How to Say Goodbye (November 1995)

"Ok, so who is this Frank and when did you meet him? Tell me about him" Tony asked as they had settled in. He had gotten her a massive cinnamon roll. They were the best thing on the menu here and sometimes he came to this particular coffee shop just for them.

Isabella didn’t object when Tony ordered the cinnamon roll and it was actually quite delicious. She spent the next hour telling Tony what she knew about Frank and answering any questions Tony had. The truth was she didn’t know a whole lot about him. Frank tended to keep to himself and their relationship had really just been about sex. They weren’t exactly going on dates and really getting to know each other.

When she finished she sighed and sat back. “That’s what I know. As I said, we weren’t in a real relationship so there wasn’t a whole lot of getting to know you talk happening. But I trusted him and, to be honest, I was lonely without you. I had tried dating and no one compared to you. With Frank there were no strings or expectations. It was just nice to have some comfort after some of these missions.”

Tony had made a few phone calls to the movers. He tripled their fee if they would just pack up everything properly and deliver it to the house. He didn't want Isabella to worry about anything involving the move save for deliberating what she wanted to put in her rooms. The rooms were already furnished but he knew she'd want to put her own personal touch on things.

He listened to her as she spoke about Frank Castle. She hadn't mentioned his last name until half way through but now that he had that he could find out who he really was. Tony knew when he was dealing with a man who new how to handle himself and Frank Castle could have wiped the floor with his face if he had wanted to.

They ended up back at the house and he poured them some wine. the sun was going to set soon and when he came out with the wine he put a thick, soft blanket over her shoulders. He liked how the wind blew her hair back and he had taken liberties to pull her hair loose from the bun she had it in. They watched the sun fall slowly beneath the horizon together then went back inside. By that time they were both hungry again and he had happy go out and get them some Chinese food.

They ate on large, thick, colorful pillows in front of the large, sectional couch in her room. The big screen TV was on but they weren't really watching it as they ate and talked.

"So, where have you not been that you told yourself, you wanted to go one day?" Tony asked her. He didn't think the realization of how things worked for a billionaire but he wanted to induct her into that way of thinking. He wanted to surprise and delight Isabella in as many ways and as many times as he could.

Isabella had not been back to Tony's beach side estate since she had first gone to talk to him about his weapons. She wandered around the house a little while Tony poured them each a glass of wine. Things between them were settling down and relaxing. They moved out onto the large outdoor balcony and Isabella smiled a little when she felt Tony drape a blanket over her shoulders to keep her warm. They drank their wine and watched the sun set down below the horizon.

Isabella was quite hungry by the time they decided to head back inside and Chinese food sounded wonderful. Tony had given Isabella her own rooms in the house. They were intended to be a sanctuary for her to go to when she needed to be alone. They sat on the floor in her room while they ate. The TV was on, but they weren't paying it any attention.

Isabella took a sip of her wine as she considered Tony's question. There were lots of places she wanted to go, but one place stuck out particularly in her mind.

"I've always wanted to go to Fiji. I remember seeing pictures of Fiji in a book when I was a child and they have continued to stick with me."

Tony tilted his head as he listened to Isabella. Fiji eh? A pretty long flight but he could arrange that. "Done...We can leave tomorrow morning," He said as he swirled his glass around in a tight circle. "I trust you have a bathing suit? If not, we'll be in a very private area," He said with a wink. "Do you like seafood? They catch it daily there," Tony said with a smile.

Isabella thought at first she misheard Tony, but the smile on his face told her otherwise. Her eyes grew wide in surprise at the thought of them just up and leaving tomorrow morning, however she couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Tony, it's a 20 hour flight and you have that press conference."

"You think they'll wait for us to get back?" he said with a mock concerned look on his face. Then his smile bled through. He shifted so he could put his arm around her. "I know it will take time for you to come to grips with everything but in just a couple weeks, you'll be one of the richest and most powerful women on the planet Isabella. People are going to wait on your word. And you'll have to learn to let them. The stakes are higher for us so you need to be heard and understood," Tony said.

Isabella was having a difficult time coming to grips with just how rich she was about to become. Her parents were wealthy enough to have hired help, but when she married Tony she knew the focus was going to shift off of him and onto her. She was going to have to get used to the media and speaking on camera, as well as giving speeches. The thought caused her a little anxiety, but it was also going to be a very exciting new chapter in her life. She grinned a little at Tony.

"So, when do we leave?"

