A/N: Hola. So, this chapter is the aftermath of Tony's bombshell. Of course, two sad chapters in a row would suck, so this one is a bit lighter. Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited! Shout out to ElysiumPhoenix for being my subconscious. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tony, any established Marvel Characters, the Iron Man 2 plot line, or S.H.I.E.L.D! Alessandra, Amanda and Rhonda are all mine.

-E

Chapter 4

November 1, 2009

Alessandra POV

Alessandra was confused. This man, a brilliant, rich, broken man, had just told her about the darkest time of his entire life (she couldn't imagine it getting much darker than that). She hadn't even told him her name! Although, she figured that was probably why he did it. She knew the importance of anonymity and what it could do. It had been in Texas when she had learned that lesson. A bar called the Roadhouse had been just off the highway and since she had been in the mood to eat she figured she'd stop in for a while. She didn't exactly have anywhere better to be.

A man, someone she didn't know, had been sitting alone at the bar as patrons played pool in the back. He had scruff on his face and dirt on his clothes. Honestly, he looked like he had just been out digging graves.

Something in her had snapped and she found herself taking the seat next to him at the bar. Without looking at him once, she had ordered some food and a drink before sitting in silence. It was somewhat awkward at first, but soon the man settled down and continued to drink his beer. Companionship at its finest. They were just two people sitting alone at a bar drowning in their thoughts. Glancing over at him, she had seen a kindness, something pure and open in his eyes. And that was when it had all come tumbling out. Mother leaving? Check. Getting cancer at 14? Check. Going into remission? Check. Just feeling happy again when her grandmother is killed, her cancer is back, and her world crumbles to pieces? Check, check, and check.

The man had sat there in silence, listening and not sending her pitying looks every few seconds like her old acquaintances had. She says acquaintances because the friends she had known from before getting sick had left her high and dry. Sure, for the first month they had visited and written cards, but slowly they all began to give excuses. Katie was too busy with her new boyfriend to come and visit, Lisa had won student council president and couldn't be bothered, Danny "didn't know how to deal with her being sick". Alessandra understood, really she did. If it hadn't been for her grandmother, she wouldn't have been able to deal either, but not one person had cared enough to ask how she was feeling. Until she met some stranger in Texas.

He nodded slowly as she finished her story, not noticing that half the bar was standing there listening in. "You're tough kid. You'll be just fine."

Normally, she would have scoffed at his words, but something about the way he looked at her made her believe him. He was just some random dude in a sea of billions, but he had the most trusting eyes she had ever seen. Clear and blue, they looked like they could see directly into her soul. So, she nodded her head, sent him a tiny smile (that probably looked more like a grimace), paid her bill, and left the bar. Alessandra began to believe him. She would be fine. Even if she died, she could handle that. Her grandmother would be there waiting for her on the other side, wherever that was. She had never been a religious person (who was when they were fighting for their life at puberty?) but just the thought alone helped her get by.

That comfort she had received from the Texan had changed her life and now she got the chance to do that for someone else. Tony Stark had chosen her to be his anonymous comfort and she would do everything she could to make sure his life was changed just as hers had been.

With determination flooding through her veins, Alessandra turned back to look at the billionaire. "Are you still hot?"

Confusion showed on his face for a brief moment before he understood. "God, yes! Aren't you? It's boiling."

"Well, that's why I brought you here. You seem fond of this spot." She casually motioned to the rock in front of them that she had sat behind almost a week before, wondering if he remembered.

Letting out a scoff, he didn't disappoint. "Oh you mean when you rudely pushed me off the hood of my car. Yeah, I'm so fond." His voice held more sarcasm than she had ever heard before. She was impressed.

"Pushed you? You fell! You even squealed a little as you went down." Alessandra had to laugh at the memory. It was forever ingrained in her mind.

"Whatever pipsqueak, what does this have to do with me being hot?" Again with the eyebrow waggle! His arrogance knows no bounds.

"Go ahead. We're at the ocean, so drop your pants and jump in."

Working hard to keep her face straight, she watched as surprise flashed across Tony's face before he broke out into a wide smile.

"Wow pipsqueak, skinny dipping? I didn't know you had it in you!"

