North (A Robert Downey Jr Fanfic)

"I'm Movin' On"

She fumbled around on the nightstand, looking for her glasses. The room was pitch black where it was normally lit up from the outside, if only a little bit. Giving up, she got out of bed to look for the bathroom in the dark, she didn't need her glasses in the blackness anyway. The plush rug gave way to wood floor, just where she'd expected but after that, it seemed like she'd never get to the bathroom door. In an instant, her feet slipped out from under her and she landed flat on her back, hitting her head.

She tried to get up but was stuck, literally. Every inch of her body was stuck to the wood floor, she tried to lift her head and all it did was rip her hair out.
"Somebody help me!" she started to panic.
Suddenly the blackness turned into blinding white and she was sitting in the middle of an empty room. Empty except for the person in the corner, facing the wall.
"Hello? Who are you?"
The person turned around but shadows covered their face. Slowly they started to approach her.
"Robert? Is that you?"
No response
"Answer me," she called out and the figure stopped right in front of where she was sitting. She tried to back up, but couldn't. They suddenly collapsed, landing on her lap in a heap.
"Tyler? Tyler...what is this? What's wrong?"
He looked just exactly how he did the night he was killed. In that moment she became conscious of her dream but wasn't scared.

"Annie...Vanessa. It's time for you to move on. It's ok. I'm ok. I loved you. I still do," he touched a finger to her chest. "I'm always here...in your heart. Daisy's too. Goodbye my love."

And poof, he turned to ash. Covering her, landing in her hair and filling her lungs.

"Tyler...Tyler!" she screamed out and shot up from the pillow, breathing hard and clutching her chest.
"Ness. Breathe...everything is ok," Robert said quietly. She drew in a deep breath and took stock of the room around her. She was in the guest house, next to Robert in bed.
"Another nightmare?" Robert took her face in his hands and brushed her hair away from her sweaty forehead.
"It wasn't--I don't know. It wasn't a nightmare. It was Tyler, saying goodbye."
For the first time her dreams didn't leave her feeling scared and unsure. She felt at peace. Both she and Robert let out a collective sigh of relief and she settled back into bed with him feeling fulfilled and loved.

***

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Robert asked, hands nervously gripping the steering wheel. It had been a short while since Vanessa's abduction and even though he knew they were out of the woods, he couldn't stop his worried mind from fretting.
"Of course. It's gotta happen sometime, right?"
"Yeah and we have to go get our dog!" Penny shouted from the backseat.

Robert pulled up to the airplane he'd secured for Vanessa and her daughter so they could fly to Wisconsin in private.
"You know this is ridiculously unnecessary, right?" Vanessa asked, looking at him over the top of her sunglasses.
"Of course it is. That's how I roll. Get used to it."
"Thank you. I love you."
"I love you more," he said, gently placing his hand on her cheek that was still holding on to the bruises from a couple of weeks before. They'd lightened to a faint blue-ish green and she could easily cover them with makeup but she often chose not to.

"Be sure to call June so she doesn't forget to pick you up in Minneapolis."
"As if she'd forget," Vanessa said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, she can't forget. She promised to take us to the Mall of America," Penny chimed in.
"Have fun, ladies. I'll miss you terribly."
"Robert, we're only going to be gone the weekend."
"I'll still miss you," he hugged them tightly, then Penny scrambled up the stairs of the small, private plane. He wrapped his arms around Vanessa and kissed her passionately, he vowed to always kiss her like he'd never see her again...the reality of that had been too close for comfort. He'd never take any moment they had together for granted. Never.