Dreams: 5

If you guys want to go ahead and pull out the guns, machetes, rakes, swords, and whatnot. I have been gone way too long. And I won't disagree. It has been a tough week and I'm finally having a time for myself. So… here we go!

Disclaimer: Really?

Tony woke up on a soft bed. One of his hands was across his bare stomach, and another was wrapped around a girl. Tony was alarmed. He didn't know what was happening. Breathe. Tony, breathe. He told himself. But Tony couldn't shake the feeling that this girl had shared his bed not because Tony was her husband, but for other reasons. "Morning darlin'." The girl turned towards him. She had luscious red hair, not like Pepper's however, that flowed down to her bare back. She had bright green eyes and freckles that were dotted across her nose.

"Ruby?" The name came to him suddenly. Something that scared Tony. Ruby smiled and clutched the white sheets across her naked body. She propped herself on her elbow and smiled at him.

"We had a wild night Max." Max? This was a dream! A memory! It all came back to Tony suddenly. He remembered what Sam had told him. Something like, "I'll show you what relationships are all about." Tony knew this memory had happened long time ago and was given to Sam. Tony, or Max, propped himself on his elbows and looked around the room. Ruby's clothes were sprawled across the floor and his own clothes, including his boxers, were littered with hers. Tony gulped.

"So?" Tony didn't mean to say it, but this was a memory and Tony was in this case, Max. Ruby's expression slackened.

"What do you mean 'so'?" She said. "Don't you remember the night? Don't you remember anything?" She was close to yelling. Tony had moved, with incredible speed, on top of her, pinning her wrists above her head. Luckily the blanket remained on the top part of her body.

"I could care less about what happened last night. I just enjoyed using you. I needed a good rich girl to stop my hunger, and luckily you entered the bar just in time." Ruby's face instantly froze in terror.

"You mean…?" Tony laughed, throwing his head back. He bent forward and closely kissed her collarbone, then her shoulder then went along her neck, and starting kissing her jaw. "STOP! Let go of me CREEP!" Ruby screamed. Tony silenced her with a brutal kiss. A kiss he had never thought he would ever use on Pepper.

He finally pulled away and grinned down at Ruby. She was crying, tears flowing down her cheeks. Then, he did something he never thought he would do before he got married.

…

"NO!" Tony felt a hand on his back and an arm around his waist. Sam breathed down his neck. Tony could feel the hand move up his back and grab his shoulder.

"Do you understand what relationships are about?" Sam asked quietly. Tony was breathing heavily. Shaking his head, he gritted his teeth. The pain grew around his heart as he thought about the poor girl Ruby.

"No. That's not what it is all about. I—I would never ever do that!" Tony tried moving around Sam. Squirming, he felt Sam's grip loosen. Pulling away he faced Sam and clenched his fists. "What do you really want? What do you want from me?" Tony yelled. He knew this wasn't because of the "chosen one" motive. This was something else.

"I think it is about time you met my boss." Sam said with a smirk. Tony froze.

"You aren't the boss here? I—" Suddenly the door behind Tony opened. It was still dark outside in the hallway. But then someone stepped out. A girl.

She had dark black hair, similar to that of Tony's, that stopped at her waist. It was pulled into a high ponytail and was held in place with a golden rubber band. She wore a deep black v- necked dress, which had a golden silk tied around just below the breasts. The dress flowed past her heels and was sweeping in from behind her. She had golden bangles and a large golden necklace. But it was her eyes that gave her away. Tony remembered seeing those dark black eyes.

"Rona."

…

"We need to find Tony. Like now." Pepper said pacing Rhodey's room. Rhodey was deep at thought. His eyebrows close together and his mouth in a thin line. Pepper noticed that she hadn't gotten a response. "Well? DON'T WE?" Rhodey snapped out of his daze.

"What? Yeah! Yes. Pepper. But remember. We are talking about Tony here. This guy knows how to take care of himself. I'm sure of it." Rhodey actually wasn't sure. He just needed Pepper to shut up so that he could figure out who this person "Sam" was.

"Sam? Sam. Sam! Sam?" Pepper tried the name out. She had no idea who this random dude was. She just remembered Tony being kidnapped on that helicopter and being useless. She remembered how he came home, dazed and confused. But she had no idea who would have that affect on Tony. She wanted Tony home now. Her heart ached for him. She loved him and whoever this Sam person was, he was taking Tony away from her.

"Pepper. Do you remember what Tony looked like when he came home?" Pepper looked at Rhodey, her face obviously indicating that she knew everything about Tony.

"What kind of question is that? Of course! He came home dazed and confused. I might even include scared." It was true. Tony wasn't at all acting like himself when he came back. His eyes were glazed over and his face was neutral. No emotion, and no expression.

"Don't you remember when he had that look before?" That was when Pepper froze in her spot. Rhodey sat straight in his chair, his eyes wide with understanding.

That one fateful day. That one regular school day when Tony had come in tired. The purple gas, and then walking up tied to a metal pole. Tony having to answer five questions or else having to live a life in guilt when realizing that his friends were dead. Tony was exhausted and almost died from just trying to save Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, and Whitney. She was hauled away with the cops. It couldn't be her.

"No. Rhodey, it can't be her. She…" But that was the only logical person. After exchanging looks they nodded in silent agreement.

"Rona."