When It Snowed

Chapter 47 - A Rotted Old Memory

Tony looked out over the city with a somber expression on his face. The streets of New York City had died down as they normally did during this time of night. The life of Tony Stark however, that never seemed to take a break as the city did. His mind was always racing, the arch reactor humming day in and day out with the vibrating sensation that kept him awake at night. Nobody else seemed to have a problem with it; not Pepper, not the rest of the team, just him. It was a part of him that both made him who he was- but was also something that he couldn't get rid of no matter how hard he tried. In a way, that was how he related himself to Finley. They were both burdened with something a long time ago, something that wasn't exactly their choice.

Being together, that helped Tony realize that he wasn't the only one pressed into a position that he didn't want to be in. Finley was just like him in a way, just a little more damaged than the man of Iron could ever be.

So, taking an advance into the world that his father tried to leave behind for her, Tony decided that she deserved to be a part of what he had. There wasn't anymore waiting, and he needed to talk with her alone. Having Rogers and the Sargent there with them- it would tamper the ultimate truth that he wanted to reach with her. First, he needed to gain her trust. Then, he needed to gain her assistance on his first step towards revenge; and it was a step he was almost certain she was ready to take.

"You needed me?" Her voice suddenly called from the other side of the room.

It didn't surprise Tony that he didn't hear her coming. The woman was trained in arts that he couldn't even recall the name of. To the world, she was supposed to be a ghost- and ghosts were never meant to be heard. Turning to look at her though, he swallowed down the mouthful of scotch that he had in his mouth and set his glass on the counter of the bar as well. The burning sensation traveled down his throat and into the pit of his stomach, and by the time the pain went away, he was taking in a long breath of air wishing to feel something a little more than the pain during these late hours. That's all he seemed to experience though. It was all that the world would grant him anymore.

Looking at Finley though, the sight of her made him feel something else. The feeling resembled something of a proud emotion, a pride filling his body knowing that just sheltering her was helping her to grow stronger. What he was about to show her though, Tony wasn't sure if it would keep pushing her in that direction or if it would steer her away from it. There was no use in hiding it though, she would find out about it later and if they went that route- every ounce of trust she had with him would clearly be broken. He couldn't blame her if it was.

"Yes." He stepped forwards and grabbed the keys off of the counter to his left. In once quick motion, he had the metal flipped and resting in the palm of his hand. "You and I are going for a ride."

Even as he moved towards the elevator, Finley remained stationed exactly where she was. Not even her head turned as he moved past her to press the button on the wall. It took a little bit for the machine to climb to their level- so in the meantime, Finley blinked slowly and let out a long breath. "A drive..." She sounded dishonest. It was clear that Finley wanted to trust him, to not have a worry in the world, but that wasn't who she was.

"I want to show you something."

"Outside of the Tower?" She rose an eyebrow and slowly spun to face him as the elevator door opened.

Nodding again and muttering a "yup.", he waited patiently with his arm against the door for her to enter. It tried to close with the amount of time she had taken to step in, but by the time that she was moving towards Tony's position, she had nearly sent about three looks back in the direction that Bucky was sleeping. "Sorry." Tony muttered as she took her side besides him and the door glided closed. The only button that was pressed was the garage floor that was below the foundation of the Stark Tower. "I would have invited Captain Killjoy and Sargent Sadness, but I have a feeling this is something you're going to want to face on your own at first." They began to move downwards. "Well, with the exception of me."