One Year Later

The sun was streaming through the window, gently playing on her eyes, telling her it was time to wake up. She stretched, smiling at the figure asleep next to her. It's been a year since that night and Lily still couldn't believe that everything has happened so fast. She could still remember that morning after, playing in her mind like an old movie…

She could feel his eyes on her before she even had a chance to open hers. She smiled, knowing that he would be smiling back at her.

"Good morning Tony," she said, finally opening her eyes. She could see him looking at her, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth just as she pictured it. She was fully awake, taking in her surroundings; realizations hitting her like an unexpected crushing wave. She quickly stood up from the bed, taking the silk sheets along with her.

What had she done? She never meant to end up in bed with him last night. She only meant to tell him how she felt; she only meant to tell him what had been in her heart since she was fifteen. She hadn't meant to end up just another number on his long list. She could feel him behind her, his gaze burning into her back.

"Lily, what's wrong? Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned voice. She turned to look at him and she could feel the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

Seeing her tears, Tony crossed the room and hugged her tightly. She couldn't bear this, she couldn't bear his hug. She gently pushed him away.

"This was a mistake. This should not have happened. This was not what I wanted when I came to tell you all those things last night. Even if a part of me did want this, it still shouldn't have happened," Lily said, looking at him fully in the eyes.

"Why shouldn't have this happened? Lily, it was beautiful and amazing, why on Earth shouldn't it have happened?" he asked.

"Because I don't want to be just another name and number on your long list," she whispered with sadness in her voice. "I don't want to wake up one morning with Pepper holding my dry cleaning and telling me that Happy will drive me anywhere I want. I couldn't bear that."

"Is that why you are afraid? Do you think that would happen to you? Please look at me. Answer me." She couldn't bear to look at him, so she only managed a small nod.

Tony could feel his heart breaking the second she gave that nod. He slowly put his finger under her chin and made her look up at him.

"Lily, I know that I am not good with words. It's hard for me to say what I am feeling mostly because I don't know myself, but I can tell you what I am feeling for you, and what I'm feeling when I am with you, I never felt that in my life before. You are not just another number on a long list; you are so much more than that. To me, right now, you are everything. Like I said, I am not good with words, and this might not be what you want to hear, but please, I want to change. For you, I want to change. Please, don't leave me. Tell me you'll stay by my side."

She couldn't say no. She couldn't bear it. So she stayed. She stayed fully aware that she might get hurt, but always thinking that it was worth it…

The next day when she went home she found her furniture gone, her clothes moved, a single note on the floor saying: "I donated your furniture to charity and you clothes are now in my closet. Love, Tony." She was so mad at him she could have killed him, but now looking back at it all she can do is laugh.

She was getting untangled from the bed sheets, trying to get up when she felt an arm around her pushing her down on the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked her, his eyes still closed.

She leaned down and kissed his cheek, lingering for a brief moment. "I am going to take a shower, and then you are going to take a shower, and we will try not to be late for the meeting at Stark Industries," she said while getting up, not bothering to cover up with the sheets.

Once in the shower she turned on only the hot water, enjoying the burning sensation the water left on her skin. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder and the cooling of the water.

"You know," Tony whispered, while kissing her shoulder. "You are going to burn your skin one day. I never understood how you can take such hot showers."

She turned to face him, giving him a passionate kiss on the mouth. After what felt like an eternity she pulled back, resting her forehead on his.

"When I was little, and my father used to beat me, the hot water was the only thing that could ease the pain and make me forget. The hotter the water was, the better I felt. I know it makes no sense what I am saying, but the burning of the water made the burning of the wounds so less painful."

"You don't have to worry about that anymore, I will promise you that your father will never touch you again," Tony said, while taking her in his arms and kissing every inch of her.


"I told you we were going to be late! See, this is why from now on we will take separate showers and make sure we get where we want in time," Lily said to Tony as she was putting on her makeup… unsuccessfully. They were on their way to Stark Industries with Happy driving as fast as he could while Lily was doing her makeup. The car hit another bump which made her smudge her mascara.

"I give up," Lily said, as she threw the mascara back in her purse. She glanced sideways at Tony and she could see a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "You are really enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked, half accusing him.

