."

"Probability of paternity: 99.999997 percent. Match is not excluded as biological father."

He let out a shaky breath.

Rhodey tried to break the tension and ironically waved his arms as if he was throwing confetti, "It's a boy!"

xXx

Tony had asked FRIDAY to run the test again and again and again, just to be positive (or to let it sink in - he wasn't sure). After internally struggling on his next step, he printed off a document of the results and let Happy drive him to Queens. He wasn't sure how he was going to go about with this. Rhodey asked him when he was going to tell Peter, but Tony wasn't sure if he should even tell him. He had decided foremost to speak with the person who knew Peter best. His aunt.

How much did she know? Tony wondered. Could she have kept this information? What will be her reaction? Was she going to slap him? Keep him away from Peter?

The thought dreaded Tony before his brain could process the possibility. Even before all this...he liked the kid. He liked mentoring him because not only was he decent at heart, he had a lot of potential. When Tony looked at him he saw the future. He even, Tony thought with a chuckle, he even indulged in the idea that someday Peter could maybe take over his company after himself and Pepper.

Once he reached the familiar building in Queens, Happy moved to the other side of the car and opened the door for his distracted boss. "We're here, Tony."

"Oh, right. Thanks, Happy."

His driver closed the door. "If you don't mind me asking...what's this all about? You've been quiet the entire ride."

Tony sighed. He hadn't let anybody in on his discovery yet, not until he knew for sure if he was going to tell Peter in the first place. "I'll let you know depending how well this goes." That left Happy even more confused, but he knew better than to pry when his boss was in a mood.

Tony jogged up the stairs, each step in sync with the hammering in his heart. He made sure to breathe. He could not have an anxiety attack, not right now.

Finally, he made it to the Parkers' door. He knew Peter was at school, but it had only occured to Tony that May might've been at work. He cursed, he wasn't sure if he would have the gall to do this again. He knocked anyway and to his surprise, May answered the door with a surprised look on her face.

"Tony! What're you doing here? Oh my God, is Peter okay? Did something happen?"

"No, no. Peter's fine. I just...can we talk?"

By the time May had finished making them tea Tony couldn't beat around the bush any longer. He handed over the results.

"What's this?" she asked, but her question was answered a few seconds later when her eyes scanned not excluded. She sat there, speechless.

When the silence was starting to strangle Tony, he asked, "Did you know?"

"Know what? That you, of all people, are Peter's-" she couldn't even say it. She let her brain process the information. "We weren't blind, if that's what you mean. Peter looks...well, Ben tried to have the conversation with Richard once, but he shut him down. He said he was Peter's father and that was all that mattered… Richard was a good man," she said quietly.

Tony nodded. "I don't doubt that." Yet, a part of him couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy. He was there for Peter in the beginning, and Tony was...well, God knew where. Probably in the arms of some redhead. "Look, May, I wasn't sure where to go from here. I won't say anything to Peter if you don't want me to."

May sighed. "Not like I could stop you," she said, emphasising on the documented proof between her fingers. "He deserves to know, Tony."

"I know."

"And you should give him more credit. Peter is a smart kid; he's seen the pictures and probably came to his own conclusion." She recalled a time when Peter was fairly younger and they were going through albums. He held his gaze on his parents' faces a little too long.

Tony nodded. "There's something else that you should know." He continued to explain about the information he found about the kid's parents, each detail sending May into dizzifying shock.

"I can't believe this," she muttered between her breaths. "They told Ben and I they were scientists...and now you're telling me they were agents who worked undercover for some CIA bullshit?"

"SHIELD."

"What?"

"SHIELD bullshit. They were working for the agency when they went undercover."

"And what was the name of the…" she waved her arm.

"HYDRA. They've been around since WWII...maybe even longer."

May huffed. Had Mary and Richard lied to them? Did Ben know and purposely left out these details? He should've known about his brother, right? Was he trying to protect Peter by not saying anything?

This was too much to take in, and she wasn't even related to Mary or Richard. She wondered how hard this was going to hit Peter.

May looked at the clock. "He'll be home from school soon to get his suit." One of the ground rules she went over ever since she caught him in his Spider-Man outfit. She started freaking out, which caused Peter to freak out, and the next five minutes was spent on yelling from both ends.

"How did you even get a suit like that?"

"Mr Stark gave to it to me and he said it was to keep me safe-"

"Mr Stark did what?!"

After yelling some more through the phone towards the man responsible for the suit, powerful billionaire be damned, she finally finished venting upon realising her nephew was insistent on this Spider-Man martyr act and they all reached a compromise. One of which was keeping the suit in the apartment so he wouldn't be tempted to head straight to patrolling before finishing his homework. School comes first, both her and Tony reiterated to Peter.

The silence and stillness that followed became unbearable for May. Her hands were itching for something to do, something to keep her mind at ease and decided to stroll to the kitchen and make more tea.

It wasn't long when the kettle whistled and the front door flew open to reveal a blur that just rushed through the apartment. "Peter-"

"Hey, Aunt May! Can't talk! Finished homework! Grabbing my-" he halted as he saw his mentor sitting on his recliner. "Mr Stark," Peter grinned. "What, uh, what're you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Tony said, bluntly.

