Annahlea was curled up on the cold, wet floor of the cave, eyes clamped shut and every now and again a whimper escaped her lips. Her body, covered in bruises, cuts and welts. Dried and fresh blood was matted to her like a stain on a carpet. She was sore everywhere, broken in others, they had broken her bottom ribs, dislocated her shoulder, fractured her radius, snapped her ankle, everywhere had been violated, everywhere but her face. A sick joke they had when they strung her up and beat her, "We need something pretty to look at, once in a while," they would spit at her in Arabic. Never once muttering a word in return she would just close her eyes and imagine Tony through all of it. All of it. The beatings, the water boarding, the electrocutions, the carvings.
But she didn't break. She wouldn't break. She couldn't break. Tony needed her.
Suddenly her cell door was thrown open, expecting Yinsen to be coming in once again to help her recover as much as possible she sighed and relaxed a little. But once again her body became rigid as she was pulled up by her long, blood matted, ebony hair. Two men grabbed her by her arms and placed a burlap sack over her face, dragging her outside her cell to what she guessed was another beating.
But instead of the usual short trip to the torture chamber, as she called it, this one was longer and suddenly there was light outside her bag and heat, heat of the sun.
Without warning she was shoved forward and not being able to catch herself, she fell straight onto her dislocated shoulder. Moaning quietly in pain she heard a bit of struggling, the rustling of clothes, the grunts of effort. Annahlea was pulled to her knees and the sack was ripped from her head. She could have cried at the sight before her.
Tony. Her Tony. Stood before her, and besides the car battery attached to his chest, he looked unharmed mostly. She gave him a small smile trying to ease the look of total desperation and pain from his face, but unsuccessful. Before she could say anything the bag was returned over her head and she was being dragged back. Knowing better than to struggle, she cooperated the best she could, happy to know that he was still alive. Her Tony was still alive.
Annahlea had long lost track of days and nights inside her cell. The men fed her at irregular times to make sure of it, sometimes it would be a while between her stale bread and water and others it would be given to her, they would walk away for a moment and then more would be thrown to her. Even the beatings were irregular, not to mention the diversity of torture never occurred in a pattern.
After being taken to her torture chamber and withstanding the pain of being hung by her wrists in a bucket of water and being electrocuted many, many times Annahlea was taken back to her room. Soon Yinsen was tossed in as, giving him a small smile he tended to her burned feet and they did as they always did, they talked about Tony.
Annahlea did not see Tony again for a long time, but when Yinsen would come to treat her they would talk and she knew all of what Tony was planning. The friends communicated through the old doctor and Annah helped the best she could, not being able to see the product it was hard for her to know exactly, but she could help with calculations and such.
One day Annah was awoken in her cave by some yelling. Usually she would sleep through it, but this yelling was accompanied by rapid gunfire and loud thunderous crashes. As it continued, Annahlea curled deeper into her makeshift cot, a pile of old rags and clothes that had been given to her after Yinsen had told the men she was starting to have hypothermia from sleeping on the cold, damp floors, her eyes glued to her cell door.
The loudness continued for a while before everything was silent, still clenched in her bed, her eyes not wavering from the cell door, she jumped when the door was knocked off the hinges. Her eyes widening at the sight before her.
A giant metal body, with a glowing center stared down at her, she quickly as she could she sprung to her feet, and beamed at her metal encased friend.
"Holy Shit, Tony!" she exclaimed taking in the giant success as he flipped his mask open, beaming back.
"Nahlee," Tony breathed her name in relief and sadness. He loved the woman before him, come hell or high water, but she looked awful, "Okay there's a gun outside the door, take it and follow me. Stay right behind me, and when we get out of the caves head for any vehicle. I'll cover you as you drive off. Once you're a safe distance away, stop and keep an eye on the skies, I'll get to you."
She gave him a sharp nod and stepped forward but he didn't move, "Nahlee I lo-"
"Tell me after we get out of here Tiger," she cut him off, smiling up at him, he flipped his mask down and the giant head nodded and the pair left, Annah picking up the gun at the dead man's feet by her door.
She followed quickly behind, trigger at the ready, the constant pain she was in being pushed aside by adrenaline. She heard voices approaching, taking cover she let Tony handle them as she hid out of the way.
As they traveled further, Annahlea was stopped in her tracks as she spotted the dead body of Yinsen, sprawled on crates. Choking back a sob as tears came to her eyes, she did something she hadn't done in a while, and sent a prayer out for him, before following Tony. She could see the cave entrance and she nodded as Tony looked back at her and nodded before going out and drawing the fire on him, providing cover for her to run out and find a car.
As she stepped out of the mouth of the cave she spotted a jeep not too far off. She took a deep breath before quickly making her way to the jeep, she was stopped as gunfire began to aim at her, taking cover behind a rock she waited before letting off her own gunfire and taking down the men firing at her.
Annahlea got up and finally reached the jeep and couldn't help but smile at the keys in the ignition. She got in and stayed low as she kicked into gear and made her way out of the camp, being sure to hit some familiar faces that haunted her dreams.
As she drove away Annah could finally breathe. She could breathe. Figuratively. She actually had quite a bit of difficulty breathing as the pain from all of her injuries, flooded her as her adrenaline wore off. But, she knew that everything would be okay. She had survived who-knows-how-long in captivity and she had escaped, she and Tony would be fine from here on out.
Once she was far enough away from the camp, she turned the car around, watching the skies above the camp fill with smoke and then suddenly a shiny spark shot off the ground and headed her way. She watched as it soar over her head and land about a mile away, letting out a shout of victory she drove toward Tony.
As soon as she was close enough, Annahlea parked the car and jumped, floundering toward Tony who was prying pieces of metal from him.
"Tony!" she screamed launching herself into the sand beside him. Tony caught her and held her to him tightly, never wanting to let go.
Annah sighed in relief at the comfort of her Tony, tears began to leak out of her eyes as she clung to him. She loved the sound of his heart beneath her, that sound was all she needed in the world.
The pair held another for what seemed like hours, nut eventually had to separate as Tony was still in the sand. As they pulled apart theirs eyes locked and before either knew what was happening their lips met in a rush of passion.
Needing oxygen the two pulled away slowly, keeping their foreheads pressed together and their eyes locked Tony spoke up, "Annahlea Demarco, it took me twenty plus years, almost loosing you twice and a terrorist group to tell you, I am hopelessly, irrevocably, undeniably in love with you."
Annahlea smiled at him, laughing a bit, "Anthony Stark… I am hopelessly, undoubtedly… unfortunately," she paused as he scowled but laughed with her, "In love with you."
The two looked at each other with love and passion before Anthony kissed her softly, pulling away he said, "Now that we got that out of the way, I have sand where it should never be, so…" Annah playfully slapped his chest, "Way to ruin the moment dork," grinning and kissing her once more he motioned for her to scoot away, which she did, before he kicked his way out of the sand.
Rising to his feet he helped his girl up before catching her as she fell with a hiss of pain, his face contorted with worry as hers did pain, "Annah? What's wrong?"
She hissed in pain as she tried to speak, "It was the last… v-visit… I think that, uh, I might have some internal bleeding…" now that all the adrenaline was completely gone from her body, the pain came rushing back to Annah.
Tony was wired with panic, lifting her into his arms he took her to the jeep, setting her in the passenger seat he jumped into the driver's side and took off, he didn't know where he was going but he knew he had to get the woman he loved help.