Wasted Times

Part 16 - Smooth Criminal

"Alice, what the hell? What happened?" Anne rushes inside your house.

"Tony, he.... I told him what happened and he attacked Ethan" your heartbeat is going crazy again.

"Is it true? Ethan is at the hospital?" her eyes shoot open.

"Probably. I mean, I hope he's at the hospital, maybe they will be able to save him" you start crying.

"Is he really that bad?" Anne asks while wrapping her arms around you.

"I thought he was dead, Tony was so brutal" you sob against her shoulder.

"He's alive, he's alive" she hugs you tighter.

"I need to go see Tony" you look into her eyes.

"Wait until Sebastian is also here, you'll need all the support you can get" Anne advises you.

"Police got to him, I don't know under what condition he is" you panic.

"He's Tony Stark, he's definitely not alone. I bet his lawyer has managed the best for him" she reassures you.

"Okay, but as soon as Sebastian is here we're going. I feel so bad and guilty with Tony being locked up" your body shakes in anxiety.

"It's not your fault that he's locked up. He's 100% responsible for what he did" she caresses your back softly.

"I know but I can't help but feel guilty" you sigh.

"I'm sure he doesn't want you to feel that way. Did he blame it on you?" she asks you to prove her point.

"No, he didn't" you shake your head.

"See? Let's just wait for Sebastian" she caresses your back as you nod.

It was around half an hour later when Sebastian also joined you. He was also very impatient to hear about what happened but unlike Anne, he wanted to know more details and he seemed less remorseful towards Ethan and his condition.

You took one car to the police station and both Anne and Sebastian agreed to give you some alone time first before also entering. You took deep breaths before going inside, knowing that what you were going to face wasn't going to be easy to comprehend.

"Tony" you gasp when you see him.

"Alice" he stands up from his seat.

He's behind bars since they're still holding him here. His suit looks messy and even if it's just been a few hours, he looks tired and without energy. He's in a cell alone, maybe a kind of benefit his lawyer arranged for him.

You run just outside his cell and grab two bars with each of your hands. Tony also follows your lead and grabs the bars closest to yours, not sure if touching you is appropriate just yet. Your faces are close to each other's and your foreheads are resting against the bars.

"You shouldn't be here" he says while looking into your eyes.

"I needed to check how you're doing" you gulp, fighting back the tears.

"I'm fine" he tries to show you a smile.

"Please stay away from the bars" a police officer warns you.

You sigh and try to ignore what he said, but he insists by looking at you sternly until you both take a step back. You shake your head but quickly go back to your conversation.

"When are you getting out of here?" you ask him.

"My lawyer arranged the best for me but they can still keep me here for 24 hours so..." he scratches his head slowly.

"Okay, that's not that bad" you try to be optimistic.

"It's only temporary. They're going to go after me for the assault" he continues.

"There's nothing your lawyer can do about that?" you sigh.

"That's up to Lewis and his team. Realistically, I don't think there's even a slight chance that he I'm slipping away from this with a clean record" he shrugs.

"It's difficult but it's not impossible. He's at the hospital right now, he's going to make it" you give him the updates you know of and try to bring some positivity into the table.

"I know, Pepper was fast to inform me" he nods.

"She was here?" you ask.

"Almost as soon as I got here myself" he jokes.

"She must be pissed" you whisper.

"I actually think I'm safer here behind bars than back home where Pepper and Rhodey can reach me" he chuckles.

"I'm afraid that might actually be true" you laugh.

"God, I missed your laugh" he says while looking warmly into your eyes.

"It's not the time for this, Tony" you exhale.

"I know, I'm sorry" he lowers his head.

"It's okay, let's focus on the more important things ahead of us" you suggest.

"When I'm out of here, can we talk?" his eyes get much softer.

"Yes, we can" you reply and a slight smile appears on his face.

Your eyes eventually leave his and you notice Anne and Sebastian standing some feet away from you. They definitely witnessed the whole scene and maybe even heard you, but you're not worrying about it.

"Thank you for visiting me, it really makes me happy" he says.

"Hold on, alright? It's only a few hours left" you say nicely.

"Don't worry about me" he reassures you.

"Let me know when you have any news" you say.

"I will. Go get some rest" he replies.

"You should also try to get some sleep" you suggest, even though you know it'll be difficult on this kind of bed that they have for him.

"Will do" he nods.

You share a look which does all the talking that's needed. It's hard to walk away and see him being stuck behind in this environment but it's not up to you. There's nothing you can do to save him or make his situation any easier.

Anne wraps her arm around you when you join her and Sebastian, and you all walk together outside again. They don't look disappointed in you, even though you know that they don't approve of you getting along with Tony again.

"Be careful" Anne warns you when you're back in the car.

"I am being careful" you reply.

"You're getting way too close to him again" Sebastian comments.

"It's not like I have a choice, look at what he did for me" you defend your situation.

"He almost killed someone, this isn't something to be proud of" Anne sounds shocked.

"I'm not proud of his behaviour, I'm just saying that it shows that he cares about me" you cross your arms.

"He cares about you, sure. But he doesn't know how to show it. He's dangerous, Alice" Sebastian adds.

"I know, I will be careful" you gulp.

"Take this seriously, alright? You have a lot of things to deal with already, Tony shouldn't be another one of them" Anne hugs you warmly.

"Thank you" you let your emotions show, feeling how much they both care about you and your wellbeing.

A few tears roll down your cheeks but they're quick to stand by you and make you feel better. Especially the next part, where you all got back to your place and finished the night with food and music was very good and helpful for your healing process.