Chapter 4- Running for the border

"Are you sure you won't let me drive, you're really in no condition." Erica giggled at Tony's statement, she was only three months pregnant and her baby bump was only just starting to show. It had taken her a long time to summon up the courage to tell Tony, she knew he loved her but a baby! It would ruin his whole life; Howard would never stand for it, what if he didn't want the baby? What if he didn't want her anymore? Of course she knew deep down it was just the hormones talking, she knew Tony better than that but she had never been so happy as the day she finally told him. His reaction was priceless; she could see in his eyes his entire world fall into place, the flames danced and leapt higher setting his eyes ablaze.

Ever since she told him, he had been doing everything for her, planning and running around on errands and being ridiculously protective of her… of them both. It would have been damned infuriating if it wasn't so utterly adorable! She thought back to the day they met in her favourite hiding spot at MIT, he was 16 and soon to graduate and she was just starting her first year aged 17. She still didn't think she deserved him, he was so perfect, and nothing like the spoilt brat the media portrayed him as. She'd seen behind that mask very early on into their relationship, seen the real Tony Stark. Four long years later she felt so lucky, he could have chosen any girl, the nation's women swooned over the Stark prodigy, but he had chosen her.

Sat in the back seat of the little Nissan Tony Stark was thinking exactly the same thing. Erica was so beautiful, her short silky black hair, stunning emerald eyes and flawless olive skin gave her the looks of a super model and her smile, so warm and genuine that it tamed the roaring fire behind his eyes. He could never be good enough to deserve her, but he'd spend the rest of his life trying.

"Oh, I'm in no condition to drive!" she said sarcastically. "You couldn't even walk to the car without falling over!" Erica shot a quick glance in the mirror and giggled at Tony's sulking face.

"Yes I could, I'm fine I keep telling you!" Erica could only laugh at that. 'Ok' Tony admitted to himself, maybe he wasn't really in the best state to be driving right now, but still! They were driving to the nearest port, just praying that they were on the water before Howard noticed Tony was gone or they'd both likely be escorted from the terminal by armed Feds. He'd left a note for Rhodey knowing he'd likely come to check on him, telling him to put off Howard for as long as possible, and now all they could do is hope.

"I still can't believe he hit you." Tony took a second to process the words, his head still pounding and a deep black mark below his eye starting to swell from Howard's right hook.

"I suppose I deserved it, all my life I've let him down, I'm just not a good enough son."

"What!" Erica scoffed "not good enough? Tony he is a monster! He should be locked up!" Tony just stared at the floor and stayed silent. Erica couldn't believe that his father still had such a hold on him, Tony he had spent his whole life trying to please a man who saw him as nothing but a disappointment. She couldn't believe that he was still trying to make his dad proud after 20 years of harsh words and abuse. No, she didn't believe this was the first time Howard had hit his son. She knew there was a lot of his childhood that Tony hadn't shared with her, but that was ok, she didn't expect him to. Tony was just a kid when she met him, but he was already broken. He was very good at hiding it, but she knew that his past hid some unspeakable trauma's and was far from the perfect, privileged upbringing that so many of the other students hated him for. When he was ready to talk she would be there, but until that day she was going to push for answers.

They drove on in silence for another half hour until they stopped at a red light. Tony undid his seatbelt and clambered into the front passenger seat. He laid his head on Erica's shoulder and she lay her head on his.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He looked up into her eyes, "Are you sure you want to leave everything behind, your family…"

"Will understand" She smiled. "And who knows we might be able to come back one day when all this has settled down."

Tony shuffled up, clicking in his seatbelt as the lights turned green. He couldn't help but feel that they would have to keep running for a long time. Howard wouldn't let this go. Tony would have to use all his genius to escape and have a normal happy life.

It wasn't long before Tony slipped back into unconsciousness, the harsh glare of the city lights and car headlamps were stirring his headache into a full blown migraine. His sleep was shorter than he would have liked, as the rhythmic hum of the engine came to a halt at a small gas station he was jolted awake prematurely, but the short slumber had offered him some relief from his throbbing head. Erica hurried in the darkness to fill the car as quickly as possible. Tony was careful to walk hunched and keep his face hidden from the CCTV cameras which seemed to be boring into him. He tried to look as normal as possible, discarding his usual strict posture. A hood would be too obvious but without one he felt vulnerable, he could only hope that the footage wouldn't be flagged up.

They had borrowed the car from Erica's distant cousin and ditched their Phones on a Boulevard miles away from where they were really heading. He could only hope the decoy bought them some time, it would never throw off his father, he would be more than suspicious about the all too convenient clue, but he had hardly had time to formulate any solid plans so it would have to do.