A/N I'm back! I'm very sorry that I took so long, but I got sick last week, and this week I've been doing schoolwork nonstop. But, good news, I go on Christmas break the week after next, so I'm free to write! I also broke this chapter up into two parts because it was ridiculously long, like over 20,000 words! Can you believe it? Oh, and one more thing, I also deleted some scenes, and description to make it shorter. I hope it's not confusing! But, if you want to know what happens in those scenes, you can PM me, and I'll give you a summary.

But anyway, on with this incredibly long, and confusing story!

Dalton knew exactly how to cause them pain.

She, the girl, she hated threats. Threats against her friends. He could mess with her mind too, he did that while he had her, he made her believe anything, and everything he told her. Although she was a rather strange thing, extremely complex, she was a very fun toy. Very, very fun.

The other one, the boy, he didn't have the knowledge he possessed about her, but one thing Dalton did know, was that he was the protective sort, liked to keep his friends close, especially her. How cute. Dalton could break her, then kill her, all in front of him for added effect. He loved executions, his victim blindfolded as he pulled the trigger. So exciting. He could do that. Or, he could dispose of them both! That would be so much fun, and it would keep him from getting bored.

He would do anything to keep himself from the monotony of boredom.

Speaking of boredom; it was absolutely boring here in this cell, the rest of the inmates were complete fools, murderers who were too idiotic, and got caught because of their stupidity. Unlike him, he planned everything carefully. They didn't catch him, he caught them, he wanted to be caught. She needed to have her experiences sink in, then he would escape, and carry out the remainder of his plans.

Having both of them would be much more exciting...

Desiree gazed at her daughter, wondering about her mirror copy.

It was true, they looked very much alike, but she knew nothing about her. She knew nothing about her except for the usual tidbits from the American media; her daughter was a very...kind girl from what she saw, always smiling. Desiree frequently searched for information on her; what she was doing, how old she was, and what she looked like, but all those things didn't reveal what she was like.

"What is she like?" she asked her former husband,

"She's, shy." he answered simply, obviously trying to avoid verbal contact.

She ignored it, and kept asking anyway, "More than that. What are her hobbies, interests, what does she do when she thinks no one is looking? Tell me everything about her."

"She likes books, that sort of thing...and she still bumps into furniture."

She smiled, remembering the tiny three year old who ran into end tables, "is she a lot like you?"

"More or less."

"Interesting."

She held her daughter's hand, feeling the pulse-just for reassurance-, and watched her chest slowly rise and fall. Maybe, after this, she could talk with her, get to know her, be her mother. Actually be something for once in her life. She didn't want to give it up, her life, but it was all so over-whelming; her husband's new job, a daughter, the move, all the people-it was just too much for her to handle.

But she wanted to.

She loved that little girl since the day she first held her, that little baby. Ever since she gazed into those delicate eyes, she loved her. Desiree made too many mistakes in her life, but this would be the last.

Taking a glance towards the entrance, she noticed the doctor stride through. A Dr. Abbott, if she remembered correctly.

"Good afternoon," he greeted, a light smile gracing his wrinkled features.

"Oh, hello. Do you need anything else?" Desiree inquired,

"Well, no. Not exactly." he answered,

"Is anything wrong?"

"I need you to understand something, there were deep...marks, on her back."

"Oh my God."

"I," he sighed, "there will be scars, no doubt about it, but if she takes care of her skin, I'm sure there won't be many."

She glanced at the peacefully dreaming girl; what had she gone through?

"It, it gets worse."

"How much worse?"

"This will be very hard to hear. Your daughter was possibly electrocuted."

There was a horrified expression on both the parents faces; they were stunned that somebody could do such terrible things to their baby girl. Neither of them spoke, moved, or even breathed as the air seemed to grow thicker around them; thoughts buried themselves deep in their minds of what this person might have done to her. The sweet, imaginative child laying in the bed next to them was possibly subjected to horrors not even worried parents could conjure up. But why was their daughter the one who went through this? Why did this sadistic person single her out? She had never hurt anyone, nor had she done anything to will such unspeakable tragedy on herself.

