Search for the Soul Gem

Chapter Thirteen

     Bright sunshine broke over the city and snuck through the skyscrapers into my room. I stretched and sat up in bed. The dress from last night was bunched around my waist and my hair was a rats nest on top of my head. When I made my way to the bathroom, I realized that I looked like a raccoon that had lost a fight with a eighteen-wheeler. Nothing a quick shower wouldn't fix. After a quick shower, I padded back to my closet; the cold air sending chills down my spine. I pulled out simple black skinny jeans and a grey sweater. My feet couldn't handle shoes so I slipped them into knee-high, knit, grey socks. After I shook out my hair and slipped the compass over my head, I made my way gingerly to the kitchen. The cuts on the bottom of my feet were sore today. On top of that, it took me a solid 5 minutes to figure out how to work the coffee machine without JARVIS for help.

     Once I was armed with a large mug of coffee, I made my way up to the lab. The trip took longer than usual because I had to keep stopping to give my feet a break. Once I'd made it up, I braced myself for the destruction I was about to see. On Saturdays the lab was usually closed but the glass doors still swung open when I pushed them. I was deep in thought when I entered the glass room. It wasn't until I'd fully entered the room, nearly tripped and looked up that I realized I wasn't alone. I looked up from my mug and found Stark already in the lab. Only he wasn't exactly how I'd expected to find him. He was asleep on the ground. It looked like he had been here all night. He was still dressed in his suit from last night, his tie discarded on the table. His head rested on his arm and the other arm was reached out across the floor. As I neared him, I could see what he seemed to be reaching for. Lined up perfectly, just inches from his finger tips were four of the tablets put back together. I gasped lightly as I knelt down next to him. I set the mug down on the floor to look at the tablets more closely. All the pieces fit together perfectly and most of the writing was legible. This was amazing! I looked around curiously, there was something else that was different. Something on the table drew my attention. Sitting neatly on the table was the pot, reconstructed immaculately from all the broken pieces. I was in awe. This must have taken all night! I looked back over at Stark as he slept peacefully next to me, his back rising and falling slowly. This man was not the arrogant asshole that I thought he was. I reached over and placed my hand on his shoulder lightly.

     "Tony," I whispered, getting closer to his ear. He didn't budge. I shook his shoulder a little harder, "Tony, wake up!" I whispered into his ear. He inhaled sharp as his eyes shot open. He looked up at me confused before realizing who I was. A sleepy smile played its way across his mouth as he settled back down against his arms, his eyes fluttering closed again.

     "Good morning doctor," his voice was gravel as it flowed out of his mouth and made my heart flutter.

     "Tony, have you been here all night?" I breathed lightly, resisting the urge to run my fingers though his fluffy hair. He hummed a response, already halfway back to the land of sleep, "Why?" I asked. There was a long pause and I thought that he'd fallen back asleep. Then suddenly, he took a deep breath and sat up with a stiff stretch.

     "I didn't want to you have to come back to your work all scattered across the floor. You were so sad last night when you saw it and I didn't want you to be sad like that again. Not if I could help it," Tony's sleepy voice drifted over to me lazily. His heavy lidded eyes stared over at me as his lips curled into cheshire cat grin.

     "You didn't have to do that," I said quietly, forcing my hands to stay clasped in front of me and not to touch him. He looked up at me, eyes clear and smiled.

     "You're right. I didn't have to. I wanted to," He corrected. The smile that crossed my face was so automatic that I couldn't even stop it. I felt blush spread across my cheeks as he smiled over at me. He smiled over at me as he reached over to pick up the mug of coffee mug, "So I figured out what happened to JARVIS," he held the mug and asked me with his eyes for permission.