The fear on Peter's face was palpable. "Are you going to take away my suit again?"

"No, it's not about - just sit."

Peter looked at May for comfort, who came over with three cups of warm tea, decaffeinated. They were all riled up as it was.

He sat on the couch opposite, alongside his aunt. "If this is about the mug I broke in the lab, I'm sorry! I know I said it was DUM-E but I panicked-"

"This isn't about the mug and I already knew. I have cameras. And you're a terrible liar. Hard to believe you're even..." the son of CIA agents, he finished inwardly. But he wasn't, not completely. "This is about your parents."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "I swear we had this conversation just yesterday?"

"After you said you couldn't remember much, I wanted to do a little digging. At first, it was just so I could give you something that might help you remember them more, but the further I dug the harder it was to find any information on them." Peter remained silent as Tony continued. "It wasn't until I accessed SHIELD's files did I find something."

"SHIELD?"

"SHIELD is a government agency, to put it simply. They're actually behind putting the Avengers team together."

"Mr Stark, what does this have to do with my parents?"

"You see, Peter. It turns out that your parents weren't just scientists - that was also their cover. They were CIA agents who worked for SHIELD." The kid's eyes widened. Tony waited for him to say something, but he was too speechless. He may as well lay it all out. "That plane crash? Not an accident. They were working as double-agents to infiltrate HYDRA-"

"Double-agents? Like the Black Widow?"

"Yeah, kid. And when HYDRA found out...let's just say they weren't too happy."

"Oh God…" Peter mumbled through his hands. "What the fuck is even HYDRA?"

"Peter…" May rubbed his back.

"That's not important right now-"

"Not important?! I just found out that my parents were murdered, Mr Stark."

"That's not all."

"Oh great, there's more? More than-more than James Bond shit and murder? That's just...terrific."

Tony was starting to regret this. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

"Peter," May said, rubbing his shoulders in a comforting manner. "I know this is hard, sweetheart, but hear him out. It's important."

Tony swallowed. This was it. "Her-here's the thing, Peter. I met your mother."

"What? When?"

"Almost sixteen years ago, so not long before you were born." He waited for something to click in the kid's mind. When it didn't Tony continued, "Peter, you know about my old, notorious reputation? Have you ever read about that in the papers? Not that you should've because you were way too young to indulge in tabloids…" Great, he was rambling like a teenager. "Do...Do you see when I'm getting at here?" Come on, kid. Don't make me say the words.

"You mean how you used to, like, sleep around and stuff?" Peter mused. "I know, Ben used to try and hide that from me. What does that have to do with-" his eyes bulged suddenly when he put two and two together. "Ew! You slept with my mom? Why would you tell me that?!"

Tony almost facepalmed because, my God, it still didn't click with the genius.

And then slowly, he could see the realisation dawning on Peter's face. "You… slept…with my mom." He paused, too many pieces of information fitting together like a jigsaw in his mind. Sixteen years ago… "But that can't…I mean I know...I'm fifteen…"

May handed Peter the results from the table. There was a stillness in the room as both adults waited for the teen to form a reaction.

After what felt like an eternity, Peter finally turned to his mentor. In an almost accusatory tone and eerily calm manner, he asked, "Did you know?"

"Peter-"

He didn't wait for him to answer, everything thrown at the young boy in the past ten minutes was too much to take in and he could only look for an outlet before his brain exploded. He stood and exclaimed, "I need to use the bathroom." He ignored the odd looks from his aunt and mentor and locked himself in, the paternity test still in hand.

Shaking, Peter took deep breaths to hold down the nausea. When he felt as if his legs could no longer hold him he closed the toilet lid and sat with his hands in his hair, paying no mind to the scrunching piece of paper still on his left.

Tony and May allowed Peter a few moments to himself. When it had been twenty minutes and still the boy hadn't come out, they grew concerned.

May got up but Tony stopped her, "May I?"

She nodded, letting Tony take the reins on this one. After all, he was Peter's father.

Tony made it to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Pete? You still in there?" There was a slight shuffle but no response. "Can I come in?" Tony sighed when there was no answer. He sighed and sat close to the door, his back resting by the wall. "Talk to me, Peter. I need to know what's on your mind."

The door opened suddenly, and Tony was forced to look up. Peter sat on the wall opposite the man. Finally, he said, "How long have you known?"

"About your parents?"

"About me."

"Just this morning, that includes everything about Richard and Mary."

"But you work for SHIELD, how could you have not known before?"

"I didn't have a reason to look up your history until now." Whether to reassure himself or the kid, Tony continued, "Honestly, Peter, I had no clue about you. And I'm not saying this to blame your mother in any way. I actually commend her for making the better decision of marrying someone who had the means to raise a child. And I don't just mean financial means." Tony was a mess back then, more so than now and he had only recently got his shit together in the past couple years. He in by no means had the mental and emotional stability to even hold a baby. "She did what she thought was best, even if that meant not letting me know."