Unless, they were unaware of something...

Thankfully, her husband broke the silence as her imagination took hold, "How do you know all of this?" he inquired,

"There were electric burns on her wrists, back, and legs."

"My poor baby, I'm so sorry," she stroked her daughter's hair, lightly kissing her forehead.

"But she's perfectly stable, there's no need to be concerned. What I do need from you, is consent to provide her with anti-depressants."

"Of course," she turned to her husband, waiting for his response.

"Does it risk her health in any way?" he inquired,

"No. It's just until we start the full therapy sessions, and get her out of this gloomy place."

"Fine."

"Thank you, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Let her friends visit often, they cheer her up, and she needs a lot of that. Laughter is the best medicine, you know."

"We'll do that, thank you." Desiree said, keeping her hand on her little girl's.

Abbott gave them a polite smile, and exited the room, leaving the two parents alone to discuss their daughter's future, and their own.

"Is it, alright, with you if I...stay, for a while?"

"Of course...it is, in her best interest, after all, she needs a mother."

There was a noticeable pause before Desiree spoke again, "I'm sorry, I left."

"I know."

"I shouldn't have, said, all those horrible things."

"I'll take some of the blame as well."

"And, I...would like to, try, again. Even if we, remain, friends."

"That...that would be nice, thank you."

And for the first time in over nine years, Desiree placed her hand on top of his, and held it as they sat by their slumbering child.

"She has your stutter too."

"Poor thing. Still?"

"Still."

A gentle smile paved its way across her features; the poor thing probably never knew where she got it from either...

Whitney searched the strange territory.

Where was she? The sky was turning dark, and scary; and all the trees were growing bigger, and bigger until they were looming over her. A malicious laugh echoed through the woods, and she frantically ran away, coming to a glass wall. Four glass walls. She ran inside a box!

"Help!" she pounded on the glass, "is anybody out there?"

She peeked behind her, and there he was, inside the opaque container with her.

"No! Please, somebody, don't let him hurt me!" she scratched the glass, annoying squeaks sounding throughout the transparent cage from her skin rubbing against the smooth surface.

The man gripped her arms, stopping her desperate clawing, and pulled them behind her back, "Happy to see me?"

"Let go of me, let go!" she kicked at his legs, but to no avail.

"You can't run away from me, you can't get away, you can't. I'll always be here, haunting you, destroying you, making your pitiful life miserable for the rest of your days, and there is nothing you can do about it! You will never get away..."

The dream ceased, and she shot up in the bed, tears dripping from her eyes, making their way down her cheeks.

Tony immediately encircled her with warm, soothing arms, holding her close, and comforting her as she sobbed into his shoulder, bunching the red fabric of his shirt in her fists, trying to keep him there. To keep him close to her.

"It was so horrible."

"You're okay now, I've got you."

They remained like that for over an hour, grasping on to each other as if they were to somehow let go, the universe would collapse. Since the galaxy wasn't about to go supernova on their watch, they held one another as tightly as they could, nestling into the other until their bodies were pressed together. She longed for his touch, and she received more than that, she gained this incredible embrace.

There were no words to describe the pure emotions that surged through her heart; wanting him, needing him. She couldn't go back, she couldn't stop, she was all the way in now, and there was no turning around. This love she had for him was full on, relentless, unyielding, almost painful in its intensity. If this was her's, if this was how it was meant to be, if she was destined for this role in his life, then she would happily give in to the flow of fate, because it couldn't have picked a more wonderful person for her soul mate.

After a while, when she couldn't hold on to him any longer, she let go, (risking the termination of the stars), "What are you doing here?"

"You needed someone to stay with you. Your, parents had to sign some papers, so...I, uh, took their place. "

"But you're supposed to be at school."

"Yeah, well, you're more important. Besides, it's over for the day."

"I slept that long?"

"Yeah, you did."

"Geez, what do they have me on anyway?"

