A/N: WOW! Awesome response! Thank you for encouraging me to continue! I'm new to the Iron Man universe, so you may not see a lot of continuity between this story and the comics. I hope this doesn't deter you from continuing to read this story. Not sure if I should upgrade the rating to M as I tend to make my characters swear, so I apologize in advance. What do you think?

Chapter 1

The loud banging on the door did not deter Tony Stark from continuing his sleep, but merely encouraged him to reaching out to his nightstand to find a pair of earplugs. He slowly placed the handy contraptions in his ears without even bothering to open his eyes and smiling to himself at his small victory. The banging was significantly diminished but did not stop. Whoever or whatever was standing at his doorstep was clearly unaware that Tony Stark could sleep through anything when he willed himself to.

No more sleepless nights for me.

After a few more minutes of incessant knocking, the unwanted visitor seemingly gave up in his effort to get anyone to come to the door. In the short minutes of the following silence engulfed him, Tony took a deep breath before allowing his body to come to full relaxation once more to continue his afternoon nap. Once he thought he could continue with his routine, a louder and closer noise made him growl.

"Jarvis, shut up!"

His protest was followed by even louder howling and barking, and then by scrapping of the front door. Tony grabbed the closest pillow and covered his head with it, hoping for just a quick second that he could make himself suffocate with it if just for the sake of being able to rest.

"Son of a bitch," the engineer mumbled, forcing himself to get up from the comfort of his bed to quiet down his companion. As soon as Jarvis saw Tony approaching him, his barking stopped but the sound of his tail hitting the walls took its place.

"What are you barking at, now, eh, Jarvis? Bear? Squirrel? Your fucking shadow? What now?"

A loud howl was his dog's only response, inciting Tony to curse his luck at getting a guard dog for a pet.

"Stupid German Shepherd and their…"

His train of thought was interrupted when he reached his window, fluttering the curtain long enough to see the blurry image of a man walking around the perimeter of his home, obviously trying to see inside or find a way in. It took only one look from Tony's eyes for Jarvis to finally settle down, waiting for his master to give an order to do otherwise.

Stark walked toward the back of the small living room, making the least amount of noise possible. He crouched down to the floor and pulled one of the loosened wooden boards to reveal his stash of guns. He grabbed the closest one, and after checking it still had ammo inside, he returned to the front of the home to look outside for the whereabouts of the man.

When his search proved unsuccessful, he moved to the next window and then the next until he was able to see the man's hat as he crouched behind the home's back door, trying to pry its lock. Tony pressed his back against the wall next to the back door and held his breath as the attempts from the intruder became fruitful. The doorknob slowly churned as Tony grabbed onto the gun with more force than needed. As soon as the door began opening, he counted down three seconds for the intruder to walk in before jumping him and pointing the gun at him.

"What the hell, Tony? Put that gun down!" The intruder said with his hands in the air.

It took the former CEO of Stark Industries a moment to regain his composure, but once he did, he sneered and put his gun down. "It's just you. What are you now? A spy? Why the hell are you breaking into my house, sour patch?"

Rhodey rolled his eyes at the man; it had been nearly a year since he disappeared from Malibu without so much as a word of goodbye and he still had the nerve to call him names.

"I take it you don't get many visitors if you greet them all like this."

Tony closed the door before leaving the gun on the kitchen table. "I don't need visitors. Actually, how did you find me? I thought I'd cover my tracks."

It was now Rhodey's turn to scoff, knowing he should have known better than to think he could just drop off the radar after how involved with the media, military and S.H.I.E.L.D. he had once been. "Do I really need to answer that, Tony?"

Tony shook his head, walking to the sink and filling up a glass with water. "Anything I can get for you? Water? Beer? An ass kicking back home?"

"For God's sake! Will you quit it? I get it that you don't want me here…"

"It's not just you I don't want here. I don't want anyone here," Tony interrupted him to correct him.

"Whatever! Point is that I AM here, so deal with it."

Tony turned around and took a sip of his water. He then blinked at the General a few times before he diverted his attention to Jarvis, pointing toward Rhodey with his head as he spoke.

"Jarvis, sic'em!"

Jarvis immediately responded to his master's command by snarling at Rhodey as he slowly approached his new target. Rhodey did not dare to move as to not look even more threatening to the animal.

"Tony, the fuck? I ain't come here to take you back if that's what you think! Tell your dog to stop looking at me as if I'm food."

Tony's demeanor did not change, nor did he order Jarvis to stop his prowling. He watched in amusement as Rhodey swallowed hard at the challenge, but did not make any effort to stand down.

"I don't wanna have to shoot your dog, man. Make him stop!"

After finishing his glass of water and feeling he had made his point, Tony commanded Jarvis to stand down. The dog, once again, immediately followed the orders, reverting his threatening demeanor to one of a playful pup.

"What do you want?" Tony inquired.

"Can I sit down, at least?"

"Sure, why not. Why don't you sit down before you leave?"

