Sorry I haven't updated for a while, this is part 1 of this chapter, part 2 will hopefully be coming soon if my muse stops distracting me with plot bunnies!

And thank you to XxThe Best Damn ThingxX for her cookies, they were very nice :)

Ginny wiggled her toes under the cool water, bringing her foot up in order to splash Georgia.

The particular beach she was sat on ran along Long Island, the sun was high in the sky and Ginny had on her sun hat and sunglasses. Molly was laid out on a towel next to her reading a book and Georgia was eyeing up the large house above them.

'Do you think he's thinking about you?' Georgia asked suddenly.

'Who?' Ginny said, keeping her eyes down, knowing that the question didn't need clarification, there was only one person Georgia could be referring too.

Georgia clearly thought so too as she rolled her eyes and tipped her head back, allowing the sun to fall across her face.

'Tony Stark, obviously, who else could I have meant?'

Ginny ignored the last part of the question and turned her gaze to the house. 'I'm sure he has more important things to do rather than think about me,' she said, looking over at Molly who was still calmly reading her book.

Georgia was silent for a moment until she said, 'you phoned him a few nights ago, didn't you.' It was a statement not a question.

'When?' Ginny said, absentmindedly playing with her hair.

'When I caught you in the kitchen, remember? I told you I could hear voices, you said that you were singing.'

'Oh,' Ginny looked out over the water. 'Yeah, I did, didn't I?'

'Uh-huh,' Georgia said. 'So? You did call him didn't you?'

'Yeah I did,' Ginny said softly.

Georgia sighed and looked over at her friend. 'Ginny, I've known you for ever, you're my best friend! You can tell me anything, you know that! And it's clear that you like Tony more then you let on.'

Ginny flicked her hair over one shoulder. 'He's a Stark, Georgia!'

Georgia crossed her arms. 'He's an 18 year old boy who's just lost his parents. Regardless of what his surname is, I think he deserves to have someone to talk to.'

Ginny sighed, 'you're right. But he's a child protégée who graduated MIT summa cum laude and I'm a 16 year old who failed French!'

'Ginny! Everyone fails French! It's just the norm at our school because no-one can understand our teacher! I bet Tony Stark can't speak French.'

'Bet I can!' came an indignant voice from behind them.

Tony gazed out of his bedroom window at the Atlantic Ocean and the Long Island beach below the house.

He heard a door open and shut downstairs and heard voices. A few moments later, a familiar face stuck his head round the door.

'Hey, Tony,' Rhodey said uncertainly.

'Hey,' Tony said, turning away from his window. 'How're you?'

Rhodey shrugged, 'I think I should be asking you the same question.' Tony realised with a pang that the last time he'd seen Rhodey his parents had still been alive.

'I've been better,' Tony said quietly.

'I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the funeral, mate,' Rhodey said, sheepishly.

'Not your fault,' Tony said, turning his gaze back to the window. 'I'm just glad you could come up here.'

Rhodey stepped over to join him, 'It's not a problem, Tony,' he said. 'I'd rather spend time with you then listen to my mom moaning about pilot's fees.'

Tony chuckled, 'you should know by now that fees aren't a problem, Rhodey, if you want to go to a decent training facility it's no problem. I could even get you into Edward's if you wanted.'

Rhodey stared at the pale dark haired boy next to him. 'Really?' he asked, shocked.

'Uh-huh,' Tony said. 'Those guys owe Stark Industries a favour for the rest of their lives; I could easily get you in.'

Rhodey grinned, and then noticed just how pale his friend was. 'Tony,' he said accusingly, something which didn't go un-noticed by Tony, 'when did you last go out in the sun?'

Tony considered this, 'don't remember,' he said.

Rhodey looked up at the hot sun outside the window. 'Come on,' he said. 'We'll go down to the beach.'

Tony snorted. 'I can't go down there! I'll be mugged by teenage girls…'

Ginny.

The name came to his mind so suddenly that he stopped abruptly mid sentence.

'Tony?' Rhodey said.

'It's just…' Tony's eyes glazed over. 'I met this girl, her name's Ginny. She's staying in New York for a bit with a friend.'

'When did you meet her?' Rhodey asked.

Tony sighed, 'I met her when her class had a field trip at Stark Industries, we ran into each other, literally.'

Rhodey shrugged. 'Wouldn't be the first teenage girl you've met,' he said slyly. Tony pulled a face at him. 'But she is the first teenage girl I've met who isn't all over me,' he said thoughtfully.

'Oh, come on,' Rhodey said. 'Don't tell me you've got the hots for this girl?'

Tony shrugged. 'I don't know Rhodes, I just miss her.'

Rhodey stared. 'Well… she must be something special because you've never missed a girl before as far as I know.'

Then he realised what was going on.

'Hey!' he said indignantly. 'No subject changes!'

Tony grinned lopsidedly. 'Ah well, worth a try.'

Rhodey folded his arms. 'Please don't tell me that you made that girl up.'

'No,' Tony said, turning away from the window and stretching. 'I didn't make her up, and I do miss her.'

'Well,' Rhodey said, 'maybe she'll be on the beach! Let's go.'

The three girls turned round. Tony Stark was stood behind them along with a black boy; both boys were wearing shorts and t-shirts.

Ginny wasn't sure what to say so she settled with: 'really?'

Tony shrugged, 'no, not really. I can speak Italian though, mind if we join you?'

Georgia smiled sweetly at him, 'not at all,' she said. 'I'm Georgia and this is Molly, from what I've heard you've already met Ginny.'

Ginny rolled her eyes behind Georgia's back and Tony grinned. 'This is Rhodey,' he said, motioning to his friend who waved at them.

'Your MIT roommate?' Ginny asked, remembering Tony saying on the phone that he had a roommate called James Rhodes who snored.

'That's the one,' Tony said, crashing out on the sand next to Ginny, Rhodey sitting next to him.

'I can't believe you were right,' Tony said, annoyed.

'Right about what?' Ginny said, confused.

'I told him that you'd probably be on this beach,' Rhodey said grinning.

Tony sighed, 'yeah… and now he isn't going to stop going on about it.'

Rhodey smirked.

'So,' Tony said, reaching into his short's pocket and digging up some change. 'Who wants ice cream?''