I live for you.

Chapter 7 - Left For Dead

I woke up on a couch in a strange room. I started breathing heavily, remembering what had happened. My hand shook uncontrollably as I brought it up to my face. My finger tips touched it and I felt bandages.   My ears were still ringing slightly. I moved my face and felt the bandages rub soothingly against it. They were wound tightly enough for comfort. 

I brought my hands up to my view and saw that they were also bandaged. I remembered with a shiver the dripping blood, the piled up bodies. And then I remembered being left alone on the ground. Watching as Tony and Pepper. My friends flew off without me. 

A tear trickled down my face. Had they seen me? I could see Pepper's face as they took off. Had they looked for me? Had they shouted my name when I couldn't have heard because I had been so close to the blast? Had they even tried to save me? Had he returned? Is that where I was now? Back at the house, after he had bandaged my wounds. I remembered my face. How scared and terrible it would be. How could I bare for Tony to look at it. Would he look at it the same way? With that slight smile or will it turn to a grimace? 

I heard foot steps clinking toward me. I grabbed at the back of the couch and started to pull myself up right. The person came around and stood in front of me. It was Castor. My dearest cousin. He had that same glint in his eye and looking around the room I took note of the decorations. He had always had a strange taste for gold. Both the color and the metal. 

"Castor!" I cried desperately. 

He came over and hugged me firmly. I Hugged him back as best I could. He kissed my bandaged cheek and ran his hand over the top of my bandaged head. He sighed and pulled a golden painted antique looking chair up beside me. I turned toward him searching his shocking blue eyes and remembering his appearance at the banquet before the explosions. 

"Dearest Cousin," He whispered softly "You must have so many questions. I am surprised though, I must say. You fell for him so easily. Is it because he is so much like your past lover?"

I furrowed my brows as best I could. My face tingles numbly. I looked around the golden room. 

"Fallen? For who?" I asked weakly

"Tony, of course," He replied softly. Running his hand over my bandaged head again. "You deny it? To me who saw your face. As he rescued her and not you. You who was most easily seen. You who  had learned to love him. A man who knew deep down that he was quite plainly unlovable. You deny to me, your dearest cousin, that you do not love that vain, repulsive man?

"Hes not repulsive," I defended 

"See even now, after he left you to die in the rubble amoung piles of dead bodies and broken glass you come to his defense. Do you attempt to deny it to me any longer, Evangeline?" He whispered with slight anger behind his voice. 

"Why were you at the banquet? Why was the explosion not documented? Not planned? What has happened Castor?" I asked, trying to push the thoughts of Tony from my mind. 

"Do you want to know how they escaped?" He asked, hi voice now rising above a whisper. "Do you want me to tell you what really happened?"

I searched his face and nodded. He smiled with pity and stood, dropping my bandaged hands he had been holding into my lap. He began to pace on the marble floor. 

"When the first explosion happened you were blown off your feet along with Pepper. She was not as far away as you might have thought. When Tony saw this he reacted. I, dearest cousin, watched as he ran and broke the glass on that lovely aero- dynamic suit you designed together, as he climbed into it and proceeded to find Pepper. He saw her amoung the rubble. Not far from you. Who was screaming as you got ripped to shreds and toppled on by bodies of the dead and cut by glass. Do you want to know what he did cousin? He didnt even hesitate. He picked up Pepper and flew off into the sky with out a second glance at you. Tell me, cousin, how does that make you feel?"