"Morphine, and...some kind of suppressant that I can't pronounce."

She started to laugh, but then squeezed her eyes shut, and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Okay, ow, don't make me laugh, it makes my head spin."

He winced slightly at her discomfort, "Sorry, I thought it might make you feel better."

"It's okay, you didn't know," she put on a smile, and he joined in just as Pepper and Rhodey walked back in the room.

"They're still in there," Rhodey informed,

"Yeah, what are they talking about anyway? Unless it's all paperwork, in that case, I feel sorry for them. It's kind of like homework, you really don't want to do it, but you have to. It's like a code or something." Pepper rambled, then looked at her as if she remembered something, snapping her fingers before she spoke, "Tony has your book, the one you lost at my house. He kept it under his pillow."

Whitney looked at him, "You kept my book under your pillow?"

A small flush took over Tony's face as he chuckled nervously, stretching his collar, "Um, maybe? Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?" he glanced at his two nonchalant looking best friends, searching for assistance. When he didn't receive any, he turned back to her, facing a curious pair of eyes.

"It's just you."

"Oh. I, uh...here," he handed the book over to her quickly,

"Thank you," she set the book in her lap, "so, how was school today?" she asked, in the hopes of starting a pleasant conversation.

"Typical," Tony answered first, clasping her hand.

"I thought you might say that. How 'bout you two?"

"I don't know, I never really thought about it. Oh yeah, and Happy says that he hopes you get better soon." Pepper responded,

She smiled as she spoke again, "Thank him for me, will you?"

"Sure."

"I have homework, don't I?"

"Just a little bit."

Seeing this as an opportunity to stay with Tony for a few more precious minutes, she asked him, "Maybe you could help me with it?"

"No problem," he answered with a smile,

"Okay, we'll, leave you to it." Rhodey tugged on Pepper's arm, signaling for them to hightail it out of there.

"Right. Well, goodbye, then." Pepper said as she dropped the bundle of papers on the bed, hurrying along the floor to the exit, "go, go, go," she urged as they shuffled swiftly out the door.

The couple locked eyes as their friends left, not noticing the door gently shut.

"I missed you," he confessed, running his fingers through her badly matted hair, removing the tangles.

"I missed you too," she pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth, "Tony, did you mean it, wh-when you said I was brave?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't think so," he slid on top of the bed, and wrapped his arms around her as she leaned into him.

"I'm not as brave as you. Darling, you don't know this, but you...you inspire me. Move me. I don't know how to say it, but I admire you so much. It feels weird to-what are you doing?" she squeaked as he started to kiss down her neck,

"Loving you," he mumbled against her skin, the vibrations sending shock waves down her spine.

"Right here? Tony, what if-"

He stopped his gentle pecks to gaze in her eyes, "I don't care, Whitney, I don't! I love you, and I'm not hiding it anymore."

"But, but, but," she found it impossible to say anything at all as he resumed placing his lips on her neck, and cheek, squeezing her tightly, "oh darling, just...just make sure that, you...tell my dad last, okay?"

She let him wrap his arms around her stomach, and coax her into his lap, still carefully nipping at her throat. She had never seen him this...passionate. Of course, there were times when their kisses could get a little, heated. And by no means inappropriate, mind you. But he had never kissed her neck like that before, or at all. She quickly decided that she liked it; he was so gentle, and his lips felt so soft against her skin.

"I haven't kissed you in so long," he muttered, "I forgot how good it felt."

"Uh-huh," she nodded, sinking back against his chest, and closing her eyes, centering in on the wonderful sensation of having him close to her again.

All of a sudden, the door opened, and Pepper and Rhodey stood in the middle of the doorway.

Upon seeing the pair, the two friends jumped, "Sorry, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt, really, I just...we'll be going now." Pepper bumped into Rhodey before they both scrambled to shut the door.

"Well, that killed the mood." Tony grumbled, releasing his hold around her, and she climbed back down, giving him a tender hug.

"We've got homework anyway," she reached over, and grabbed the papers, scanning over them with distaste, "I'm going to need some help with this one."