Shaking her head violently, "oh no. I'm not doing it. You said you were hot, so go. Shoo!" Alessandra shook her hands at him.

"No no no, you cannot just ask a drunk man to skinny dip alone! It's practically rule number one. Trust me, I wrote them." He dropped to the ground and grabbed Alessandra's hands before she had a chance to refuse again. "Come on, let's go!"

At this point, she had barely known this man, for all intents and purposes he was foreign to her, yet, she knew arguing would be futile. She was tired, sore and she knew that if she jumped into the freezing cold ocean at 3 am she would get sick, something she couldn't afford to do with her immune system, but there was that little voice again. Do it! You need to let loose. She was not surprised at all to find that the voice sounded exactly like Tony. Who cares if she got sick, she was already dying. Her cancer made her immune system weak but she figured a short swim's not going to make things worse.

Shooting him a slightly frustrated look, mostly for show, she said, "Oh what the hell. We're here."

Tony let out an excited WHOOP before running towards the water, shedding clothes along the way, arc reactor brightening the sand. She shook her head and laughed before shaking her jacket off and removing her polo. Alessandra took all of her clothes off, excluding her underwear, bra, and white tank top, before walking slowly to the water. She had turned away as Tony stripped off his boxer briefs, he was old enough to be her father, and jumped into the ocean, letting out a loud squeal (I swear to god it was a squeal!).

She laughed again before running in herself. There were things she was sure were considered torture, and this had to be one of them. Her skin instantly started to turn purple and her teeth chattered as goose bumps broke out all over. "OH MY GOD TONY! This is the worst idea ever!" She chose to ignore the fact that it had been her idea in the first place.

Alessandra tried to make a run for the shore and her dry clothes but a hand wrapped around her bicep and pulled her back. "Not so fast princess! Live a little." Despite his mocking, his teeth were chattering just as much as her's.

Before she could reply, a wave came out of nowhere and crashed over the pair, sending them tumbling through the cold ocean. She only lost track of what was up for a moment before she instinctively broke the surface with a gasp. Looking around wildly for her swimming companion, she couldn't find him anywhere.

"Tony?" She called. "Tony where are you?"

Bright light could be seen at the edge of her vision and a moment later a body jumped from behind her yelling, "Boo!"

Screaming shrilly (something she later denied), she turned around and smacked him across the chest. "WHAT THE FUCK, TONY!" The only answer she got in response was wild laughter.

She mumbled curses under breath as she trudged towards shore. Yeah, she had wanted to distract him from his morbid thoughts but did he have to give her a heart attack? Of course he did, he was Tony Stark.

He followed along shortly after, her keeping her eyes averted as they both collapsed onto the sand, Tony still laughing and Alessandra trying very hard not to. If she were being completely honest with herself, she would have found it hilarious if she hadn't been the victim. Scaring doctors and nurses as they walked around corners had been the highlight of her hospital years. They would scream and do a little dance every single time, at least, it looked like a dance. Making butts wiggle and arms flail had been her specialty.

"Oh come on, you know that was hilarious!" Tony, starting to sober up more from the cold water, let out one last laugh before exhaustion took over.

"Ok, maybe it was a little funny," she replied, with her fingers only a centimeter apart, "just a little!"

"Whatever pipsqueak, let's get dressed before my balls get hypothermia." Alessandra let out a surprised snort. He was very crude… it was awesome.

Alessandra grabbed her clothes before walking around the other side of the car to change. She peeled the wet tank top off, along with her bra, and put her polo and hoodie back on, zipping the hoodie up tight. Deciding not to keep her freezing underwear on, she glanced around to make sure the coast was clear before quickly changing.

"All clear?" She questioned loudly while her back was still turned to the billionaire.

"Yeah."

She turned around to see him lying in the sand wearing his Halloween costume. He turned to his head to face her as she approached and plopped down next to him. "So, you have horrible ideas."

She turned to her own face towards him with an indignant huff, "It cooled you down didn't it?"

"Umm yeah, at the cost of the family jewels."

She snorted again and they continued to bicker throughout the night.

It was the sound of seagulls screeching that woke Alessandra the next morning. She hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep right there next to Tony on the beach. The last thing she could remember was calling Tony an idiot for announcing to the world that he was Iron Man.

