Hooray! Here's another update!

Just recently I watched the new Captain America movie, and I have to say, it was really good! Although the ending itself may not have been the happy ending I would have liked the movie to have, the movie was entertaining, and I was impressed at the way each character was able to have their arc of the movie included without it feeling rushed or just randomly placed in the entire thing. When it comes to who's team I'm on...come back and ask me later ^.^ There are too many feels I have for Steve and Tony to have a full conclusion of who's team I'm on.

Well, with all of that being side, after watching the movie, I had a new surge of motivation to work on this story, so, here we are! Yes, I know I left everyone on a cliff hanger, and as a fair warning, things are going to get a bit harder before they get better, but everything shall be resolved soon enough! I'm seeing an ending for this story in the near-future, which is actually rather sad to me! But, it's been four years since I started this project, and it's soon going to be time to end it. Can't wait to get to that! Like I've said before, there will be other sister-stories to this, so if you're interested, please look out for that!

Anyways, excuse my babbling. Read and enjoy! Please let me know what your thoughts =)

He was taking it hard—harder than he would have ever imagined. But then again, he had never imagined a time in which Silver would hand him a letter of resignation. At first, the conversation had been quiet but tense. And as Tony continued to press the issue, the volume and tension grew until the two were barking at each other as they always seemed to end up doing. He couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening, and Silver couldn't quite convey what she was feeling. And so, the argument had been left unresolved; the only thing that was for sure was her resignation.

Tony stood silently by himself, a glass of scotch in his hand. He stared off into the distance at the island in the small kitchen of the suite, Silver nowhere to be seen.

Deciding to give up, the woman had excused herself and hurried back into her bedroom. And it was there she had remained for the last few hours without a peep. Tony would have forced her to continue with the arguing, but he was out of sorts and wasn't sure where to even go from where they had left off. So, he took a deep breath and poured himself—what he thought—a well deserved drink.

With a frustrated breath, Tony took a gulp from his glass before he opened the letter sitting on the counter top. He reread Silver's words before he frowned and remembered what she had said to him.

In the back of his mind, he had a feeling that it would come to this. Because when he truly thought about it, having Silver in his life had never made sense. She had been a random woman Pepper had hired to work for him and keep him in line. She was different than the people he knew, and she had grown up and lived her life in a way that was foreign to Tony; a modest, humble and normal sort of life. But even still, he couldn't accept her leaving him. He had grown so accustomed to having her by his side and hearing her voice as his voice of reason, that the idea of getting someone else to fill her position seemed nearly impossible. After everything they had been through together, he couldn't see anyone being his assistant.

He didn't want anyone else to be his assistant.

"Tony." Looking up from the letter, said hero watched as his teammate stepped out of his room, doing his best not to give the man such a sympathetic look.

Thor had returned to the suite just a half an hour after he had left, and when he had walked through the door, he knew things hadn't ended well by the glass in Tony's hand and the gleam in his eyes. He had been weary of asking questions, though. He merely made his way to his room and remained there while Tony sorted out his thoughts. But now it was time to move on,and now it was time to address the issues at hand.

"What is that?" Thor asked, glancing down at the letter from the other side of the counter. Tony sighed at the question before he finished his glass off.

"Silver's quitting." The god's shocked expression matched Tony's initial reaction to the news.

"There must be—"

"No, there isn't," Tony said bitterly before he shook his head. "This is the only way." And after saying it out loud, it was painful to realize just how true it was.

Without warning, the genius strode over to his assistant's room door. He didn't bother knocking as he charged right through, standing in the doorway while Silver sat up from the bed. She blinked, looking up at Tony with surprise shining in her eyes.

"You have three weeks to find me a new assistant. And all applicants have to be run by me before we do any kind of interviewing. If I don't like whoever it is, then find me someone I do." Silver slowly nodded with a doe-like expression on her face, Tony staring hard at her. "And I want this as quiet as possible. Until we find someone to take your place, I want it to seem like there's nothing happening." And the words coming out of Tony stung so badly for Silver.

"Right."

"We're heading back to my house," Tony stated before turning and walking away. "I doubt Ezekiel will think we're stupid enough to go back." And without another word, Tony was out the suite door, making arrangements with Fury on the phone.

