December 17, 1991 — Cape Canaveral, FL
8:14 AM, EST

"Come on, Cambridge, say it again," Wilson's teasing voice echoed off of the walls of the room that housed the Tenacity rocket.

Adam, the victim of Swampy's teasing that day, had been working on some frustrating calculations when he'd uttered the phrase bloody hell. It was the most British thing any of them had heard come out of his mouth, and the entire team had erupted into laughter. Shelby thought it was quite cute, especially since Adam made fun of the way the Americans spoke, especially Wilson's deep drawl.

"I will not," Adam said, standing to grab the large stereo they kept in the room for group work days.

"Turning on the radio so we can't hear you? Smart," Shelby teased, a wide smile plastering her face. "Switch it to a rock station, would you?"

Wilson groaned loudly, tossing his pen across the room so that it landed on Shelby's clipboard as she did an inspection outside of the Tenacity craft. "No more AC/DC, Red, I swear ..."

"Well, Swamp, if I hear any more Hank Williams, I am going to lose my mind," Shelby retorted back to him. She was a little on edge still from her night of drinking.

Adam found a radio station, one that was playing the end of a Bon Jovi song. "Will this do?" he asked, casting a glance back and forth between his girlfriend and his closest friend on the crew.

"Just pick one and get on with it," Walker called from behind the three of them as he walked in, wheeling a large cart of tools with him.

The sound ended and the voice of the radio station dj picked up. Shelby idly listened as she focused on her work.

"... sad news out of New York last night, where brilliant inventor and scientist Howard Stark was killed in a car accident on Long Island, along with his wife Maria ..."

The clipboard slipped out of Shelby's grasp and clattered to the floor, her stomach dropping along with it.

"Howard Stark, really?" Wilson let out a low whistle. "Man, that sucks."

"Shelby?" Adam called out, watching her carefully as she bent down to retrieve her items. "Are you okay?"

" ... the Starks leave behind one son, Anthony."

"Hey, Colewell, didn't you say you went to school with him?" Walker asked as he began unloading his things. "Stark's son?"

"Yeah, I did," she said slowly, setting the clipboard down on Adam's desk. "Excuse me, I've got to ..." She rushed out of the room, heading for her office as tears pricked at her eyes.

Tony's parents were dead?

She pictured his mother's kind face, his father's hearty laugh. She'd only met them a few times, but they had been so kind to her. Not to mention, they'd created one of the most important people in Shelby's life.

As soon as her office door was closed, she let the tears fall. Hearing the news at work ... on the radio! It was a miracle that she had managed to keep herself together that long at all.

She suddenly remembered Robbo's message, the one she'd forgotten to return. "Hey Shelbs, it's Rob. Give me a call back when you get this, ASAP, okay?"

It had to be about the accident.

Shelby wiped at her tears and dialed Rob's office number, hoping that he would be at work. He picked up on the first ring.

"Robert Everett, Boeing."

"Rob," she sobbed, sniffling as she attempted to compose herself. "Rob, it's Shelby. I just heard the news on the radio, oh my god..."

"Shelby," Rob sighed. "I tried to reach you last night, so you could hear it from me and not the media, but ..."

"I'm sorry, I forgot to call you back," she said, slumping into her office chair. "Is Tony okay? Was he in the accident? Have you talked to him?"

"He's fine, it was just the two of them," Rob said quietly. "Jarvis, you remember Jarvis, Howard's friend, he called me and Rhodey both last night."

"This is so terrible," Shelby sobbed. "I ... I need to see him."

"Shelby ..." Robbo trailed off. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I need to be there with him, Rob," Shelby said, the words escaping her mouth before she could stop them. She didn't know what it was, but she knew that she needed to be in New York more than anything. She needed to be there with Tony. "I just ... I need to."

"Okay, Shelby. Listen, I'm sorry I didn't get through to you and that you had to find out --"

"It's fine, Rob. Listen, I've gotta go," she said, hanging up the phone. She wiped at her eyes, which were puffy, but at least they were somewhat dry, then headed back down the hallway to the rest of them.

"Colewell, are you alright?" Walker asked as she walked through the door.

Shelby squeezed her eyes shut. Would people ever stop asking her if she was okay when she clearly wasn't? It didn't help anything.

"Dr. Feldstein, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, ignoring Walker's question.