"Which one?"

She pointed to a particularly confusing problem, and he began explaining it to her. Out of habit, she leaned against him as they worked the equation out together, as a couple.

Always...always...always...together.

Frustration seemed to be a reoccurring emotion for Tony these days.

He had finished helping Whitney with her homework, and now she was keeping him on-track with his, or she was attempting to.

He was as frustrated as all get out when he finally burst, and expressed his disdain for the mindless problems, "These questions are stupid. How do they-"

Whitney kissed him on the cheek to interrupt him, "You have to do it."

"But this," he gestured to the page, "is just pointless."

"How about, I give you a kiss if you finish?"

"Works for me."

He was finished in less than fifteen minutes.

She kept her promise.

They sat facing each other on the bed; that kiss, that chaste, beautiful kiss, reminded him of everything she loved about her. From all those endearing habits, oddities, and dimmed-down-from-love flaws, he adored every last bit of her. Including every silent moment, every tender glance, loving touch, or gentle kiss they ever shared. He felt a deep initiative to touch her, and leaned in to brush his lips against her's, pressing on them lightly, like a feather, before returning to his original position.

It was in moments of sweet silence such as this that he took the time to put her in his memory, to memorize every square inch of her delicate features until she was rooted into his brain like his armor specs. He wanted to recall everything about her; her hair, her nose, her skin, her eyes. Most definitely her eyes.

Until she interrupted his memorizing with that velvety voice, "Tony, how do you feel about me?"

He was taken aback; he thought he made how he felt clear. Why was she asking him this?

"How do I feel about you?" he took both of her hands in his, "you've given me something that I thought I was going to live without. You love me for who I am, you accept my faults, you put up with me, and you're the sweetest girl in the whole world. I'm...I'm yours, for now, and forever. I love you, Whitney."

Tears welled in her eyes as she embraced him, "I needed you to say that."

Reluctantly, he lightly pushed back, "You need to rest."

"Okay. Can you stay here with me?" she inquired as he pulled back the blanket, and she crawled inside.

He gently lifted the sheets, and placed them over her, kissing her forehead before delivering an answer, "Of course I will. Do you mind if I get something to eat from downstairs?" she gave him a nod, and a smile as he squeezed her hand, "I'll be right back."

He glanced at her before exiting the room, leaving the door open, just in case.

"Our turn?" Rhodey asked from his seat by the wall,

"Yeah, I'll be the lobby if you need me," he paused, "and hopefully you won't."

"Hey, what were you two doing in there all this time? It's been over an hour, I thought you fell asleep." Pepper questioned, getting up to enter the room.

"Homework?" his friends gave him a look, "Okay, okay, so there was a teeny bit of kissing going on, but it didn't last very long."

"Sorry, about that." Rhodey shuffled his feet,

"We have a knack for walking in at the wrong times, don't we?" Pepper mentioned nervously,

"Way too often."

"Way too often," he repeated, a joking tone to his voice.

He waited until his friends entered the room, and then he started downstairs to the cafeteria for a little something to occupy his growling stomach. You tend to forget all about food when someone you love is in the hospital, and that was exactly what happened with Tony. He hadn't eaten at all in the past week, too occupied with his thoughts of her to entertain the other thought of sustenance. After satisfying his hunger with a sandwich, he traveled back up to the third floor by elevator, and he was instantly greeted by Rhodey and Pepper.

"You have to come and see this," Pepper grabbed his wrist, and led him into the hospital room.

"Yeah, there are tons of little kids running around in there," Rhodey remarked,

And sure enough, there were, about seven of them in total, but they were moving too quickly, he couldn't count them all accurately. Seven was a decent number anyways.

He heard Whitney's laugh, "I'm sure it won't be stuck in there for long."

"But it hurts," he heard a boy say,

"It's almost ready, maybe if you keep wiggling it, it'll decide to pop right on out, and you can keep it."

"What happened here?" Tony glanced around at the bunch of children invading the room. Not that he didn't mind them.