"If we were to really go to the root of the problem, this is all your fault," he told her.

"How in God's name is this my fault? Clearly the problem lies with you, it always does."

"Well clearly it doesn't this time," he told her, turning in his seat so he could face her. "You are the one who designed this Jerico missile. If you hadn't designed the weapon, we wouldn't need to meet the board about it today, which means that we would not be late because we wouldn't need to be there in the first place." Tony finished his little speech with a proud smile on his face which made to indicate that he would right.

"I see so many things wrong with that logic I don't know where to begin. First of all…" Lily was suddenly interrupted by the ring of her cellphone. "Lilian Navodlom… hello Rhodey. Yes I remember. Don't worry he will be there," Lily said as she threw Tony a sideway look. "I will make sure he will be there… alright then. See you tonight!"

"What was that all about?" Tony asked her. "Where am I going to be tonight?"

"I knew you would forget," Lily sighed. "You are getting the Apogy award this year. I told you this last week. We are flying there after the board of directors meeting. Well, you are flying there. I need to go pick some stuff from home first and then I will meet you there tonight."

"Great," Tony said with fake enthusiasm. "Like I haven't received that award about twenty times before."

"Tony, please. Let's not start this conversation again. Promise me you will be on your best behaviour tonight."

"I will try, that is all I can guarantee you," he said.

Lily sighed once more and turned to look out her window. Tony was trying really hard to leave his old habits behind. She appreciated that, but sometimes it was the little things that would get to her. She turned to look back at Tony just to see him with his eyes closed and his tie slightly undone. In the window she could see Start Industries emerging in front of them.


That night when Lily entered the Stark Mansion everything was dark and quiet. She kicked off her heels, picking them off, preferring to carry them in her hands then have them for one more minute on her feet. The thought that she had to change into another pair of stilettoes and fancy gown certainly didn't improve her mood. The meeting with the directors had gone rather well. Tony was on his best behaviour, every inch the CEO that he should be. Everyone was impressed with the design and with the actual missile. All that was left was for Tony to go and do the live demo, which was scheduled for tomorrow.

Lily finally reached the closet and went over to her half. Sharing the closet with another person was something neither Lily nor Tony had done before, but somehow they seemed to have managed to coordinate. She quickly pulled off the rack a silver dress, crabbed a pair of matching heels and decided that she would do her makeup on the plane. She looked around the room one more time to make sure she didn't forget anything. Tony was already on his way and should be there ahead of her, she had sent his tux with Happy and she was hoping from the bottom of her heart that tonight would go smoothly. She knew how Tony could get when it came to awards ceremonies.

When Lily got to the ceremony she was dressed to perfection, her hair and makeup intact. She was welcomed by a sea of flashes and shouts of her name. The media all knew her and she was sorry to say that she pretty much knew every one of their names as well. She didn't have for photos and quickly made her way inside, just in time to hear Tony's introduction to the award. When she sat down at the table she was slightly out of breath, and turned to her right towards Tony. Except he wasn't there.

On her left, from the corner of her eye she could see Obadiah. When she turned to him he just shook his head, pointing towards Tony's empty chair. In that moment she heard Rhodey's voice from the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to present this year's Apogy award to Mr. Tony Stark. Tony? Come on up here," Rhodey said as he was looking around the room for Tony.

Everyone started clapping, everyone started looking for Tony. At her side, Lily could feel Obadiah taking her arm and pulling her up, nudging her towards the podium.

Lily took a deep breath, forced a smile on her face, stood up, and made her way towards the stage. Still with a smile on her face she reached to shake Rhodey's hand and give him a quick hug.

"Thanks for the save," Rhodey whispered to her before they broke the hug and he handed her the reward. She made her way to the microphone, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She took another deep breath and quickly thought of something she could say.

"This is wonderful, this is just great. Thank you all, thank you Colonel Rhodes. Well…I am not Tony Stark, clearly." She paused for a second, hearing everyone laughing, forcing herself to let out a small giggle as well. "If I were Tony I would tell what an honour it is to receive such a reward. You know, Tony… the best thing about Tony can also be the most annoying thing about Tony. He is always working no matter what. Even on a night like this. I am much honored to receive this on his behalf. Once again thank you very much, and enjoy the rest of the party."