"Hmm, good question," he said as he plucked his phone from his pocket. Not alot of people had mobile phones but Tony did. He called his personal pilot. "Jack, hey...Good, good and you? Good to hear. Yep, but its Fiji this time. How soon can you get our bird ready?" He asked. "2, my fiancee and I," Tony responded. "Light, just a few bags...maybe...what, 5 days?" he said. "Sounds great," Tony said and then flipped the phone closed.

"7am tomorrow morning. So we'll need to be there at 6:30," Tony said. "How many bags for 5 days?" He asked expecting her to give him some absurd number.

Isabella sipped her wine and ate a little bit more of her Chinese food while Tony called his pilot. She was growing more and more excited. This was something she needed...that they both needed after everything they had recently been through. This was going to give them an opportunity to just be together without distractions.

She grinned a little at Tony when he questioned her about the number of bags she was going to need. "I think 1 bag for clothes and 1 for toiletries will be plenty. So where exactly are we going to be staying?"

"Well, why don't we go pack then head to bed?" Tony suggested. That night he was glad that she decided to come to bed with him. They did not have sex but he held her all through the night and he thought that maybe she had slept fairly well. They were in a rush to get out of the house and he assured her she'd have time on the flight to make herself up if she wanted. Happy drove them to the hanger and He carried their bags for them up into the private jet. The jet was new and fast and unlike anything she had ever seen before. Inside the plane was extremely luxurious. And it was just them and Happy though Happy sat near the cockpit so the main cabin was just theirs by themselves.

Breakfast consisted of breakfast sandwiches and sausages with mimosas and coffee. Tony clinked his glass with hers then leaned back and sank into the comfy chair as the plane took off. "To answer your question I...we...have a villa there. A private infinity pool and bar. Or we could lounge beach side or snorkel. Whatever you want babe" Tony said.

Isabella had missed laying in Tony's arms. His scent was comforting and familiar and she slept restfully without needing any sleeping pills. The following morning they rose early, but were still in a rush to get out. Pepper seemed rather perturbed that Tony hadn't told her that he was leaving for Fiji and she gave Isabella a rather nasty look behind Tony's back.

They made it to the hanger and Tony introduced Isabella to Jack. They got settled in the main cabin and Isabella was overwhelmed by how luxurious the inside of the jet was. Everything was of the highest quality and there was even a tv, which Isabella had never seen in a plane before. Breakfast was served on fine china and the glasses were cut crystal. She took a sip of the coffee and it was the best tasting coffee she had ever had.

"It all sounds wonderful. Just relaxing with you is what I really want."

She took a bite of her breakfast sandwich and chewed and swallowed before picking up her napkin and dabbing the corners of her mouth. She re-positioned the napkin on her lap and smoothed it out.

"I'm not sure Pepper likes me..."

Tony was hopeful for the future and he watched Isabella as she seemed to settle in to the comfort of traveling like this. "Ehhh.,...Well, I'll have to talk to her about that. She has been...decidedly cool lately. I'm not certain she is taking our engagement well," Tony said in between bites.

They played chess and Tony showed her a couple card games. They watched TV and movies and just hung together on the couch. They napped together, the couch reclined and by the time they woke up the Pilot said they were about to fly over the island and that they'd be landing shortly.

------------------------

As Isabella floated on the pool lounger Tony slid back into the water. He had brought her another drink. She was really liking one called a 'hummingbird'. She was in a black bikini and sunglasses. Their wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was around 88 degrees. In the pool it was actually very nice. Tony stepped up beside her and leaned down and kissed her belly. "Another drink for you my love," Tony said sweetly as he set the drink in the cup holder near her hand. The infinity pool looked like she could float off the edge into nothing but that was the illusion. Tony shifted her lounger so she was more centered in the pool again. "How do you feel? Relaxed I hope?" Tony said as he he kissed her again in the same place. He loved how beautiful she was. He could tell her eyes were closed and her breathing was slowed as if she really was relaxed. "I love you," he whispered as he kissed her ribcage a few more times.

Fiji was just as beautiful as Isabella had hoped it would be. It was lush and tropical and the sweet scent of native flowers floated on the gentle breezes. After a walk on the beach, Isabella and Tony returned to the villa and she changed into her bikini. The infinity edge pool gave an unobstructed view of the beach. Isabella was completely relaxed as she lay on the pool lounger. She smiled a little as she heard Tony slip back into the pool. He had brought her another "Hummingbird." She closed her eyes as she felt Tony kiss her belly. She was in paradise and was with the man she loved.

"I love you too Tony," she whispered back.