"Hi, Tony! Guess who decided to stop by?"

"Uh, a kindergarten?"

"No, my class! Aren't they adorable?"

He smiled at the sight of his girlfriend looking so happy, visibly glowing, as she watched the children scramble around her as she sat in a chair...a chair...she wasn't supposed to be out of bed! But, in this case, there could be an exception, she just looked so happy.

"Look what I got!" A little girl exclaimed, jumping up and down in front of her.

"What?"

"Mommy gave me a ball for getting a good report card, and look!" she dropped the red sphere, and it bounced back up into her tiny hands, "it bounces!"

"Cool! But you have to be careful with it in here, they've got tons of really breakable stuff, and they get pretty mad if you break it."

"Okay, I won't bounce it anymore."

"There we go."

She motioned him over with her hand, and he followed, curiosity taking over.

"Okay now, that's Dorothy, and Matthew, they're siblings," she began pointing to different children, telling him their names, "and that's Elijah, he loves to draw doodles and things, you really have to keep an eye on him or else he starts chewing on his pencil. And that one over there is Hannah, she's a bit wild, but only if you leave her alone for too long. Little kids, you know? And where is he...oh, and over there is Dennis. He's the normal one compared to the rest of them."

"You really like these kids, don't you?" he settled a tender hand on her shoulder,

"Of course! That's Casey, she tends to run away into the corner when it gets too loud. Likes the quiet. And over there are Peter and Adam, best of friends."

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I know, but I wanted to watch them. I didn't want them to think I was sick, then they wouldn't play. It's strange when they don't."

"Okay, but don't blame me when the doctor comes in here and sees you in this chair."

"Oh yeah, and guess what?"

"What?"

Whitney reached under the bed pillow, returning with a necklace in her hand, "It turns out that he had it all along. He gave it back to me this morning. Would you, put it on for me? I want to wear it."

Tony tried to contain a wide smile as he clasped the locket around her neck, "Even in front of your parents?"

"Especially in front if them. I think, that it's time we stopped being so cautious, and let people know how we feel about each other. Unless you don't want to."

"I think we just told your class."

They both glanced around at the staring children, and their two friends.

"I think we did."

As soon as their eyes met the individual children's, they looked away, becoming occupied with the floor, walls, or ceiling, so did their friends.

"Who knew hospitals had such interesting floors," she joked, her voice wavering near the end of her sentence.

"Alright, that's enough moving out of you." he helped her out of the chair, much to her protest, and steadied her as she laid back on the bed.

"I'm fine, really!" she insisted as he covered her with the blankets, and handed her the book.

"Then why is your voice giving out?"

"Because...I don't know."

"Exactly. Gotcha there, didn't I?"

All of the children slowly approached her, crowding around the bed with widened eyes.

"Are you sick?" One of the girls, Hannah, asked.

"I'll be better by tomorrow," her voice had become raspy, and weak. He hated watching her try to act like nothing was wrong, she was still hurt, and she needed to rest.

He knew better than anyone that recovery took time...

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Can we come over tomorrow too?" Elijah inquired,

"Of course you can, I'll be right here waiting for you."

He stepped back as each of the kids gave her a hug, and he observed the way her eyes drooped slightly, slumber wishing to take over.

"Let's go find Mrs. Garner, come on you guys, be very, very quiet." Pepper whispered as she rounded up the gang,

"Are we supposed to be ninjas now?" Peter trotted along the group,

"Oh, right, the ninjas. Be quiet so you don't wake up the samurai, shh, out the door."

The children immediately quieted, tiptoeing out of the room.

"Ninjas?" Rhodey asked, keeping his voice in a light whisper.

"It's something we do to, keep them quiet when we, walk through the church. They can be ninjas, ghosts, mice, anything quiet. And if they make...any noise, then the...samurai get them. It really...works." Whitney's eyelids fluttered, finally closing as Tony stroked her forehead, pushing away the stray strands of hair.

It doesn't take much, Tony smiled to himself, you really are something else.