Silver sat, digesting the last moment in her mind before she slumped over and then fell back on to her bed. She remained still, letting it all sink in, before she shut her eyes and hot tears streamed down her face. She quickly covered her eyes with both hands, shaking her head and trying to mask her weeping with a deep breath. She never took notice to Thor standing in her doorway, watching with a sorrowful look on his face; there was nothing he could do to ease the pain for anyone.

They had checked out of the hotel that afternoon, and immediately the three had gone back to Tony's house. The genius had thoroughly scanned and searched his home, and he was relieved to find that nothing else had been tampered with since Ezekiel had last done so. And so, Tony and Silver had finally settled into his Malibu home. Thor assisted them for a few hours, staying afterwards to eat dinner, and then he was off, insisting that if Tony needed him that he should reach out. The brunet brushed his offer aside, patting the demi-god's back and assuring him all would be fine for now.

And then, the two were left with nothing but each other.

Tony had refused to say more than he needed to, to Silver. And although she accepted that, she was becoming more and more frustrated with the situation at hand. She wasn't used to having such short and cold conversations with her boss. Things had been so much better since she had first begun working for him; now it was as if she was starting all over. But she understood. She knew he was angry with her, and she knew that things would never be the same again. By the time she found him a new assistant and was back to her old life, it would almost be as if she never knew Tony in the first place.

And the thought made her want to cry more and more.

Giving her a room, Tony set up a few precautionary alarms and systems around his home before he got down to his basement and began to work. Now that he had what he needed, fixing up his Iron Man suit would be easier. It was also a great way for him to stay distracted and to keep himself from obsessing over the idea of Silver leaving him.

Meanwhile, Silver unpacked what little she had, exploring her spacious and luxurious room before she began to explore the man's home. It was interesting for her to see a piece of Tony before he had become the man he was now. And even though the circumstances weren't ideal, she was still grateful to have a chance to see the home of Tony Stark before the Avengers Tower.

"JARVIS, where's Tony?" the woman asked while she explored the first floor, glancing out the window before she waltzed into the kitchen.

"I believe sir is in the lab. All access from unauthorized personnel has been denied." Meaning, Tony wanted to be alone.

Frowning, Silver nodded, standing by the glass and staring out at the ocean. The waves crashed upon the rocks before pulling back and repeating. And while the blonde watched the scene over and over again, she second-guessed her decision to quit. But then she would mentally smack herself; she wasn't meant for this life at all.

But she wanted to be. Because she had never felt more alive and happier with anyone else in her entire life. But just because she wanted to fit that image of bravery and fearlessness, didn't mean she was going to be able to. In the end, she was who she was and there was no changing that—no matter how hard she wanted to or tried to.

And with that last thought, the assistant returned to her room and began to her search for Tony's new assistant.

By the mid-afternoon of the next day, it was blatantly obvious that Tony was avoiding Silver. She was still locked out of the lab—where the genius was still hiding—and JARVIS had also given her the news that after she found possible candidates for being Tony's assistant, she was to email all of their information to Tony through her secured address. And although she had known that things would probably come down to less words between them, she was shocked at how hard the brunet was trying to stay away from her; she was insulted, to say the least.

Grumbling to herself, Silver shook her head as she added another possible candidate's information to the email she was preparing for Tony. Her green eyes remained on the laptop screen in front of her, but her mind was wandering about, distracted by the thought of her boss withering away in the lab. She wanted to go check on him and make sure he was alright, but he was stubborn, and to be honest, she was stubborn herself; she was frustrated with his behavior.

"What do you think about her, JARVIS?" the copper blonde asked as she leaned back in her office chair.

"From the data I've collected, Mrs. Emerson is quite qualified for the position, though she may not have the mental and emotional capacity to keep up with sir's antics," the A.I. said honestly, making Silver chuckle.

"I need to find someone who's going to make sure to stay on top of Tony—someone who won't let him get away with acting like an ass whenever he feels like it."

"Someone like yourself then, Ms. Silvia?" The assistant paused, a hurt expression coming over her before she sighed and nodded her head.

"...I guess that's right."

"I will do my best to find individuals who fit the description. Is there anything else you'd like from me?" Silver shook her head as if JARVIS was actually a person looking at her before she let out a tired breath and stood to her feet.

"No. Thanks, JARVIS."

"Of course, Ms. Silvia." Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure when the voice started calling her that.