Lily concluded the speech, and took Rhodey's arm, quickly making their way offstage. Once they were in the darkness of the offstage, Lily turned to Rhodey, all traces of her smile gone from her face.

"I am going to kill him Rhodey. This time I am really going to kill him. How could he do this? Where is he?"

"Lily, just calm down. Let me handle him. Why don't you go to the party and try to have a good time. Otherwise people would start questioning where you went off to as well," Rhodey reasoned with her.

Lily closet her eyes for a second, trying to calm herself. When she opened her eyes she handed the award to Rhodey.

"Find him! I'm going to be at the party. Call me when you got a hold of him. Also, tell him not to show his face here. The media would just ask more questions, and it's going to be a PR nightmare to deal with it all."

She turned towards the exit, once more forcing a smile on her face.


When she exited the building, she was glad of the cool night air that hit her face. Rhodey had called her a while ago and told her that he had found Tony playing the dice at the casino and that they had agreed that he would meet her in the car. Lily was so angry that she could feel her nails biting into the palm of her hand. It was a very bad habit that she had. Every time she would get angry, she would dig her nails into her palm hoping to control her anger.

She would kill him. She knew that she would kill him once she laid her eyes on him. As she got closer to the car, she could see Tony talking to a blonde woman who was holding a small recorder in her hand.

Go figure, thought Lily, another reporter.

When she got closer, Lily could hear what they were saying.

"Ever lose an hour of sleep in your life?" The reporter asked Tony.

"I'd be willing to lose a few with you," Tony said back to her.

Lily almost stopped in her tracks when she heard this but something inside her made her continue walking, her posture suddenly becoming straighter and her head higher. Happy saw her approaching and let out a soft cough. Lily threw him an angry look which immediately made him lower his head. Tony turned towards her with a stretched arm which he wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He could feel her resistance and the cold state that she was giving him.

"Lily, I was just giving this lovely reporter a quick interview," Tony said, looking back and forth between the two women.

"Yes, I heard," Lily said turning towards the reporter with an ice smile on her face.

"You must be the famous Lily; you two make quite the power couple. My name is..."

"I didn't ask," Lily quickly said, not letting her reporter finishing her sentence. Lily gave Tony one last look before she unwrapped his arm from her waist and walked towards the car.

Once inside the car she kicked off her heels and waited for Tony. She didn't have to wait long before Tony was sitting comfortably beside her and they were on their way.

"Lily..." Tony started off.

"If you say one more syllable I swear I will start to beat you. Don't even talk to me right now Tony. I am deadly serious," Lily said as she looked at Tony one last time before closing her eyes.

Tony knew better than to push her, so he decided to remain silent until she was ready to talk to him. He knew he crossed the line tonight. He was looking at her when something red in the palm of her hand caught his eye. He could see the red marks her nails had made in her skin. Mentally he started kicking himself. He reached out to take her hand but Lily pulled away. Tony had quicker reflexes than her so he managed to take a hold of her hand. He turned it over and softly starting pressing his fingers over the red marks.

Lily had not spoken a word during the entire trip, and once the Royce pulled in front of the Malibu mansion Lily quick got off and started walking towards the house. She stopped in the middle of the living room, feeling Tony right behind her.

"A casino? Rhodey presents you with an award tonight and you are wasting your money at a fucking casino? You have lost your mind," Lily said as she suddenly turned to face him, the anger visible in her eyes.

"Lily, give me chance to..." Tony started saying.

"Do you have any idea how you humiliated us tonight? How you humiliated your entire company? Tell me Tony, what kind of message did you send by doing that? What kind of message did you send to Rhodey, your best friend?"

"You know how many of those awards I have, I just..."

"And what about that reporter? Do you really miss your old life that much? If you do tell me, tell me so at least I will know what to expect," she said, now tears threatening to form in her eyes. She took a deep breath trying to control her tears. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry right now. "I am too tired to deal with this right now," she told him. She slowly started walking towards the bedroom but not before taking a last look at him.

"Why are you overreacting like this Lily?" He shot back at her. "I told you earlier. I have tons of these awards lying around here, the ceremony wasn't that important. Besides, you were there and you took care of everything. I just went for a while to the casino to blow off some steam. Seriously you are making such a big deal out of this."