"Sure, Shelby," he said, clearly noticing that something was wrong.

"Listen, I ... Tony Stark was ... he was a really good friend, and I need to go to New York," she said, trying to figure out how she could explain to her boss that she needed to leave. "I know the launch is super soon, and we can't afford any setbacks, but I need to be there."

Joe gave her a sympathetic look. "Shelby, look, I know that this is terrible news, but unless it's immediate family, I'm not sure if we can --"

"Dr. Feldstein, if I may," Wilson interrupted as he made his way towards the two of them. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but listen..." His eyes met Shelby's and he gave her a small smile. "We're doing just fine, we're ahead of schedule. And ... when my dad died, when I was sixteen, I wouldn't have gotten through it without my best friend being there with me."

"It will just be for a few days," Shelby pleaded. "Without pay, and I can make up the time when I get back, but please, I need to go."

Dr. Feldstein sighed and nodded. "Okay, go ahead. I'll clear it with Dr. Croft, but you may want to hurry on booking a flight," he said, looking at his watch. "We'll need you back on Monday."

Shelby sighed in relief. "Thank you so much, Joe."

It was Wednesday, so that would give her a few days, at the least, to be in New York, if she even stayed long. Would Tony even want to see her? Was she making a mistake?

They hadn't spoken in so long, but something told Shelby that she needed to be in New York. She didn't know why, but it was as if a giant magnet was tugging her heart.

"Go on, Shelby, we'll take it from here," Wilson said, taking the clipboard from her.

"Thank you, Wilson," she smiled at the man, who, besides his cocky and flirty personality, was truly a great friend. She then headed out of the room, Adam hot on her trail.

"Shelby, what are you doing?" Adam asked as soon as they were away from the rest of the group.

"I've got to go, Adam," she said. "I need to book a flight."

"You're flying to New York?" He gave her a confused look. "Shelby, you haven't talked to him in years, and now you're rushing to his side?"

"His parents just died, Adam. He doesn't have anyone else," Shelby said, frowning.

"What are you even going to say to him?" he asked.

"I don't know, okay?" Shelby sighed and squeezed his hand gently. "I'll be back by Monday. I've got to get to Orlando so I can get on a plane."

"Shelby..." His shoulders slumped as she turned around, already walking away. "Bloody hell."

December 17, 1991 — New York, NY
3:22 PM, EST

Edwin Jarvis sat across from Tony, the closest thing to a father he had now that his own was dead.

Dead.

It was such a sure thing, the final ending, and yet Tony was still finding it hard to wrap his brain about what had happened. Both of them, gone, just like that.

He hadn't even said goodbye to his father. Instead, he'd made some smart ass comment to him, the ones that Howard loathed.

Tony wished he could take it all back -- every snarky comment, every angry argument, every wasted moment. The last time he'd seen his parents, he'd treated them like crap. Hell, Tony had even ruined their last Thanksgiving together.

"Tony?" Edwin's voice rang through to Tony's thoughts, and he looked up. He might have been twenty two, but the sad, lost boy in front of him was the same four year old that cried every time Howard went on a business trip.

"Sorry," Tony said, clearing his throat. "What were you saying?"

Edwin offered a polite smile. "It's okay. I was just saying, I can handle the details of the arrangements. You won't have to go to the funeral home then, if you don't want to."

Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Thank you, Jarvis. I'm not even sure what they would have wanted."

Jarvis had been closer to Howard than Tony could ever have hoped to be. He knew everything about him. Tony glanced across the table at the man, seeing how tired and sad he looked. Tony felt alone in his grief, after losing both of his parents, but with Edwin, he knew he wasn't. Jarvis hadn't just been Howard's butler and chauffeur -- he was probably his closest friend.

"Your father's lawyer faxed me over his and Maria's preferred death arrangements," Edwin said, clearing his throat as his shaking hands pulled a manilla envelope from his briefcase. "And he's set up the will reading for Friday, after the funeral."

"Did they want it to be public? The ... funeral?" Tony asked, taking the folder.

"That's up to you," Edwin replied.

It was so strange to be discussing funeral arrangements. He'd never expected to lose one of his parents so young, not to mention both of them at the same time.

Memorials had already started piling up outside of the Stark Industries building, and Tony knew it was only a matter of time before they started appearing on his doorstep. He appreciated the thoughts and prayers, but he didn't want to see the flowers and bears and pictures and candles.