That night they sat by the fire and watched the sun go down. The breeze wasn't all that bad so Isabella and Tony slept in the stilted shore hut. The bed was still pretty large and they made love with the entire room bathed in the blue glow of the moon that reflected off the water. The next morning they moved back to their villa and took a shower together. There was crepes and coffee and pastries for breakfast. And, once again, the there were no demands on their time. Whatever Isabella wanted to do, they did even if that meant doing nothing at all.

The days seemed to go by too fast though and before Isabella knew it they were back on the plane headed back to New York. It was 85 degrees when they left and going back to the chill of late autumn in New York. In the car ride home Tony had received several phone calls but he did not answer them. He did not want their vacation to end either and he would not let it end until they were back at the house. Once they arrived he did have to excuse himself then though.

In his office his lawyer had been faxing him Frank Castles file. As Tony began to read his eyes grew larger and larger. There was an extensive file but he doubted anyone could have gotten hold of this information through official channels. He decided to make a folder for Isabella though he wasn't certain how she'd take it. He knew Frank had been a friend but he felt he needed to protect Isabella and he doubted Frank had said anything about the things he has been up to. Vigilante murders by the dozens.

He stepped out of his office and called for her. "Isabella, could I see you in my office a moment please!?" he called.

For Isabella, the time went by too quickly. Although she and Tony hadn't made love in 7 years, their first time again was incredible. After that night, they made love every night and sometimes during the day. Unfortunately though, the time soon came for them to leave, although Tony promised her they would return soon.

Returning to New York was going from a tropical paradise to a snowy wonderland. Heavy snows hadn't fallen yet, but there was a dusting of it everywhere and Isabella was forced to replace her bikini with a coat. In the car on the ride back to the estate, they sat close to one another and kissed softly. Neither of them wanted the vacation to end. However, once they got back they both knew they had things to take care of.

Isabella's things had been moved from her apartment to the estate and Isabella set about unpacking and getting everything put away. She was back in the walk-in closet in Tony's bedroom hanging up her clothes when she heard Tony call for her from his office. She walked down the hallway and stepped inside.

"Is everything alright?"

Tony’s office was mix and match of modern and also old England. He had large, wooden fixtures and shelves but also there was tech built in around the room and especially on one wall where there were 12 screens and a massive video/audio system built in below the screens. He had printers and computers and fax machines and even a large copier. His chair was a large, thick padded brown leather and he stood as she entered. In his hand was a 1 inch thick white folder and he handed it to her.

There were other chairs in the room but Tony offered her his. As she came toward it he squeezed her arm and kissed her cheek. “I’m...sorry,” was all he said and left her alone in the office.

The first few sheets were Frank’s Military Dossier. He was a Force Reconnaissance Marine. He did alot of missions that were off the official books. His list of verified kills was not small and his team were known for their lethal efficiency.

Later he did jobs for black bag government agencies, mainly covert operations for the CIA. He opeated in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan and several other places.

Then there was his record involving his civilian life. There were photos of his wife and his son alive and then dead. And how he had initially been accused for their murder. He had been cleared of those charges but the pages that followed detailed his suspected involvement in scores of deaths involving gangsters, criminals and CIA operatives. Some of which Isabella had known in passing. Or heard of.  He was considered a fugitive that was armed and dangerous.

Isabella was not an idiot. She had known that Frank was likely involved in some illegal activity. When she had first met him, he had told her that his job was Top Secret and he couldn't tell her exactly what he did. Isabella hadn't questioned him because she had needed his company and companionship. As she read through the file she felt herself growing more and more upset...both at Frank and at Tony.

Finally, she got up with the file folder in hand, and stormed out of the office. She found Tony down in his lab and by the look on her face he would know she was not happy. She was tense and upset. All those feelings of relaxation and calm from their trip to Fiji was gone in an instant.

"You may be considered a genius on paper Tony, but you can be a real idiot and jerk sometimes! What the hell was the point in showing me this?! I thought we were past all of this with Frank. Why couldn't you just let it go?! I'm never going to see him again so why did you have to shove this into face?! This does nothing but upset me and show me that you don't trust me. Do you want the names of my other boyfriends so you can destroy my memories of them too? There's Matthew Connolly and James Pierce from middle school. Oh, and Andrew Harris was my kindergarten boyfriend. He kissed me by the swing set at recess."