Peter appeared satisfied with the answer. He knew that Tony was right, his mother did what she thought would be best for her son. Mary just didn't know she and her husband were going to leave Peter a tragically young orphan. Still, Peter couldn't help the mild resentment seeping through the cracks, for being lied to, for missing the chance to get to know someone he was connected to when he had already lost too many people in his life. He could've had Tony by his side through everything…

At the same time, he knew it was wrong and unfair to blame someone who was gone, who wasn't here to argue their case.

After much pondering, Peter asked, "Would you have tried?"

Tony looked at the boy, who suddenly couldn't seem to look at him. "Tried what?"

"If you found out about me then would you have, I don't know, tried to be a part of my life?"

Tony's immediate response was to say, of course I would. But the longer he thought about it, the more he hesitated. "Honestly, Peter...I don't know." At the kid's disappointed look, he explained, "But not because I wouldn't have wanted to. There are a lot of factors involved here, factors that are in no way your fault, let me make that clear. I grew up in the limelight and it's not something I would've wanted for you. And, if I'm being honest with myself, I don't think I would've been the best role model, especially before everything." Before Afghanistan.

It was ironic, saying it out loud, because Peter ended up idolising him anyway since the beginning. When he was making compromises with May about Peter's Spider-Man duties, she told him about the first time Peter had looked up to him. He was four years old, a time before Tony even became Iron Man. He was giving a lecture about the latest Stark Industries tech on television and apparently Peter was so mesmorised by him he refused to allow his uncle to change the channel. And when he became an actual superhero, (Tony shook his head at that, May insisted), that was the end of it. Peter couldn't stop his excitement.

He also had learned that, apparently, he had once saved him from the attack during the Stark Expo many years back.

Tony didn't believe in fate, but it was really unbelievable to have crossed paths with someone you were connected to more than once without thinking there must be some kind of cosmos shifting.

"Oh," was all Peter could say. It was like receiving a backhanded compliment.

"Look, kid, I'm not looking to replace your father, or even your uncle. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be a part of your life now. I mean to say, I want a bigger role, Pete. I want to...get to know you, for real." When the boy didn't reply, Tony got a little worried. "Would that be okay with you?"

Peter gulped. "I...yeah, I guess. I just...I need some time, Mr Stark. To figure things out."

Tony would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit disappointed. The last time he felt like that Peter turned down the opportunity to join him at the compound. The kid had a habit of leaving him speechless, Tony thought fondly. It also made him realise just how much he actually wanted to be a part of his son's life until his son asked for more time apart. "Yeah," he shrugged, as if it was nothing. "Of course, take all the time you need."

They sat there in awkward silence, until Peter said, "I've got patrol."

Tony snapped out of whatever daze he was in. "Yes, you mentioned. Right, I'll just...I'll just be leaving." They both stood. "You have my number?" he asked, remembering he had given it to Peter after he offered him a seat at the compound. "You can call me directly, no need to bother Happy."

Peter nodded.

"Be careful." He awkwardly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll go," he said, feeling unsure. He met May in the living room, who had overheard everything in their small apartment.

"He thinks highly of you, you know," May smiled at him.

"God knows why," Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"Hey, you saved his life on more times than you know."

There was something in May's eyes, something she wasn't telling him. But it felt best to just leave it for the time being. There were enough revelations to go around today to last a lifetime.

May opened the door for him. "Tony?"

"Hm?" he said, turning round.

"I know this must've been a shock for you too. I just want to let you know that I appreciate you trying and Peter does too."

Tony nodded, unable to feel the same about himself.

"You can't give up either." That made him look at her. "That piece of paper? It means nothing unless you prove yourself time and time again. No matter what happens, if you want to be a part of Peter's life, you do whatever it takes to be there for him. Do you understand?"

"Yes." He did. He wouldn't, no, he refused to make the same mistakes his own father did.

"Good. Eventually, everything else will fall into place. Have patience."

She was right.

But she also didn't know that patience wasn't exactly a common word in Tony's vocabulary.

TBC

AN: I did a little research on Peter's parents from the original comic books in the 60s. Turned out they were CIA agents who infiltrated Red Skull's organisation and when he found out he had them killed in a plane crash. The only detail I fudged was Richard's eye-colour. (And of course I had to update the timeline).

Full disclosure: I'm no medic. I did some research on paternity tests and tried to make it as accurate as possible. If you work in this field feel free to correct any mistakes I make!

Special thanks to my wonderful beta-reader and co-writer, MegaLegU (Supersidekick on AO3), for her commitment to this fic, to the point of writing the entirety of Peter's card just so we can pick a sentence from it. So, if you wanna know the full message on Aunt May's card:

Happy Mother's Day, Aunt May!

I know you said not to buy you any presents but a card doesn't count, right? I just wanted to let you know, in the smallest way that I can, that I appreciate you. Maybe someday I can do that by giving you a vacation in Hawaii but for right now this all I have. I hope that in the future I can maybe give you a fraction of what you have sacrificed for me throughout all of these years.

Love, Peter.

Oh, if you haven't guessed it yet the fic title is inspired by the 70s Harry Chapin song, for obvious reasons.