Deciding that she needed a break from her searching, the woman made her way to the first floor, strolling to the window and gazing out at the ocean and sun. The light made the water sparkle, and if she had been in the mood, Silver might have wanted to take a dip; these days, she wasn't in the mood for much of anything.

"...Shit." Shaking her head, Silver let out a tired breath before she took a seat at the table and let her head hang low.

He was dreaming. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but he was positive that none of what he was seeing was real. It was hard for him to decipher anything that made sense in the chaos of what was going on around him, but the only thing he was sure of was the hand that was holding his. It squeezed tightly to his hand, not once letting go. And by the time he finally opened his eyes and awoke from the strange dream he was having, he had realized it was Silver who had been holding his hand.

Blinking, Tony winced, immediately feeling the ache in his neck. He carefully sat up, rolling his head in order to get feeling back in his neck and shoulders. Glancing around, the genius remembered he was still in his lab, finishing some touches on his suit. He frowned as he remembered the almost life-like warmth he felt from his dream, and as he looked down at his hand he remembered the fact that Silver was leaving him. And although he wanted nothing more than to lash out, he refrained from doing so, because he had somehow matured from the time before Silver until now. So, instead, he locked himself in his lab and did what he always did.

At least when everyone else left, he had his suits.

"JARVIS, what's the time?" the mechanic asked as he stood to his feet from the stool he'd been seated on.

"Approximately 3:27 in the morning, sir."

"Start a pot of coffee for me," Tony instructed as he began to make his way towards the entrance and exit of his lab.

"Right away."

Climbing up the stairs step-by-step, Tony sighed, feeling his body shutting down. He quickly shook his head and tried to ward off the sleepiness he was feeling. Reaching the top of the staircase, the genius looked up and abruptly stopped. He frowned deeply, finding his retiring assistant fast asleep on the couch with a book in her hand and her laptop on the table to her right.

At first, Tony's instant reaction was to turn and head right back down the stairs, but when he had realized that she was lost in a deep slumber, he relaxed for a moment. He contemplated the idea of returning down to his lab before he rolled his eyes and walked towards Silver. He stopped in front of the couch and gazed down at her with an unenthused look.

"How long has she been here for?"

"Nine hours and fifteen minutes," JARVIS stated. "I believe she was waiting for your arrival." That made Tony's sour expression fall.

"...You want to quit so bad, but you stay up waiting for me?" he muttered before he walked over to the other couch and grabbed the blanket hanging from the back. He sighed, gently placing the quilt over the sleeping woman and making sure to cover her entirely with it. After, he stared for a few seconds, smiling slightly at the peaceful look on her face.

He was still upset beyond reason—he knew that. He was frustrated because he felt like Silver was just giving up on him and herself. They were great together. Tony hadn't gotten so much done before in his life until she had popped up. But as great as she was for him, he had to wonder if he had done any good for her. After all, he had only gotten her almost killed twice, and now she was a possible target for Stane. Even though he wanted to be angry with her, a part of him understood where she was coming from. Still, he couldn't help but also feel like she had slapped him across the face.

He had thought they were friends.

Running his fingers through his hair, the man quickly walked into his kitchen, a steaming pot of coffee already waiting for him. He pulled a mug out from a cabinet and began to pour himself a cup, glancing over at the woman before he spoke.

"How's that search going?"

"Ms. Silvia seems to be having issues with finding a right replacement for you," JARVIS explained, Tony doing his best to not smirk. "It seems she's having difficulty on finding someone suitable for the position."

"Well, I'm not surprised, seeing as she's the only one suitable for the job," the genius stated snarkily before he added a small spoonful of sugar to his black coffee. "Hate to say I told her so, but..." Swiftly, the engineer began to head out of the kitchen, the lights automatically shutting off. He crossed the room and made it back to the top of the stairs leading to his basement/lab/garage, but paused. He looked back at Silver, who remained dead to the world, and his brown eyes softened.

"...JARVIS, let me know when she's awake."

"Of course, sir." And with that, the man was back down in the lab.

It was sunny and warm by the time Silver had woken up for the morning. She hadn't realized she had fallen asleep, but from the looks of it, she must have while she had been taking a break from searching for new assistants. With a yawn, the blonde sat up and set her book down, taking the blanket she didn't remember grabbing and folding it neatly back up.

"Good morning, Ms. Silvia."

"Morning, JARVIS." She listened as the A.I. began to prattle on about the day's weather and what was on her agenda as well as what Tony planned on doing; nothing much about that had changed.