"A big deal? I am making a big deal out of this? Tony, I couldn't care less about some damn award that you didn't pick up. What hurts me is the fact that you don't realize how much you hurt the people around you. Rhodey was so excited to present you with this award tonight. He talked about it the entire week. He was excited about it because you are his best friend, and he considered it an honour to be able to present his friend with this trophy," she closed her eyes for a moment trying to keep her anger under control.

"What about me Tony? Do you have any idea how much it hurt to hear you say those things to that reporter? You would be prepared to lose a few hours of sleep with her? A FEW HOURS OF SLEEP WITH HER?" Lily shouted the last part, not caring how insane she must appear at the moment. "By all means, if you are planning on doing that tell me. Tell me so I know to packs my bags, or would you prefer that I kick her out of her bed? I have done it before, I would have no problem in doing that again," she said to him all anger lost from her voice, what remained was just coldness.

"Lily, I think you are overreacting. It was just something I said. I didn't even think about. I didn't mean it," he tried to reason with her.

"That is precisely why I am so hurt Tony," she whispered, her voice lost in the big room, in the big house. "You didn't think about. You never think about it. You always do it, and at the end of the day you expect us to be there picking up all the pieces you ripped off, hoping that we could understand, hoping that we could understand you. I have known you for so many years; I have come to understand you better than anyone else. I can tell what you are thinking just by the way you look at something, but Tony... you got to the point where even I can't understand you anymore. Maybe I don't want to understand you anymore."

She turned back up the stairs once more, climbing each step slowly and deliberately.

"You know, tonight you should have made us all a favour and just disappear. It would have been better if you hadn't shown up at all," Lily told him, her back turned to him as she slowly started making her way towards the bedroom, leaving Tony in the darkness of the room.


When Lily woke up the next morning the first thing she did was look at the spot next to her. She reached out to touch it. She could feel the cold fabric under her hand. She wasn't sure if Tony even came to bed last night.

"Miss Navodlom," Jarvis interrupted her. "Miss Potts and Mr. Stane are downstairs. They wish to speak with you."

"This early in the morning," Lily said, her voice rasped from sleep. "What do they want at this hour?"

"Miss, I inform you that it is late afternoon. You have been asleep for more than twelve hours."

Lily looked at the clock next to the bed and found that was Jarvis told her was true. She had slept more than twelve hours and it was now late afternoon. Her mind quickly flashed to Tony, wondering if his Jerico presentation went alright. After their fight last night, she hoped everything went smooth.

"Tell them I am coming down right now Jarvis," Lily told him as she was putting on her robe. When she got downstairs she could see Obadiah sitting down on the couch with a drink in his hand while Pepper was pacing back and forth in front of him talking quickly on the phone. As soon as Pepper saw her she hanged up the phone and nodded to Obadiah towards her.

Lily cautiously approached them, as them now both stood in front of her, with a solemn look on their faces. Lily saw that Pepper's eyes were red.

"What happened you two, why the long faces?" Lily asked. "Who died?" She said the last question with a tiny smile on her face. She saw that neither Pepper nor Obadiah said anything and she was well aware of the look that passed between them. Lily's smile quickly disappeared, and just like a flash of lighting in the sky, she knew why they were both so quiet.

"It's Tony, isn't it," she said out of breath. "Something happened to Tony."

"Lily," Obadiah said as he approached her, placing his hand on her small shoulder. "Tony, and all the others, they... they were attacked after the presentation was over. Rhodey managed to escape but all the other were killed. And Tony... well, we don't know what happened to Tony. All we knew is that they took him, and we don't know if he is alive."

Everything flashed before Lily's eyes. They say that life flashes before your eyes when you are about to die, but for Lily, her life passed before her in that very moment. Everything... her childhood, her father, her mother, Tony, their fight... Tony. Just as quickly as they had begun, the images finished playing and she was left completely surrounded by darkness.


I am so sorry for the late update. I haven't forgotten about this story, it's just that things have been so crazy lately. Please review, I will try to update as soon as I can. Also please PM if any of you are interesting in being a BETA, I really need one.