Knowing this was as good as he was going to get so far, Rhodey nodded and sat at the dinette table. Tony mimicked his move, sitting across from the military man.

"It's a nice place you have here," James said, trying to engage in some small talk before he dropped a bomb on his friend. He realized his attempt was futile when he saw Tony's expression of impatience all over his face. Rhodey shrugged, finally giving up on trying cushioning the blow.

"Look, man. I'm just gonna say it and if you want to talk about it, we'll talk. OK?"

Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest, tapping the fingers of his right hand on his left arm to emphasize he had better things to do than to sit here with Rhodey during his nap time. Rhodey rubbed his face with his hands, readying himself for what he knew was to come. He stared straight at Tony's eyes, not once losing contact as he spoke.

"We found her, Tony."

The look of walls crumbling within the inventor was not lost to Rhodey, but the full effect was quickly removed from Tony's face. The brief moment of hesitation and pain disappeared as quickly as it had appeared; leaving behind an even greater scowl on Tony's features.

"I don't appreciate jokes about her, James."

Rhodey took in a deep breath, unsure of how to continue the conversation. The simple mention of Pepper had been enough for Tony to shift from his irritable self, to his defensive self. The fact that he had just addressed him by his first name was enough to force Rhodey to think his next words carefully.

"I thought it was a sick joke, too. I was ready to make the would-be pranksters suffer for it, but..."

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat. He was not sure why he had thought Rhodey would ever joke about such a soft spot for him, but he was not willing to relive the pain of losing her all over again. However, the natural need to acquire knowledge was nagging him, pushing him to ask for more information.

"Did-did you find her?"

"Yes."

Tony nodded, licking his lips which had suddenly become dry. He uncrossed his arms, staring at an invisible spot to his right as he tried to hold his emotions at bay. They remained silent for a long time, allowing Tony to process the information, and allowing Rhodes to stare at his friend. The condition in which Tony Stark was in had been expected. He no longer wore his signature goatee but had replaced it with a full-grown beard. His once sparkling eyes were now dim, and his hair had grown as long as he had once had it when he attended college.

As James waited for any type of response from the former superhero, his eyes darted around him to take in the home. The small cabin was nothing compared to the luxurious mansion Tony had once lived in, but it seemed to provide all the bare necessities of a lonely man. There was a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, a fireplace, and what he assumed was a bedroom on the other end of the hall. There were no signs, however, of any tools, robots, pictures, or any other items that Tony had held dear for so long.

"Where?" Tony finally asked.

"Mexico."

Tony could not hold back the loud, breaking sigh that escaped his lips. He felt his eyes warming up with tears at the memories the current conversation was bringing back to him. He saw her glistening, pleading eyes staring back at him, afraid of her incoming fate. He still remembered every bit of her as she outstretched her arm toward him, but not daring to let go of the sliding crane to near him. He always wondered if she had been able to see the pain in his eyes, the desperation within him to save her. He also wondered if she had forgiven him for not catching her as he had promised her he would. He wanted to think that her soul was resting in peace knowing he had made it out alive even if she had not.

Even though the battle had been won against Aldrich, the price paid had been too great for him to bear. His home had been destroyed along with their possessions, including anything that could have held her scent or the faint hint of her presence. He had been left with nothing more other than clouded memories of their time together, and the burden of failing her when she needed him the most. Hell, he had not even had a body to which to offer a proper burial!

The rig and its accompanied ship had exploded at the end of his battle along with his suits, and even though it had sunk and then brought back up to be scrapped, her body had never been recovered. The forensic analysts had speculated that the fire had been so intense that her body had been burned to nothing but ashes lost in the sea.

"Does her family know?" he asked, not sure what to expect or hope for. Her family had been less than pleased when they found out he had not saved her when he had the chance, but he certainly could not blame them for hating him. He knew he should have never given his home address to the psychopath. He should have learned from his I Am Iron Man speech and kept his mouth shut. They should have left the house when she told him to. He should have…

"They don't, yet. We thought you should know first, since you're still listed as her next of kin."

Tony's eyes stared into nothingness, blinking only by inertia. Yes, he was listed as her next of kin, and he was also listed as her proxy for medical purposes. However, seeing as he had been unable to keep her alive and well, he did not feel he could bear the responsibility of deciding how, where and when to put her body into the ground.

"Uhm…very well. Why don't you, uh…call them?" He began as he stood up, suddenly feeling restless. "Let them figure it out. I think I've done enough for their daughter, right?" he said, choking back the tears that came to him at knowing he would not be there to set her body to rest. He could probably visit her grave later, but he would not be there to throw the first fist full of dirt over her coffin.

"Tell them it's on me; all expenses. Even if they don't agree to it…the option is there," he said, sniffling and momentarily placing his hands inside his jean pockets. He walked toward the front door and opened it, standing next to it and staring at Rhodey to silently tell him he had to go.

Rhodey looked away from him and stared at the back door, not being able to relay the second part of his news while looking him in the eye.

"I really think you should come with me before we tell her family. The doctors need your signature for some paperwork."