The door opened again, "How many times do you have to sign a-oh, hello there. You must be Whitney's friends." her mother appeared in the doorway, appearing surprised.

Her eyes flew open at the sound of her mother's voice, "Mom?"

"Darn it," Tony cursed under his breath. He finally got her to settle down, and now this happens.

"I guess this means we're relieved." Rhodey muttered,

"Bye," he squeezed her hand as she gazed at him, obviously wanting him to stay.

"Thank you for staying with her," the mother said as they both walked out.

The door shut behind them, and Tony suddenly felt lost.

"What just happened there?" Pepper questioned, returning from delivering the bunch.

"Her mother," he informed with a certain distaste.

"So, do we just sit here, or go on home?" Rhodey asked his friends,

"I don't know, but I really don't want to leave, yet."

"Then it's settled," Pepper sat down in a chair on the wall, "we'll sit here until it's time to go home..."

After a week of minor operations, and therapy sessions, Whitney was allowed to return home, but she all she wanted to do was stay beside Tony. Without him around her, she felt scared, empty, and broken. She despised her weakness, but it couldn't be helped, at least, not at the moment. She was with him now, cuddling with him on the couch.

"You aren't worried that Mrs. Rhodes might see us?" she asked as he inched closer to her lips,

"Don't worry about that, I told her."

"Really?"

"What I didn't tell her was how long."

"That doesn't matter."

The second those words left her mouth, he pressed their lips together, and they moved in perfect synchronization as she ran her fingers through his hair, and he tightened his hold around her. He must have missed her tremendously, because he gradually tilted her on the couch, pushing her back onto the cushions. Strangely, she didn't mind it. Under normal circumstances, she would have scolded him, and that would be the end of it, but...these weren't normal circumstances. He gently pecked her cheek, slowly making his way down her neck. In response, she snaked her arms around his back, wrapping them around him as he kissed her lips tenderly.

Maybe they were going a bit too far.

Having him this close to her felt wonderful, but, there were certain boundaries they were crossing that she was uncomfortable with. Tony kissing her was one thing, him kissing her while they were alone was another. And having him kiss her neck was an extreme boundary that she had accepted earlier only because she missed him, not that she didn't enjoy it, but because of certain rules she had promised to adhere to. Rules created by herself. The ultimate boundary she hoped to never cross was, well, also crossed. He was laying on top of her, kissing her. They had discussed this before, things they wouldn't do, and this was one of them.

They were going too far.

"Tony?" she tapped on his back as he began kissing down her neck again, "Tony...darling...sweetheart...Anthony." A small sigh escaped her lips, he wasn't listening to her, time for the big guns.

He asked for it...

"Anthony Edward Stark!" she shouted, catching his attention instantly. The full name, middle and all, was used only in times of extreme lectures, like when he had done something really, really bad. It wasn't that she didn't like it, goodness no, but being alone, and in a place where they could easily...do something...she had to be extremely cautious as to not let her emotions take over.

And boy, were they taking over!

Tony was completely startled; he was just concentrating on the softness of her skin, how much he missed her, and how good it felt to have her in his arms again. He was so shaken by the abrupt scolding that he jumped off of her, falling to the floor below, and landing with a thump.

"There now," she sat up, and glanced around, Tony was nowhere in sight. "Where'd you go?"

She was answered with a groaned "ow."

Curious, she peeked at the floor, and there he was, rubbing his head.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, sliding down, and examining his head, "I'm so sorry!" she kissed his forehead, "are you alright?"

"Fine. Just...fine."

"I didn't mean it, really, I just thought we were taking it too far, and I didn't want to get carried away, because honestly I miss you so much, and you make me feel so happy, and I didn't want to do anything we might regret later on, I'm not saying that I will regret it if we get married, but not right now because we're obviously not married, but I would like to, I mean get married, I've been thinking a lot about it, but if you don't want to talk about it then that's perfectly fine, aaaand I'm starting to sound like Pepper."

"That was very interesting, actually. Very interesting."

