Love Without End

Chapter Thirteen

"Hey, Tony--" I began.
"I don't need a therapist, I need my wife." He said.
"I was just gonna ask what you wanted for dinner..."
"Oh. Okay. I don't know."
I smiled. "Okay."
"I don't want to talk about my problems."
"Okay. Don't talk then."
"Okay." He said, like he didn't believe me.
I hugged him. "I love you."
"Yeah, you too."
"Bruceee!" I said when he walked in.
"Amyyyy."
"I love you." I hugged him.
"You too." He patted my back awkwardly.
"Dinner's ready in ten. Tony's working on some sciency stuff if you wanna join him, and Rhodey's somewhere around here."
"I should talk to Steve." I said to JARVIS.
"Okay, do it." He said, as he did every time I said something like that.
"Hey." Steve said when he picked up the phone. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just wondering how Bucky was."
"Oh. Well. About that."
"Is he okay?"
"Yes ma'am. He... Went back under."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"Yes ma'am. How's Tony?"
"He's fine. He found that video of his parents though."
"I'm sorry about that."
"What'd you sign us up for for VBS?"
"Fourth grade."
"Oh. Okay."
"Yes ma'am."
"I'll talk to you later."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
That was unbelievably awkward. Hopefully it won't be that bad at church.
"Can you tell them dinner's ready?" I asked.
"Yes ma'am." JARVIS said.
Everybody filed in and we sat down to dinner. "Who wants to say grace?" I asked, holding out my hands to Tony and Rhodey. "I don't want to see anybody rolling their eyes." I added. "Nobody? Okay, I will. Hold hands."
They held hands. Tony held mine a bit tighter than necessary, but I didn't mind. "Hey, God." I smiled, bowing my head. "Thank You for all that You've done for us, and thank You for these beautiful people with me. I'm so unbelievably blessed to have them all with me. I love them so much, and I'm so, so proud of all each of them has done. Thank You for this food, and please bless it to the nourishment of our bodies. In Jesus' name we pray, amen."
"Amen." They chorused. Good to know I've at least had some influence.
"Eat, Tony." I said.
"I am."

That night, Tony laid down with me until I fell asleep, then got up and left. I hadn't expected him to stay all night, since I was leaving tomorrow, but I had hoped.

"Hey, JARVIS, you up?" Tony asked, watching his father die.
"Yes, Mr. Stank."
"Is Amy up?" He normally would have laughed at Rhodey's humor, but he couldn't bring himself to.
"No, but she wouldn't mind to be."
"I don't wanna wake her, she needs sleep."
"As do you."
"Shut up. Is Rhodey up?"
"No sir, but he wouldn't mind either."
"What about Bruce?"
"No sir. You should sleep too, you know."
"I can't." He flinched and closed his eyes as the car swerved into the tree. "Hey, could you get Rhodey for me? Don't try too hard to wake him, it's fine if he doesn't get up."
"He told me to go away." JARVIS said after a moment.
Tony smiled to himself. "Okay." His smile faded as Bucky dragged his father from the car.
"You shouldn't watch that."
"How can I help it?"
"I'll wake up Mrs. Stark."
"No, JARVIS--"
"She's on her way."
Tony quickly put the video away and dried his eyes, hoping he looked somewhat presentable.
Amy walked in the room, looking, with reason, like she just woken up, but beautiful, nevertheless. "Hey, you okay?" She brushed her hair back from her eyes.
He forgot to speak for a moment. "Yeah." He said finally. "I'm okay." It was all he could do not to kiss her. The only thing stopping him was the fact that she'd be irritated if he did, most likely.
"What are you doing down here?" She came further into the room, looking around for something he may be working on.
"Oh. Um.." He looked around for something. He picked something at random off the table beside him. "This thing. It's a really interesting... Screw..." He winced and put it back down. "Intriguing, really..."
"Were you watching that video again?"
He nodded, expecting chastisement.
"Come on." She sighed. "I'll watch it with you." She went to sit down.
"You'll... What?"
"I'll watch it with you. Come sit with me."
"You want to watch it again?"
"No. But if you're going to insist upon torturing yourself, I'm going to be with you."
He smiled a little bit as he went to sit beside her. That's why he loved her. "I love you." He told her.
"I love you too." She slipped her hand into his, leaning her head onto his shoulder.
When he started to cry, she didn't say anything, just put her arm around him and rubbed his back. She was crying too. He turned his head away every time his mother died.
Amy turned it off. "You don't have to watch this, Tony." She said gently.
"Yes I do." He took deep, purposeful breaths, determined not to lose it again.
She leaned her head onto his shoulder, rubbing his back. "You're okay." She whispered. "It's okay."
He leaned forward and put his head in his hands.
Okay was a relative term.