Give him back to me, or so help me god

Chapter 5: The Panic

This was not happening. No. Just no.

No.

Tony's brain hadn't gotten much further than that in the time it took him to flee the courthouse and sprint down to the street below. The reporters were on him in an instant, but he ploughed straight through them – knocking several to the ground as he went – and they quickly scattered. Scrambling out of the way before they were the next victim to Tony's shaking arms, which were just about ready to shove god out of his way and down the stone steps if it meant getting to his kid a second sooner.

The Royce was parked just off to the side of the courthouse with Happy leant up against it casually, a steaming coffee in one hand and the other pressing a phone to his ear.

"-look, I know what I said." He was murmuring into the phone as Tony thundered closer. "I know – but I told you, I just can't take time off right now – I know we told your parents we'd be there, but things are a bit of a shit-storm here right now so I can't just take off-"

Happy's eyes widened to twice their normal size when he finally caught sight of Tony, practically running now, coming towards him.

"Baby, I gotta go – I gotta go-"

He pulled the phone away from his ear, shoving it deep into his pocket, and hurled his coffee into a nearby trashcan just as Tony reached him.

"Boss, wha-" He started, eyes still wide and frantic as he took in the paparazzi on Tony's heels.

"Keys," Tony hissed, already pulling open the driver's door as he shoved his hand out.

"What-" Happy started again, his eyes darting painfully fast as they shifted between Tony's face, the paparazzi and the courthouse behind them all. "What the hell is-"

"Keys!" Tony roared. Even the reporters a few hundred feel behind them jumped. Happy pulled back instantly, his eyes finally settling on Tony. Or what was left of Tony – he was pretty sure he'd left majority of his major organs back in that courtroom. He was hollow and shaking.

This was not happening. He'd said this would never happen. He'd promised.

Tony wasn't sure what Happy found in his face, but it must have been enough because a moment later the Royce's keys were in his hand and Happy was shoving him into the car – fending off a few stray reporters who were brave enough to edge forward. A moment later they were all leaping away from the car – Happy included – as Tony pealed away from the courtroom and into mid-afternoon Manhattan traffic.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y," Tony called, settling his phone on the passenger seat as he wound in and out of traffic, at least twenty miles over the limit.

"Yes, Boss." Came her automatic response.

"Midtown Tech – find me everything-" Before he could finish the AI had already started speaking.

"At approximately 1:12 this afternoon reports of shots fired at Midtown School of Science and Technology were filed with nearby authorities. A police presence arrived at the school at 1:26pm. No attempts for infiltration were made until a S.W.A.T team arrived on scene at 1:39 and stormed the school at precisely 1:43pm. After an initial sweep of the school failed to produce any active shooters S.W.A.T began to evacuate students and staff alike as further sweeps were conducted-"

"Peter – where the hell is Peter?" Tony cut the AI off, his hands clenching so hard around the steering wheel that his knuckles began to ache.

"After the initial evacuation staff conducted a role call of all students – Mr. Parker was noted as missing. Two further role calls have been conducted. Mr. Parker has been noted as missing for both as well."