As Silver made her way into the kitchen to make some coffee, she was surprised when she found almost a full pot waiting for her. "Master Stark had me make a pot earlier this morning."

"...How much sleep has he been getting, JARVIS?" the blonde asked hesitantly.

"Would you like the truth or an answer that will please you?"

"Truth, thanks."

"Over the last three days, Master Stark has had a total of four hours and forty seven minutes of sleep." Silver grimaced.

"Has he eaten."

"Very limited amounts of food and very poorly." That made the woman want to groan.

"...Can you be honest with me?"

"Of course. What can I help you with?"

"Is Tony going to avoid me until I find him a new assistant?" Silver bit her lip as she waited for a reply. And if she hadn't known better, she might of thought that JARVIS had been a bit hesitant on answering her question.

"He has not verbalized such feelings, but from his behavior, I can only conclude that you may be right." She appreciated his honesty.

Narrowing her eyes, a sudden wave of determination came over Silver before she huffed. She stomped over to the laptop and began to type away. "Alright. If a new assistant is what's going to make him talk, then that's what I'll get him."

"JARVIS, pull up the recorded footage of Stane."

"Right away." Tony watched as the holographic screen popped up, images from Tony's last battle with Ezekiel appearing from his suit's point of view. He frowned when he re-watched everything that happened between them until the screen abruptly went black; that was when his face plate had opened.

"I—"

"Excuse me, sir." Tony blinked when JARVIS suddenly interrupted. "I have news from Ms. Silvia."

"What news?" the man asked with an uninterested tone in his voice before he grumbled to himself.

"It seems she's found a replacement for you." That caught him off guard.

"What?"

"She has found someone to replace her as your assistant."

"I get that, JARVIS. The 'what' wasn't about what you said," the genius snapped; he had been shocked she found someone, at all.

"...Well, I guess I should go check it out then."

As Tony ventured back upstairs, he couldn't help but frown deeply. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had been hoping that Silver's search would lead her to the realization that there was no one else for the job. He had hoped she would finally understand that she was meant to just stick around and be his assistant; be with him. But now she had found someone? Now, this was becoming too much of a reality for Tony. And he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to accept the fact she was going to leave him.

"So. What's this I hear about you finding a replacement?" Approaching the blonde at the kitchen table, Tony raised a brow at her. The woman smiled politely before she shook her head.

"Wrong."

"Well, I'm not going to just let anyone—wait, what did you just say?" Tony blinked as Silver smirked.

"I created an account on this website I'm looking on with a random name so I'd be able to fool JARVIS." The genius was caught in a moment of astonishment. "It was the only way I was going to get you to talk to me, right?" That immediately made her boss uncomfortable.

"I'm busy."

"Busy avoiding me," Silver snapped as she stood up from her seat and crossed her arms. "We can't keep doing this. I don't want to keep doing this."

"Just as badly as you don't want to work for me?" It had been a low blow, but Tony was good at those, and sometimes it came as second-nature to him. And by the look on Silver's face, it seemed he had accomplished to hit her where it hurt; for a split second, he felt guilty.

"Tony. I'm not doing this because I don't want to work with you anymore," Silver said gently. "I'm doing this because...because this world you live in just isn't for me," she stated evenly. Tony contemplated the idea of just walking away, but then the woman began to speak once more, so he decided to stick around to see what she had to say.

"You're right about me," she began. "I'm just a normal woman who's lived a normal life and doesn't know the first thing about all of this," she stated. "Maybe this makes me weak or stupid or whatever you want to call me, but at least I'm being honest about this situation." Tony's sour expression softened, and then it completely disappeared.

"...I get it." That surprised Silver. "I know that not everyone is cut out for something like this. And I get that working for me isn't a walk in the park...but the thing is—I just—you were..." Tony shook his head, having trouble finding the right words. Silver took a step closer to him, watching as the reels in his head turned.

"...I just thought you were different." Silver's eyes widened at his jabbing words, a sharp pain in her chest making her want to lurch forward. She said nothing while the man turned and began to head back down to the basement, mumbling exasperatedly to himself; he was annoyed he was feeling so powerless and so weak.

Standing alone, Silver remained motionless for several minutes. It wasn't until she slowly sat down on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest that she finally made a single sound.

Softly, she cried to herself.