"But I'm really sorry, I didn't mean it, I just didn't want to get too far along then have to stop because I don't think I could, and I don't want to let you down because you're a boy, and boys have more trouble than girls do, so I felt like I needed to be responsible about it, but I didn't mean for you to hit your head, that was an accident, and I really didn't want to hurt you, I never want to hurt you, but sometimes I do accidentally 'cause I don't know what I'm thinking, and I'm really sorry about all of that too, I don't like it when we fight, but I know it's a good thing because when we get married, I-I-I mean if we get married, then we know how to handle those...things...why are you staring at me like that?"

"You have pretty eyes."

"O-oh. You have pretty eyes too. I mean handsome because boys aren't pretty, girls are, and that would just be weird because they're two separate words, but what I mean is that your eyes are nice too, I like them a lot, and I think they're the best thing about you, besides your personality of course, but you already know about that since-" she was finally interrupted by a pair of warm, chapped lips, and oddly enough, she welcomed the sweet kiss.

"You really are something, you know that?" Tony said after he pulled away, playing with strands of now fully combed hair, and she tilted her head to lean into his gentle touch, her cheek resting against his hand.

"How do I know that's not an insult?" Whitney said humorously, hoping to engage in some sort of friendly banter with him, and regain confidence lost in her earlier rambles.

"Because I said it."

Her playfulness ceased at his all-too-serious tone. He was telling her something...

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," he put his arms around her, and pulled her in close, "I promise to never say anything bad to you again. I'll never raise my voice to you, or yell, or call you bad things, and starting right now, I'm going to start living that promise."

"That's so sweet of you."

"You deserve it."

Tears welled up in her eyes at her love's words, "You are incredible."

"So're you."

"Stop it, you're going to make me cry!"

"I'll never make you cry either."

That last sentence broke the dam; tears made their way down her cheeks as she threw her arms around him, "You make me so happy. I love you."

"I love you too, Whit." he wrapped his arms around her, and instantly, that moment became another precious, irreplaceable memory that she hoped would never go away.

Was it even possible to love someone so unconditionally like she did him? Even if he committed every evil known to man, she would still love him. She might not be proud of him, but she would love him. How did her life end up here? It shouldn't have been possible for her, of all people, to gain the most perfect man in the world's love. The thought was seldom entertained in her mind before, she never thought it possible, but here she was, being held by the boy she admired, loved, and could only dream of. Love...love was a powerful word in her vocabulary; she did not use it mildly. Every time she said that word, she meant every letter, and syllable.

But the word love wasn't strong enough to describe her affections.

She adored him.

He started to caress her hair, petting it gently as she nestled into him, each savoring the moment. It had been so long, too long, much too long. A week, and four days without the other crushed them, they couldn't live if they had nothing of their better halves. It was surprising how two teenagers could overcome such drastic boundaries in their lives, and find each other like this, love each other like they did. But, they overcame their adversity, past and present, and discoved a blooming romance that would never wilt. And in that minute, a single minute, they felt something in their hearts that had never been there before.

Belonging.

Tony wasn't afraid to hold her hand anymore.

Who cares if anyone saw them? He couldn't care less; he wanted people to see how much he loved her, how she gave him something he never knew he could possess, how she gave him a sense of belonging. They belonged to each other. It was so...incredible, to feel like that, like nothing could ever bring him down. Clould Nine was in sight, and he was climbing higher and higher. Now, he could finally walk the girl he loved home; he had the strength, and courage to do so. The past week...affected him, in both a good and bad way, and brought new insight to the world around him. It seemed, darker, perhaps, but it held a sense of light as well. She was his shining star, dissolving the darkness, and guiding him back into the light.

Who would've known that in those years before, playing with the little girl who had ribbons in her hair, that he'd be walking her home, holding her hand? He sure didn't. He always saw her then as the only girl who ever understood him, he was fond of her, but he never thought about being with her. Forever. It occupied his entire thought process sometimes, the whole enternity factor. He knew he loved her, but was he the right person for her? He wanted her to be happy for the rest of her life, and he still wasn't sure if he was the correct person to make her happy. He wanted to; he wanted to be the one to care for her, but was he mature enough to accomplish that?