Tony shook his head. "I'll have my lawyers revoke the executor order; leave her family to make the decisions I'm sure they want to make."

"Tony…"

"NO!" he yelled. He rested his left forearm on the frame of the still opened front door and placed his forehead on it. He then lifted his fist to his side and pounded the wall with it. "I can't do this, Rhodes. Not again. It's been a year, dammit! I've moved on!"

Rhodey scoffed, getting up from his seat and walking toward the front door, slamming it shut and almost pinching Tony's elbow with it. "Bullshit, Tony! If you'd really moved on, you wouldn't be hiding up here. You'd be back at your company, falling asleep during meetings, and tinkering in your lab!"

Tinkering. He hated that word. It had been the word Pepper had used when she had been scared shitless by the Mark XLII attacking her in their bed. He had stopped tinkering after he gave up his life as the prodigious son of Stark Industries. The closest he had gotten to tinkering was building his own furniture out here in the woods.

"Is that all you wanted to say? Thanks for stopping by."

"I'm not done."

"Oh?" Tony asked, lifting his head from the wall and staring angrily at Rhodey. The small feeling of having some companionship from his long forgotten friend had been refreshing for a second until Pepper's name had been dropped. He wanted nothing more than to kick him out of his house and forget he had ever shown his face. "You're not done fucking with me? What else do you have to say?"

"I think you better sit…"

"WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE TO SAY?!"

"FINE!" Rhodey yelled back, tired of trying to make this as easy as possible for his friend. He knew very well that if the news had been shocking to him, they would be even more appalling to Tony. "Fine! If that's how you wanted it to be, then so be it!"

The General took a deep breath before walking to the couch, plopping down his body as if it weighed a ton. He rested his elbows on his knees and his weight on his elbows as he stared at Tony's back. He waited for a moment hoping that Tony would join him at the couch, but when he remained standing still, he decided it was time to tell him the true reason why he had hiked all the way to his new home.

"She…she's alive, Tony."

The silence that followed Rhodey's confession was thick and heavy. James did not need to stare at Tony to know what his face looked like. What he did not know –or expected, was for Tony to walk out the door and run into the woods as the sun was beginning to set. By the time Rhodey realized what he had caused, Tony was already gone and nowhere to be found.

Rhodey cursed out loud, heading back into the cabin and making himself as comfortable as possible as he waited for his friend to cool down and return home.

When Rhodey opened his eyes to the morning sun, he realized he had fallen asleep on the couch. He stared at the floor to see Jarvis' inquisitive face, tilting from side to side as he eyed the visitor. Stretching his arms as far he could, he noticed the front door was still opened. He sighed as he stood up and walked up to the door to close it shut.

"Better leave that open. We're heading out in fifteen."

James' head snapped to his left to stare at Tony Stark with shaving cream on his face and a razor in his hand. He did not look as distraught as he had been last night, but Rhodey knew his calmness was even worse than his angry state. "When did you come back?"

"Just now. Where's your ride?"

The General walked behind his friend as he headed to the sink. He watched as Tony shaved his beard to look as its usual self. He figured he wanted to look the part in case he needed to use his influence to help Pepper.

"It's down the hill, about a 20-minute walk from here."

"OK. Mind feeding Jarvis? I forgot to give him dinner last night."

The canine perked up at hearing its name, making Rhodey realize that its early stare had been a sign of pleading help. Without another word, James walked to the kitchen and opened all the cabinets and doors until he found the bag of dog food. He lifted the small bag and poured a considerable amount into Jarvis' bowl, to which the dog immediately jumped. Returning the bag to its place, Rhodey walked around the dog and headed back to the bathroom to meet up with Tony.

"So?"

"So, what?" Tony asked as he shrugged and began to trim the second half of his face.

"What changed your mind?"

Tony ran the razor under the stream of hot water as he spoke again. "Honestly, I don't believe she's alive. Not even my fucking suits could have survived that heat."

"So, why go then?"

"Because, if this is a false alarm, I rather deal with it myself than give her family another reason to hate my guts."

"It's not a false alarm, Tony. I went to get her. I arranged her transfer to New York Presbyterian. I haven't been able to do DNA analysis because we need your signature for that, but I know it's her."

"I'll be the judge of that, Rhodey. And, when it turns out to be some other girl you dragged my ass back to civilization for, I'll kick your ass."

Rhodey exhaled, holding his hands up besides his head as a sign of defeat, not truly wanting to get into an argument about it. He still had not told Tony the entire story, but he figured it would be safer to just tell him while at a hospital in case he went into cardiac arrest by the news.

"Whatever you say, Tony. Just help me help her. You can walk away after it if you want."

"I plan to."

Without anything more to say, Rhodey returned to the couch and waited for Tony to finish his sprucing up. As he had promised, at the count of the fifteenth minute, the two friends had begun their trek down the hill to Rhodey's car.

I usually write very, very, VERY long chapters, but I will aim to keep them short for this story so that I can update more often. Thanks for reading ^_^