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.

She headed down the street from the Starks' building, keeping her eyes peeled for a cafe or coffee shop that would allow carry outs. The New York air was chilly, and dirty snow and slush crunched satisfyingly under her boots. Shelby enjoyed the warm weather in Florida, but growing up in New England had given her a love of snowy winters.

Tony had always talked about his hometown, and Shelby could hardly imagine growing up in a place as glamorous as New York City. She enjoyed the bustling streets, honking horns and flashing lights. It was like someone had taken the entire world and packed it all into the island of Manhattan.

Shelby kind of loved it.

The smell of fried food filled her nose and Shelby turned towards the open door of a nearby cafe. It was small, and a little run down, but the mixture of smells inside, along with the hungry rumble in her stomach drew Shelby inside.

She walked up to the counter, where a middle-aged woman was refilling coffee pots. She ordered two breakfast sandwiches to go, then leaned against the counter as she waited, watching New York go upon its business outside.

Shelby's thoughts drifted to Tony, and then to Adam. Seeing her old friend again had stirred up so many different emotions, and Shelby wasn't sure what she was feeling. She loved Adam more than anything, but seeing Tony ... well, it made things weird.

"Here's your food, miss," the waitress said, handing Shelby the bag.

Shelby thanked her and paid, then headed back out on the street.

When she got back to the Stark residence, the smell of brewing coffee reached her before she even arrived at the door. Shelby was suddenly very aware of how drowsy and uncaffeinated she felt.

She'd left the door unlocked when she left, and it was still open. She walked inside to find Tony hovered over a coffee maker on the counter.

They shared an awkward smile before Shelby busied herself with unloading the food. "I bought breakfast," she said, sliding a sandwich Tony's way.

"Bacon?" he asked, a faint smile filling his face.

"Always bacon with you," Shelby smirked, knowing that along with burgers and beer, bacon was one of his favorites.

"I made you coffee," he said, sliding a warm mug towards Shelby.

Her cheeks flushed as she took the mug, seeing that he'd made it exactly as she'd always liked it: with a spoonful of sugar and a dash of milk. "Thank you."

"Thanks for breakfast," Tony said, taking a bite out of the sandwich.

The two old friends sat down at the kitchen table, silently enjoying their morning meal as the same thoughts raced within each of their brains.

"We were really foolish," Shelby said, staring ahead at the table. "Really stupid."

Tony glanced towards the redhead. She didn't need to elaborate -- he knew exactly what she was talking about. "We were. Such a stupid fight, over such a ... a careless kiss."

"Right," Shelby glanced at Tony, all of the stress and anger she'd had because of him dissipating. They'd lost years of each other's lives, and over what? "It was an immature, drunken kiss."

Neither mentioned that even though it had been a drunken kiss, they both had also been in love with the other.

Shelby realized that since she'd been in New York, Tony had been completely alone. Wasn't he supposed to be getting married? Maybe since they were friends again, she could find out about his new fiancee.

"So, um... Robbo told me you got engaged. Do I get to meet her?" Shelby asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

Tony's brows furrowed together and he looked down at his mug, his face a mix of anger and sadness. "Well, that's over. I found her in bed, well, in the shower, actually, with another guy."

Shelby's eyes widened, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Tony shook his head. "Never mind that, it's old news. It was for the best, anyways," he said with a sigh.

Shelby's brows furrowed together, her stomach twisting inside. "She cheated on you?"

Tony sighed. "Yes, Shelby. I just said that. Please, let's not relive it."

All this time, Shelby had been happy for Tony, figuring he'd found a great girl who made him happy. "You didn't deserve that, Tony. You deserve so much more."

Tony's eyes moved to Shelby, a flicker of what seemed like hope in his brown irises. He cleared his throat and looked away. "Yeah, well. It's over. Old news. What about you? Rob said you were dating some engineer down at NASA."

"Yeah, I am," Shelby replied, a frown filling her face as she remembered her last interaction with Adam. He hadn't wanted her to go to New York, she could tell that quite easily. " Dr. Adam Mitchell. He studied at Cambridge. He's quite brilliant."

Tony chuckled. "Well, he'd better be, to be worthy of the Miss Shelby Colewell," he joked. "Or wait, no, Doctor Shelby Colewell, isn't it?"

Shelby's face flushed as a smile crept onto her face. "Yes, my letterhead now says, 'Dr. Shelby Colewell, PhD.'"

"Well, fancy you. Congratulations, Girl Genius."

"Thank you, Tony."

Things had almost begun to feel like old times again when Shelby remembered why she was in New York in the first place. Her smile fell and she looked back down at the table. She wanted to ask Tony how he was doing, but she didn't want to bring up his parents.

"Does he make you happy?" Tony asked, his joking smile replaced with a solemn expression.

"What?"

"Does he make you happy?" he repeated. "Doctor Mitchell. Cambridge NASA man."

Shelby smiled. "He does."

Tony smiled, a soft, bittersweet smile that easily came to his face. "Good."

The thing was, Adam did make Shelby happy. Very happy. But, part of her wondered, given different circumstances, if Adam could ever make her as happy as Tony could.

She glanced across the table at her old friend, who seemed far away in his thoughts. "Tony?" She sipped at her coffee. "Penny for your thoughts?"

His eyes flicked to hers, and Shelby could still see the grief that haunted him. "How long will you be here?"

"I have to be back at the Cape on Monday," Shelby said.

"Will you come to the funeral with me?" Tony asked.

She smiled sadly and reached for his hand, squeezing it gently. "I'll be anywhere you need me to be, Tony."