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December 17, 1991 — New York, NY 3:59 PM, EST
Everything about her felt familiar. The sound of her voice, the smell of her perfume, the feel of his arms pulled around her in a hug.
Shelby pulled away, sooner than Tony would have liked, and the two old pals stared at each other in an awkward silence.
"Can I come in?" Shelby asked, a sheepish grin filling her pink face.
"Oh, right," Tony said, backing away from the door so she could enter. "What are you doing here, Shelby?" he asked as she walked inside, standing awkwardly by the door with a duffel bag in her hands.
Shelby frowned and looked down at the floor, and Tony knew what she was about to say. "I heard the news, Tony, I'm so sorry," she said, reaching for his hand. He pulled away from her, turning to face the window. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he didn't want to let her see him cry. "I just ... I know we haven't spoken in a long time, but something inside me just told me that I had to be here with you. You mean so much to me, and I know we don't talk anymore, but I miss you so much, and I couldn't let you go through this alone."
"I've missed you too, Shelby." He turned to look at her again. "I just ... I can't believe they're gone," he said, his voice catching in his throat in a sob.
She quickly walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him as she guided him to the couch.
Shelby sat next to him silently as he unloaded everything that was going through his mind. The pain, the guilt, the regret -- everything. His walls came down, and he grieved in front of her. She felt like the one person he could be completely vulnerable in front of.
He'd been so closed off; so stoic in front of everyone. The well-wishers, the people who called to give their sympathy, the police officers, the funeral home director ... hell, even Edwin Jarvis, who had known Tony since he was a boy. With all of them, he had felt like he had some kind of reputation to uphold as the son of Howard Stark. With Shelby, though they hadn't seen each other in so long, Tony knew he didn't have to hide anything.
December 18, 1991 — New York, NY 8:14 AM, EST
Shelby woke up with a terrible ache in her neck, the result of her spending the night on Tony's couch. They'd both fallen asleep there together, and Shelby felt mildly embarrassed as she pulled herself out of Tony's sleeping arms in the morning.
She hadn't left time zones, but the air travel, compiled with the anxiety of seeing Tony again, had left her in a groggy state. She allowed herself a wakeup shower in what she believed to be the guest bathroom (it was the one that looked most unused) and then headed out to find breakfast for her and Tony, who was still in a deep sleep on the couch. Shelby guessed that he hadn't slept more than a few hours since the accident, and she highly doubted that he'd been feeding himself properly.