It made it too real.

"I don't think I could stomach a public ceremony," Tony admitted, looking down at the notes. "I know that Dad had a lot of fans, but it's just ... it's too soon."

Jarvis nodded. "That's perfectly fine, Tony."

People had been calling day and night to offer their condolences to the young son of Howard and Maria Stark. It had gotten so bad that Jarvis had unplugged the phone.

"We can do something later, maybe, I don't know," Tony said, shaking his head. "We can invite friends and family. His old SHIELD pals, people from Stark Industries... you know, people that actually cared about them more than just to refer to them as an inventor and his wife."

"Right," Jarvis said, jotting down notes onto his paper. "What are you going to do with the company, Tony?" he asked, peering at the boy.

Howard had poured his entire life into the company, and now he was gone. Tony was the only Stark left, so it would be up to him to take his father's place.

"I mean, I have to do what's right. I have to step in and take his place," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest. He was scared for what that meant -- what the job would all entail. If only he'd been a little more focused when his father was still alive, and he could have learned something. "It's what he wanted, for me to step up to the challenge. Not in this way, but ..." he sighed.

"Right." Edwin nodded. "Your father, he put big plans into place with Stark Industries, but he'd always hoped you'd take it further."

Stark Industries was, perhaps, more Howard's legacy than Tony was. He'd have to carry on the torch.

Tony pushed away from the table and stood, walking towards the kitchen window to peer outside. "Jarvis, I'm sorry, but if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for a bit, I think." He was feeling a bit overwhelmed with everything, and maybe some peace and quiet would help.

"Of course," Jarvis stood and began gathering his things, then pulled on his coat. "Let me know if you need anything," he said, walking towards the door. With a chuckle, he added, "Just don't forget to plug the phone back in."

A brief smile flickered on Tony's face. "I think I can handle that."

"Good. Well, see you later then, Tony," Edwin said before leaving and making his way downstairs.

As he walked through the lobby, he noticed the doorman arguing with a young woman. She looked familiar, but he couldn't place her. Perhaps he'd just recognized the face from passing in and out of the Starks' building so many times.

"I swear, I'm not lying, sir! I'm a friend, okay, and I really need to --"

"Ma'am, we've heard it all before, okay? Journalists have been trying to get up there all day," the doorman said, clearly not having any of the woman's antics.

"Please, sir, I just got off of the first flight from Florida, and I'm exhausted. I'm not lying to you," she said.

"Ma'am, the door is that way."

"My name is Shelby Colewell. You can call up and ask him, I'm a friend. I mean, we haven't talked in a while, but I need to --"

"Did you say Shelby Colewell?" Jarvis turned around, his mouth falling open as he studied the woman. Sure enough, he did recognize her. The hair was the first giveaway, but then she'd said her name. The infamous redhead from MIT.

She turned towards him, a confused look on her face. "Yes. I'm sorry, who --"

"Send her up, Fred," Jarvis said to the doorman. To Shelby, he said, "Tony will be happy to see you."

"Are you ... you're Jarvis, aren't you?" Shelby's eyes went wide in recognition. "I'm so sorry about what happened, I know you were super close with --"

"Go on up, Miss Colewell," he said with a polite smile. "Or, Doctor Colewell, if Tony's told me right."

She looked shocked beyond belief, but Jarvis left her there without another word, a smile on his face as he made his way out of the building. Perhaps she would be what Tony needed.

The redhead glanced at the doorman, who gestured towards the elevator. "They're the twenty-third floor," he said.

She thanked him and raced towards the elevator, wondering how it was that Mr. Jarvis knew so much about her. Her fingers shook as she pushed the button. Would Tony be mad that she had shown up unannounced? Had she made a mistake?

She'd come this far already, so there was no turning back.

Tony was curled up on the couch, staring blankly at the television as it played a terrible movie that he didn't have the energy to turn off, when he heard a knock on the door.

Jarvis must have forgotten something.

He pulled himself off of the couch and smoothed down his hair, then padded over to the door to open it.

Before him stood a person he had not seen in years, and he had especially not expected to see her then. His jaw fell open as hers did the same, and they both took each other in, studying every feature, every detail that they had missed during their time apart, only to be seen in dreams and memories.

As Shelby pulled him in for a hug, Tony murmured, "So, Girl Genius, we meet again."