He had been gloating about how he was "basically a superhero now," when she decided that it was safe to give her opinion.

"You were an idiot! Who tells the entire world their superhero identity? That's just asking for trouble."

"Trouble? I'm a billionaire former weapons dealer; I don't think I could get in more trouble."

She had rolled her eyes at his statement, already knowing that wasn't true. "Why don't I believe that?"

Before that, they had talked about everything else. Ketchup or mustard, Batman or Superman, who was going to the Super Bowl (not that either of them knew much about football), what movies they had seen and which were the best, etc. Alessandra had felt like she had known Tony her whole life. He continued to crack jokes and she thought the amount of puns he had in his repertoire was astounding. They were just Tony and Alessandra, not a Stark or Cancer Girl (high school girls were the worst), two people freezing their asses off on the beach at an ungodly hour. It was perfect in every sense of the world. She hadn't had that much fun in her entire life! But she knew that it would be ending soon, so she decided to enjoy every minute of it. She was his anonymous comfort in this crazy world, and just like the Texan, he wouldn't go looking for her again.

Opening her eyes, she squinted at the bright sun directly overhead. California wasn't much different than Nevada in that sense. It was November and the sun was still out and shining. It was ridiculous, but absolutely fantastic. She let her face soak up the sun for a few minutes and listened to the seagulls before noticing the body at her side. Tony had fallen asleep right next to her and she laughed upon seeing the state of him. His shirt was browning from whatever had stained it, there was sand everywhere she looked, and his mouth had fallen open. She would have taken a picture if she didn't think he would kill her for it.

"Come on, Tony, time to face to sun." She shook his shoulder and poked him in the face a few times before he began stirring.

His eyes opened slowly before slamming shut. "Arghh," he groaned, hungover from the night before. "It burns."

Laughing lightly, she slowly got to her feat, "Suck it up, drunky. I'm sure your people are looking for you as we speak. Wouldn't want them to think you've been kidnapped again."

He groaned again before holding both of his arms out, a silent demand to help him up. She took both of his hands before heaving with all of her might. Although, having almost no upper body strength meant that he had to do most of the work. Standing up fully, he draped and arm over her shoulders and slumped into her, much like he had done the night before.

It took them longer than it should have to stumble towards his car, Tony getting in the passenger seat and Alessandra taking the wheel.

"Where to?" She said as she turned the car on.

"Donuts. I need donuts… And maybe a Bloody Mary." His voice was scratchy as he replied, and his eyes were shut against the sunlight.

Before pulling away, Alessandra reached over to open the center console and pulled out a pair of expensive looking shades. She knew the drill, guys like Tony always had sunglasses around because they thought it made them look cool. Satisfied, she shoved them at the tired man next to her. "Here, put them on." He shoved them on his face quickly and mumbled something unintelligible.

She took off towards the nearest donut shop, something she had seen last night near the diner. The clock on the dashboard as they pulled up read 12:30. So, they had stayed out longer than Alessandra intended but again, it wasn't like she had anything better to do. She didn't work the rest of the weekend and she was sure she wasn't in the mood to listen to Amanda speak at 95 miles an hour. It wasn't that she disliked her roommate, quite the opposite actually. She was a breath of fresh air most of the time, but just like everyone (except her nonna) else she's ever met, Amanda could get annoying.

When they arrived at the small store, the duo, who probably looked like crap, sat in a booth near the window and ate in complete silence. This silence provided Alessandra with more time to dissect what Tony had told her last night. He had been tortured by terrorists in an Afghanistan cave… jesus fucking christ. Who even goes through something like that and comes back sane? Obviously she hadn't given Tony Stark enough credit. He was still a brilliant and funny man, probably the most resilient she had ever met. He had jumped into the water last night without any reservations and laughed. Laughed! You would think being tortured with water would make him completely aquaphobic. But no, he hadn't even blinked at her suggestion. It was incredible.

