(2) Bring Me Home (T. Stark)

Chapter Eighteen

It gets harder, the next month. A month without Tony proves difficult for his family. For Spencer. For Trinity. The girl is old enough to understand that her dad is not around, that he hasn't been around. Spencer is trying her best to cope with three children under five alone, whilst she grieves for her husband. And that's hard with Trinity, who's been almost inconsolable since her birthday and the longer she goes without seeing Tony just makes it worse, Spencer is no better, every moment she feels like he is slipping away from her. That hope that he's going to come home, disappearing with every single second that ticks by. But she has to keep hold of it, if she loses hope then all is lost. She moves around the living room, Dean leaning in the door watching her.

"I want to do something" Spencer complains as she tidies up Trinity's toys. Dean's eyes follow her. "I can't just sit around waiting for news to come in...." She takes a breath and turns to Dean. "It's been a month" she reminds him. "A month of nothing and I need to do something, just give me something to do, please" Dean grabs a stuffed horse from the couch and moves closer to her.

"Spence" she looks at him.

"I can't sit around day in day out" She adds. "I can't do it anymore" she begs of him. "Please, Dean, don't make me do it anymore" he hugs her tightly as she cries into his chest.

"How about research?" Dean asks her. "That's what you were going to do before. Set you up a computer, some books....that way you are still with your babies" Spencer pulls back from him.

"Maybe I can...pick up some things from the house" Spencer offers brushing away the tears from her cheeks. "It should be easy enough to install Jarvis onto a computer here"

"There you go, a plan" he pokes her nose softly. "Why don't you let me clean up?" he asks as he takes the toys from her. "And me and Sam can watch the kiddos if you want to go now?" She takes a breath and glances at the clock.

"You know it's going to take me two days to drive there and back, right?" he nods.

"Yeah, we'll be fine..." She sighs and looks at him.

"I'll have to express some milk.." She starts, Dean shakes his head.

"Nope, ew..." he turns and walks away from her.

"Dean" She scolds. "Come on, don't be such a boy about this"

"I don't want to think about your....boobies" He tells her, Spencer smiles a little.

"Boobies?" she asks him.

"It's skivvy" he points out. "I'm your brother"

"I'm only talking about breast milk" He shakes his head harder and hurries out the room. Spencer laughs a little before it falls, her sombre mood returning, she lets out a sad breath and closes her eyes.

..........

Spencer loads the trunk of her car with bags and boxes. The boxes filled with books, the bags filled with clothes for the children, for herself, she even packed a few of Tony's shirts for herself. She jumps when she turns around and finds Obadiah Stane behind her, he gives her a smile and she inwardly cringes. She doesn't like Stane. He creeps her out.

"Stane" She greets.

"Spencer. I've been coming here everyday" Stane admits. "Hoping to catch you. Where have you been?"

"I'm staying with my brothers" she answers as she loads another bag. "They're helping me with the children. What do you want Stane?"

"I think it would be a good idea for you to release a statement to the press about the search" He offers, she scoffs.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen" She counters.

"They need to hear it from you, Spencer" He states firmly. "You were Tony's wife, the mother of his children, the news should come from you that all hope it lost"

"I'm not going to lie to them" She stops him. "Everyone else may have given up hope, but I haven't. Tony will be found, he will somehow find a way to save himself, to get home. I have to believe that. And I know he is smarter than anyone that could ever conspire against him" She stares up at him. "He is the smartest man I know, the kindest, the most loving, and the best father my children could ever have. Tony will find a way home to them, he would never abandon them. But if you've lost hope, you can tell the public that, but I won't lie to them..." She closes the trunk and leans on it. "You can tell Trinity that you think her daddy's dead, that everyone thinks that..." She pushes off the trunk and moves to climb into her car.

"Spencer" Stane stops her. "I am sorry that this happened" she runs her tongue over her teeth and then climbs into the car to get away from him. She shudders once safe in her car. There is a whirl behind her and she smiles softly as a robotic arm touches her shoulder. Dum-E. She's glad for the bigger car right now. She didn't want to leave Dum-E on his own any longer. He's one of Tony's most loved items, despite how often he yells at it. Trinity had started spending time down in the workshop before Tony went missing.

"I'm okay" She assures Dum-E. "Just...creeps me out" She admit, his arm whirls as he lifts it as if to peer down at her. She turns forward and starts the car. "Let's go see the babies" she tells him. He whirls again, she smirks a little as if understanding him, but he is predictable. "I'll have Pepper bring U, I just couldn't get you both in" he touches her check and she smiles again, she feels better around Dum-E because she sees Tony in him, he and U are like her adopted robotic children.