"What are you thinking about?" Whitney broke through his thoughts with a squeeze of his hand, and light, careful words.

"I was thinking about you and me."

He wasn't sure if he responded right; her expression was blank, and her eyes ureadable. But she soon replied, "Was it anything bad?"

"No, I just...I just don't know if...if I can love you, the way you need me to."

"You're doing that already! Don't worry about it, just be yourself, and I'll love you from here to...the end of the rainbow."

"End of the rainbow, huh?"

"Yep, and I'll even race you there."

"You're not supposed to run!" he shouted after her as she took off,

She glanced behind her, and laughed, "Are you afraid I'm going to beat you?"

He couldn't stop the wide grin from appearing on his face as he ran behind her, trying to catch up.

He eventually did.

"Ha, I got you!" he wrapped his arms around her stomach, lifted her up, and spun her around, acting like they were seven again. She didn't stop laughing throughout the entire display, and he loved every second of it. They were right at the location of her house, although they were completely unaware of it, too caught up in the joy of being with each other to notice.

"I got here first!" she protested, a playful tone shining through her voice.

"Yeah, but I've got you!" he held her in the air with her hands around his neck,

"We're idiots, aren't we?" she smiled down at him,

"Maybe. But we're nice idiots." That comment made her laugh again, and he felt like flying. Metaphorically.

"Tony?"

"Uh-huh."

"You can put me down now."

"Oh, right, sorry. Forgot about that." he gently set her down, but she kept her arms around him.

"Maybe you could, have dinner with me, and Mom...and Dad. To show them how we feel about each other. No pressure, or anything."

"Whitney, I would love to, if-"

"If my Dad wasn't a complete jerk, yeah, I know."

"But-"

"But you would love to if things were different."

"I don't want to fight with you."

"Me neither, but...I just...you have to understand why I ask these things. I want them to know how much you mean to me, and sure, it'll be awkward. More than awkward. But I want them to know you, and how special you are. I may not have the best father in the world, and I know how things are, but he's not as bad as you think he is."

"When are you going to-okay, starting over. You have no idea what your dad's done to me, I can't just waltz in there and expect everything to be perfectly fine. He's hurt you too, I can't accept that either. He's evil, Whitney."

"He's not evil, he's just confused."

"Confused about what? Destroying people's lives? Making weapons? He's ruining my dad's company, and everything he worked for!" Tony forgot his promise as the memories of his father stormed through his mind.

He had already lost so much, and if Stane took her away from him as well, he couldn't be able to fight any longer. She was the fire behind him, pushing him to his limits every time he faced down a villain, either as Iron Man, or Tony Stark. He always thought of her as he battled it out with whomever he was dueling with; she gave him renewed strength, and stability if he was on the losing side. He thought about what would happen if he did end up losing, and the criminal would run free. Would they attack her? Would they hurt her? He had to protect her, and the city she lived in. He couldn't let anyone destroy her, and what they shared. It was too precious to him.

He's taking you away from me!" he lost control of his emotions, "he'll take you away from me, and leave me with nothing! I can't lose you. I did last week, and I can't do it again. I'm sorry."

She gently ran her hand through his hair, "I came back didn't I? We're here, and I love you, more than ever. That's never going to happen, darling," she repeated the voice from long ago, "you could never lose me."

Getting lost in each other was a common occurence for them, and in their usual "kiss and make-up" fashion, Tony leaned in to press their lips together. She rested her hands near his shoulders as he wrapped his around her waist, tilting his head to deepen the kiss...

Blissfully unaware of the person watching them from the window.

I really hope I cut it off okay, that always worries me...

Like I said before, you can PM me, and I'll tell you what happens in the deleted scenes. I had one each for both Pepper, and Rhodey, one for Roberta, and one more for Walsh, and Whitney. Just in case you wanted a specific one. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! You have made my day!