Even if she spoke to Tony again, she was content to have spent this little time with him. Alessandra wasn't a sappy person, not even close, but this man was strong. Stronger than she could ever hope to be, so, she would take a cue from him and keep her head held high. When she fell into her depressed moods over her impending death, she would push it all away and think of the man who stood tall and made something of himself despite being broken. And he was broken, anyone could see that. The way he had talked about the man named Yinsen, it was clear as day on his face. Yinsen had meant something to him. They were brothers in arms. Living in literal hell had given Tony a respect for that man; something she could tell didn't exactly come easily.

But he had died. Obadiah Stane's actions had led to the senseless murder of someone Tony respected very much. When he had revealed Stane's part in the whole affair, Alessandra had felt a deep understanding. Tony had been betrayed by someone who had been family, someone important. She knew exactly what that felt like. No, not in the same way Tony did, but she knew the pain that followed. Her father had never been in the picture so his absence was nothing to her, but her mother had been. Isabella Costa had raised her from birth, taught her how to tie her shoes, read a book, love. She had loved her mother with everything in her soul. The woman was her everything. But one day she had dropped Alessandra at nonna's house and never returned; nothing more than a wave and the squeal of tires. It had broken her heart and betrayed her trust in a way no one should ever have to feel.

But Tony did. He understood her and she was all the more grateful for their encounter. He reminded her that there were others out there who had felt that particular brand of pain, people who would understand. And that was enough.

The loud blaring of Black Sabbath's Iron Man shook Alessandra out of her thoughts. Laughing loudly, Alessandra shot him an amused look that said, really?

He shrugged with a smirk before answering his fancy cell phone. "Stark speaking, who are you and why should I care?"

She shook in silent laughter at his eccentricities but quickly stopped when she saw his grimace.

"Pep. Listen, I'm fine. Well, I'm hungover, but in one piece." There was a screeching coming from the other end of the line. "I went to a party. Yes! It was a good friend's house and I might have had too much to drink." More screeching. "Of course I have friends! I'm with a friend right now."

Alessandra snorted at the overstatement. Whoever this Pepper (oooh so Pepper is a person?) was, she was giving him hell.

"Ugh, yes I'll be home soon. Jeez, bye mother." He snapped the phone shut in annoyance. "My assistant. She's… been a bit smothering."

Giving him a look that questioned his sanity she said, "Well, yeah. You were in a cave for three months, give the woman a break. You're probably a PR nightmare as it is."

This time it was his turn to snort.

Not wanting to piss his assistant off, she stood from the booth and made her way to the car, listening as Tony did the same. Hopping into the car, she took off for her apartment. If Amanda and her boy-toy weren't finished by the time she got there, she would have no problem making it so awkward for them that he left. Another one of her talents.

She pulled up in front of the slightly shabby look apartment and turned off the engine. They both sat in silence for a minute, the realization that they had to go back to their lives crashing down on them. It wasn't a crippling feeling though. Alessandra had the night of her life and knew that she would be just fine with whatever came next, and Tony? He got to tell his story, show his anger, and just be Tony for a while. Not Tony Stark, billionaire playboy. It was fun and relaxing, something Alessandra would cherish.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and climbed out, Tony meeting her in front of the car.

"So." She said.

"So." He replied.

Not knowing what else to do, Alessandra went with humor. "I'm really going to miss…your car." He broke into a wide smile at that. "That baby handles like a dream. Ever think of giving it to the less fortunate?"

He chuckled a bit as he replied, "Not on your life, pipsqueak."

Not even bothering to reply, they went their separate ways, him to the driver's seat and her towards the front door. As she was pushing her key into the lock, she heard him call out to her.

"Wait!" He had rolled down the passenger window in order to speak. "What's your name?"

She didn't reply for a moment. Why did he want to know her name? They had made a silent agreement to keep things relaxed, unburdened. Would her name change that? He could look her up and learn everything he ever wanted to know about her… but he already knew where she lived. And she trusted him, to an extent, not to look into her past. He had told her his deepest secrets because he hadn't got the chance to with anyone else. Maybe he would give her the same courtesy.

"Alessandra," she said loudly.

He made a face before saying, "Too long." She smiled a little at this, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood. With that he sped out of her neighborhood and out of her life.

But just like last time, she was wrong.

A/N: That's the end of their first adventure together. Hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter is a bit of a filler spanning the weeks following Halloween Night. Chapter 6 should be interesting though! Feel free to criticize or compliment. I'm not picky.