(2) Bring Me Home (T. Stark)

Chapter Thirteen

Hours Earlier:

In rural Afghanistan, a U.S. Military convoy worms through a barren vista. Three Airmen, kids with battle-worn faces are crammed in there

with them Tony wearing an expensive suit. There is an open bottle of cola in his hand as his other sets his sunglasses over his eyes.

"Oh, I get it. You guys aren't allowed to talk" Tony points out. "Is that it? Are you not allowed to talk?" One Airman grins, fidgeting with his orange NY Mets watch.

"No. We're allowed to talk"

"Oh. I see. So it's personal"

"I think they're intimidated" Another airman answers.

"Good God, you're a woman" Tony comments surprised. The others try to compress laughs. "I, honestly, I couldn't have called that. I would apologize, but isn't that what we're going for here? I saw you as a soldier first"

"I have a question, sir" The youngest, Mets fan, airman asks.

"Please"

"Is it true you're twelve for twelve with last years Maxim cover girls?"

"Excellent question. No" Tony answers. "Married man now" he touches his wedding ring and smiles. "All those rumors are just that....rumors"

"You've never even thought about it?"

"Oh no," Tony shakes his head. "No, Spencer would cut my thingy off and choke me with it if I even subconsciously thought about another woman. Anyone else? You, with the hand up" Pratt lowers his hand a little.

"It's a little embarrassing" he admits.

"Join the club"

"Can I take a picture with you?" Pratt asks.

"Are you aware that Native Americans believe photographs steal a little piece of your soul?" Tony asks. "Not to worry, I gave mine to the misses" He teases. "Fire away"

Pratt, excited, poses as another Airman snaps the photo. A

second later a massive explosion rocks them. Through the windshield, the

Humvee ahead of them erupts in a fireball. Tony is flung aside, and in the side-mirror. The Humvee behind them explodes. Pandemonium as the Airmen are instantly in battle mode. They scramble out, shutting Tony inside.

"STAY HERE!" Pratt orders Tony who watches as Jimmy is stitched by a bouncing Betty mine. Now, running past, firing a .50 cal machine gun is Rhodey. He looks in on Tony.

Get down, Tony!" Rhodey scolds him. "Get the..." An explosion cuts him off. Rhodey fires through the chaos, covering all directions, then advances into the murk. Another Hummer goes up in a fireball, and now Tony's window blows in, spraying glass and shrapnel. He scrambles out of the door. Smoke. Machine gunfire. Tracers zip past. Shouting all around him. Tony ducks, scampering along. He spots an M-16, picks it up, but the weapon is burning hot. He drops it and then pulls his cell phone from his pocket, his fingers hurrying to scroll through his contact list before he finds Spencer's. Something pings off a smoldering Humvee and thuds in the dirt near him. He spins towards it, his finger hovering over his screen. It detonates and throws Tony back, shredding his suit and revealing his body armor underneath. His phone lands some way from him, Spencer's contact open on the screen.

.............

Present:

Tony snaps awake. He's tied to a chair, bloody rags covering his chest. Two Insurgents flank a DV camera. Behind Tony are a line of armed hooded men and a banner showing ten interlocked rings. The Leader, a huge Choori knife in one hand, reads rhetoric (in Dari) for the camera. Tony's eyes flicker around, panic rising in him.

..................

Back in Malibu, Pepper tidies up around Spencer who hasn't moved from the couch, she wants her brothers, and she has to wait for them. She can't think about anything other than Tony right now. She should have known better. Too good to be true. She should have expected something bad to happen, because it always does. Life has taught her this. She barely reacts when the doorbell goes, when Jarvis announces the arrival of her brothers, she just wants this to be some stupid painful dream that she can wake up from. Wake up and find Tony coming in, find him kicking off his shoes and climbing into bed. Spencer takes a shaky breath and closes her eyes. Willing it to be a dream. Dean drops his bag and moves straight for Spencer who's already crying again by the time she opens her eyes. Pepper had told Dean and Sam everything that she had Spencer, they knew how bad it was going to be coming here. But the hurt on her face is unbearable for them. Dean sits at her side and pulls her closer, letting her curl into his chest. Dean holds her tightly to his chest as she cries, full-on breaks down. He's never seen her this upset before. Not even when John died.

"I've got you" he whispers stroking her hair. Dean rocks her slightly in his arms as he looks to Sam.

"I'll make us some drinks" Sam offers and moves towards the kitchen. The Winchester solution to everything. Drink. Drink until you sleep. Then drink some more.

................

Later:

Spencer lays with her head in Dean's lap as he strokes his fingers through her hair, the tv plays a muted news program, Tony's face on screen as they report on his kidnapping. A half-empty bottle of whiskey sits on the table next to a full glass. Dean turns off the screen and looks down at his sister, her eyes still stare at the now black screen. She's not said a word since they got here. And he's worried about her. They've already lost so much. And Spencer got her happy ending, she got the husband, the house, the kids. That was it for her. But it's all gone. Sam sees to the children, keeping them upstairs away from the news and away from their mother because they all know how easily children can read their parents' moods. Sam and Spencer aren't as close as she and Dean, so in this situation, big brother Dean is to the rescue. Dean scoots Spencer over and sets her on the couch next to him, she rubs at her cheeks and then her eyes before she pulls her knees to her chest.

"I'm going to use the bathroom," Dean tells her pulling the blanket around her shoulders. "And to check on the kids" she sniffles and nods a little reaching for the glass on the table. Dean heads out of the room knowing that Mr. Computer guy with the voice in the sky will look out for her.

.............

Nightmarish. Garbled voices. Stabbing lights. Tony thrashes against a restraining belt. A red scalpel. Blood-spattered hands. Tony's heaving chest. A boilerplate. Yinsen looks down on Tony, performing the "operation". He yells to someone in Arabic, and Tony is held down, a chloroform rag is pressed to his face.