Tony was working on improvements for the Mark III when he heard Isabella stalk into the lab. When he turned on his stool to face her his eyebrows rose up and up and up at the tirade. She had bit into him deep with her anger and frustration. And she also missed the reason why he showed her this. Why he collected all of that information. Part of it was to show her how close she had been to a murdering vigilante. But there were other reasons too. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Are you quite done, Isabella?” Tony said trying to keep a grip on his agitation. “Obadiah had been a family friend to my father. He was like an uncle to me and if he could have, he would have taken my company from me. Everyone we cross paths with, everyone has an agenda. I know you’re not a fool Isabella. I know you’ve been apart of the intelligence and counterintelligence community for years. But everything you’ve done, everyone you’ve known is going to be under scrutiny. Everything you don’t know about them is going to be sought after. What you don’t know can hurt you, can hurt us. Now that you know you can prepare for the eventuality that someone will find out he and you had a relationship. That you knew him. I had a feeling and so I ran with it. Don’t you think its odd that some of the people he was interested in killing had worked for the CIA? And he got close to you...and you worked for the CIA? Do you think I wanted to show you that file? To throw it in your face? Is that what you think of me?” He asked as he looked at her.

Isabella crossed her arms over her chest as she looked back at him. "Well, what the hell was I supposed to think after your jealous freak out over him? No one knows that I was with him. I never told anyone. Not my parents, Luca, or anyone I worked with. We never even left the apartment. As I explained to you before, we didn't exactly have a normal relationship. We weren't going out on dates or anywhere in public together. There's no evidence of my relationship with him."

Tony winced at the end of her rebuttal and he deliberated with himself on even showing her this but he wanted to open up her eyes to what was actually going on. Open them but not throw her into a tail spin either. He turned away from her and began typing on his computer. There were large screens near his computer and he typed up the backup tapes from her apartments security cameras. When you never slept and had more time than what you knew what to do with. AND unlimited resources, you could find alot on just about anything.

A video in black and white began to play. Frank was in a hoodie as he came into her apartment building. He had done something at her door, obviously picking her locks and let himself in. Then there were other videos of him in different clothes. Several others. One such video he only wore a black knit cap on his head but he looked at the camera and his face was recognizable. The tapes were somewhat fuzzy but Tony had done some regrading of the resolutions. Nothing the CIA couldn't do. And then there were two men that came into the apartment building dressed in suits and gray trenchcoats. the camera followed them until they pointed something at the camera and the camera cut off. But then the video showed them again at a different angle, a different camera ofcourse and the two men were at Isabella's door. They were at her door and then let themselves into her apartment. Tony paused the playback then turned back to face her.

"What you don't know can hurt you. Happy has seen a car following us. They're keeping their distance but they are following us. There are two men in the car," Tony said.

Isabella started to watch the video, but when she saw Frank she looked away. Tony would be able to see just how upset she was. Partially at him, but more at everything else at this point. She didn't want to watch anymore and was about to tell Tony that he had made his point, when the video of the two men in suits and trenchcoats suddenly began to play. She didn't recognize the men and when she saw them at her apartment door she began to become alarmed.

"Who the hell are they?"

Tony stood up and handed her a small, yellow sticky note. "I don't know babe, but Happy did get their license plate. He thinks their CIA or someone hired by them," Tony said as he took Isabella up into his arms. "I trust you Isabella. You and Happy are the only two people I do trust...completely. You are the single most important person in my life. We've known each other for a long time and I love you. I love you and I failed once in protecting you. I won't fail a second time. But I need your help to keep you safe. Do you think you could tap your friends at the CIA to find out who is using this car?" Tony asked. "If you don't want to be apart of this, just say it and you won't be. There are no games being played here. Not by me," Tony said softly as he looked at her.

Isabella took the sticky note, but she needed time to digest everything. She was overwhelmed and upset at this point and needed to clear her head. She didn't really respond to Tony. She just walked away and left the lab. After a couple of hours she did call Renee and she gave her the license plate number. Renee said she would get back to her soon.

She then wandered back down to the lab. She could hear Tony in his office talking to...someone and so she knew he wasn't down there. He had left the plans for the improvements to the Mark III up and she looked at them for a moment. Tony's technology was beyond state of the art and used projected 3D imagining. It took her a while, but she finally figured out how it worked. She began to play around and create another suit using ideas from the Mark III, but adjusting it. She made the new suit sleeker and more feminine in shape. She added shielding technology and a medical suite. She began to play around with the colors, choosing a sapphire blue and silver scheme that contrasted against the Ferrari red and gold of the Mark III. She was trying to figure out how to give the suit invisibility capabilities when she heard Tony come in. He had never given her permission to mess around in his lab and she immediately stood up.

"Sorry...I was just messing around..."