Battlefield ｡ Tony Stark

17 - MALIBU BARBIE

"Are you insane, Tilly?" Lucy's voice filled the car. My hands were gripped tightly around the steering wheel as I stared up at the stylised mansion that belonged to Tony Stark. The drive to Malibu hadn't felt all that long, it felt like it had been only seconds. Now, I was parked at the very end of his driveway, with my mind racing and Lucy's frazzled words blasting from my phone that was on speaker. "You can't just see him, not like this."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Lu, he was held captive by some terrorist group. I thought he was dead and now." I paused, air filling my lungs again. "Now he's alive and I feel relived."

Lucy was taking her lunch break, well pass three o'clock in the afternoon. Her office worked crazy hours, something about editing novels was a never ending job. I had called her asking for advice, seeking her trusted opinion about what to do with the news of Tony Stark being back from the dead. All day I had been too caught up with that knowledge but despite her warnings, I had ended up at his house anyway. "Of course, you're relived. Hell, I'm relived that the bastard isn't dead. But Tilda, you made a decision years ago, not to get involved with him again. His life style, everything about him screams unstable. You didn't want that for Samuel, we didn't want that. Don't you remember?"

Years ago when I had found out I had fallen pregnant, right after my trip to Barcelona, I had been so very tempted not to have that child. I was far too young to become a mother and Tony was in no state to become a father. We were both young and the timing had been terrible. But after days tossing the idea around in my head, I thought about the child growing inside me and suddenly, there was nothing more I wanted to do than protect them. Lucy had been thrilled about the idea, she was to become an aunt and I would raise a child, despite my fears of my own terrible track record.

"Lu, you're the one that always told me Tony should know. Now, you're wanting me to turn away from his doorstep like nothing had happened? He was tortured and the world thought he was dead. This could be a second chance--" I started quickly, words just falling from my lips, words that I had never thought of.

"Are you there right now? In Malibu?" Lucy hissed through the speakers and I could see her pacing around her office in my head now, running a hand down her face as she wanted to grab my shoulders and shake some sense into me. "Damnit, Tilda. We've been through this, too many times. I thought telling him was a good idea, a right idea, years ago. But you made that decision not to for many reasons and I supported you. Now..." She took a pause and my grip tightened on the wheel as I glanced up at his house. "But now, it's a little too late. Tony is not the same boy we went to college with. He's reckless, carless and has no responsibility for anyone. All he cares about is his money and the women. That's no role model for a boy."

I sighed, finally letting go of the steering wheel and pushing a hand through my hair. I stared down at my lap, my green scrubs from work still in place, a little blood from a bloody nose stained my shirt. "He is still Samuel's father and I want to see him, to make sure he's fine and--"

"And what, Tilly?" Lucy breathed out. "Do you want to become some Malibu Barbie? To become some trophy he can show off to the world? He's not a man that loves, not anymore. He's damaged goods."

I un-clicked my seatbelt and shoved open the car door. "I'm damaged goods too."

"You're different," Lucy explained. "You could be fixed, I'm not sure he can be. Okay, think about your son, does he need a man that creates weapons that kill millions as a father figure? A man that parties away in Las Vegas and drowns in liquor and women? No, Sam doesn't need that man in his life."

Lucy was right and despite everything that had happened in the last few months, with Tony being captured and my heart breaking just a little by the news, he wasn't a good man, even if I wanted him to be one. I still had to stick by my decision. "I won't bring Samuel up, okay? I just want to see his face and know he's not dead. That's all I need, then things can go back to normal."

"If I didn't need to finish editing this next big novel by tonight, I would drive over there and drag you away from him, you know that, right?" My best friend replied and I felt a smile tug at my lips.

She had always been a little over protective since Samuel had been born. "It's not like Tony's going to ask if I have a son. I think we're in the clear on that topic of conversation." I told Lucy before briefly saying my goodbyes and ending the phone call.

With my hands sweating by my sides, I worked my way up to the outrageously nice house. My little shabby two bedroom house look like a cardboard box compared to this. When I reached the front doors, I touched the buzzer by the door and waited. It wasn't long till I saw movement through the frosted glass windows and the front door was yanked open. A rather slender and tall redhead was staring at me, a phone pressed to her ear as she ended a phone call.

"Tilda?"

It had been many years since I had seen Pepper Potts in the flesh and she hadn't changed all that much. Her red hair was pulled into a slick ponytail and there was a splash of light freckles across her nose. She was still as pretty as she had been in college. "Pepper, hi."

"Woah, I didn't expect to see you here." She started, pushing the door open a little further and letting me step inside. The house looked just as impressive on the inside as it did on the outside and suddenly, it seemed crazy someone actually lived in a house this big and spacious. "How have you been? You look different...in a good way, of course. I'm sorry, I'm rambling on."

It seemed not all things changed with time. "I'm good, yeah. I see you've made quite the name for yourself, working for Tony. How is he? I mean, of course he's not fine after everything but--"

"I'm alive, that's what matters."

We both spun around spotting Tony standing a few feet away. His hair was messy, a few cuts lined his face. Nothing seemed weirdly wrong with him but something did feel different. Pepper gave me a quick smile before making her exit, muttering something into Tony's ear on her way out of the main lobby area. I felt my heart heave in my chest with the sight of him. He was in the flesh and he was right, he was definitely alive. "I wanted to stop by and make sure you're...alive and well, fine. Considering everything."

Tony let his heavy gaze slide over me, his lips twitching into a little smile. "I was sure that night in Las Vegas was the last I would be seeing of Tilda Hardings. I'm surprised you care enough to make sure I'm still alive and kicking." He pointed over at my scrubs, "Didn't ever peg you as a nurse, that's rather sweet. Too sweet for the girl I once knew."

"That was a long time ago," I crossed my arms over my chest, not liking the way he was trying to figure out me still, like he had years ago. "We're different people now. I help others while you give armies weapons to kill with."

Tony breathed in a sharp sound and I hung my head. It hadn't supposed to come out like that and I was not here to discuss our jobs or our reasons of separation, I just wanted to see his face in the flesh and know the man wasn't dead. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for--"

"You're not wrong though." Tony shrugged.

With his eyes still on me, watching me and trying to read me like an open book, I backed towards the door. "Well, it was good seeing your face. I don't want to over stay my welcome. I'm really glad you're not dead, Tony, for what it's worth."

"Wait, you don't have to go, Tilly. We could grab dinner or maybe--"

I was biting down on my tongue, my hand already against the cool glass of the door. There was a little of me that wanted to stay, to see how different he could have been. But I was a mother now and right now, that won over my heart. Responsibility for my son ruled over any of my emotions for this man now. "I can't, Tony."

With those last words, I was slipping back into the daylight with tears stringing my eyes.