Well since it was requested I am going to start the story behind A Generous Lie! Be warned there will be lots of sarcasm, foullanguage, andlittle bits of smut! I hope you guys enjoy it! Let's get this party started huh? I own NOTHING except Liza(lee-zah) and the plot I guess!

Liza sighed as she walked into Tony's home with her PDA in hand. She was dressed much like Patricia or Pepper as they called her. The only difference was she preferred the freedom of 'forgetting' the jacket to go over her collared work shirt. The top few buttons left un-heeded. She waved and smiled to Pepper while simultaneously chewing out a tabloid editor who had dared to print smut about Tony.
"I don't care how much the pictures cost you! You mess with the bull you get the horns! I want every copy recalled and burned! Mr. Stark is my business so get it done,yesterday!" She promptly hung up the blue tooth and sighed watching Pepper talk to a blond which Liza recognized as a reporter from Vanity Fair. Liza rolled her eyes as she heard the two women exchange words. Liza smiled sweetly as she saw the women walk her way. "Hope you have a pleasant day ma'am. Don't come back kay?" The smile from the girls face faded as she walked away. Liza cleared her throat and the girl turned around. "I'm gonna need that shirt back sweetie." Liza held out her hand and turned to pepper. "Remind me to maim Tony for letting some chick wear the shirt I bought him." Pepper nodded and smiled the tiniest bit. Liza turned back to the blond and snapped her fingers in a 'hurry up' gesture.
"We're all girls here sweet pea, It isn't anything we haven't seen in the mirror before! I have a really tight schedule so make it snappy."

Pepper and Liza chatted idly while walking downstairs to Tony's 'workshop'.
"I bought him this shirt for his birthday last year plus that gold Rolex i could hardly afford. It's insulting to see some skank wearing it in some morning after, lovey dovey attempt." Liza snapped, and Pepper sighed.
"At least you didn't have to be there to greet her." Liza rolled her eyes.
"I am so glad I'm family or else I wouldn't be able to be as rude as I am to them. Meaning the notches in Tony's proverbial bedpost of course." Pepper tapped in her code and they both went into his workshop as he hunched over his newest project. Liza threw the shirt over his head with a glare before he turned to look at his assistant and publicist with an eyebrow raised.

"Something wrong ladies? By the way Liza you look stunning this morning. Have I told you that yet?" Liza rolled her eyes and Pepper cleared her throat opening up her folder of things Tony needed to sign and a smaller schedule.

"You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now." He lifted up a car part and looked at his gaze away from them again. Liza made a face at her long time friend pinching the bridge of her nose.

"How'd she take it?" Tony asked making Liza speak up before Pepper did.

"Like a champ. Speaking of the Vanity Fair hussy, where'd you get that shirt you left for her to put on Tony? I'd really like to know."

He stopped for a second, and continued his project before answering her.

"From a very high-end store I presume. I mean you do all my shopping so you'd probably know better than I do." She mimed strangling him before wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a hug.

"I got it for you for your birthday. It's special it means something, and I'd really like it if you just starting buying disposable robes for these girls really." She let him go, and stood up letting Pepper talk again to get his business done.

"You're flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago." He was still playing with his car parts like a child in the sandbox, and it irked Liza sometimes that he didn't even care enough to turn and make eye contact when they talked to him.

"That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all that it would just wait for me to get there." Pepper pulled a piece of red hair from her face, and Liza could tell she was getting impatient. It wasn't uncommon working with Tony, and she had years of practice under her belt that made him bearable to be around for so long.

"Tony, I need to speak with you about a couple things before I get you out the door." He stopped picking up one piece and a rag before turning to look at them finally, but completely ignoring Pepper's attempt to get her job done.

"I mean doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive." Liza shook her head, and crossed her arms speaking up in Pepper's defense.

"Tony, shut up and let Pepper get her job done. Really you don't pay her enough." Pepper nodded to Liza before listing the things that she needed to get in order before Tony left on his trip, and Liza knew he had totally forgotten that it was Pepper's birthday. She followed them across the room sitting herself on Tony's work bench beside them as she got everything done and signed. Liza smirked as she realized she had been right about Tony when he had to ask if it was really Pepper's birthday.

"So, are you here to rush me off to? It's not your birthday too is it, cause that would just be embarrassing." Liza shook her head with a smirk and signaled to Pepper.

"Nope, just came with Pepper because we have plans, but we can't have fun until you leave. Tony, I can't miss you if you're still here, get to work." He chuckled slightly and walked off with both Liza and Pepper in tow with Liza looking at her work schedule double checking if she had missed anything. She carted around the latest smart phone which had her life inside it, along with Tony's life at least in the public eye. Once they got Tony in the car and off to the airport she and Pepper could get to their plans for her birthday. Liza smirked at the plans she had made, and knew that her ginger friend was going to be surprised.

She leaned back in her seat as her driver drove her and Pepper to their destination, and Liza was still playing with her phone.

"You forgot something didn't you? Tony is starting to rub off on you." Liza laughed at Pepper's jest, and shook out her light brown locks as she looked in her hand-held mirror meeting her own gray green-flecked eyes.

"It's my blessing and my curse. I just need to call this magazine." She paused to dial the number and put the phone to her ear. She used her fakest polite voice she could muster when the receptionist answered. "Hello this is Liza Masterson, Tony Stark's Publicist, and I saw we had an interview scheduled for today. I'm afraid Mr. Stark can't make it."

The voice spoke back and Pepper just listened with a sly smile. "He's away on a demonstration until very late. He won't be in until tomorrow actually. If we could reschedule, that would be great." She made a face before finally ending the call with a sigh. She smiled to the woman next to her her lips colored a dark maroon for their little outing. Pepper's eye met Liza's and the redhead looked down with a smile.

"Thanks for doing this you didn't have to." Liza waved the idea away, and shook her head her curled hair bouncing slightly.

"Nonsense, we've been friends for a long time, and you work too hard. You deserve it."

They walked into the fancy restaurant with a dance floor, and Liza smiled at the atmosphere. It was high end, but was still her speed with actual dance music instead of just classical. It was a mix between a night club, and a ritzy Stark Industries party. They were led to a table, and seated by a polite hostess, and Pepper looked around smiling.

"A simple place would have been fine. You have to let me help you with the bill." Liza shook her head with a chuckle.

"Never, it's your birthday Pepper stop worrying. Enjoy yourself, and after dinner we should go out for a dance. You look amazing by the way." The two laughed and ordered drinks Liza slipping a note to the waiter that it was the red head's birthday for a surprise later in the night.

Liza wiped her eyes as she woke up that morning remembering the news that Obadiah had delivered to her and Pepper. She remembered falling to her knees and whispering to herself over and over that this was a nightmare. Every day since had proven that it hadn't been a nightmare. Tony was captured on his demonstration, and who knows what else was happening to him. She realized she was sobbing again, and turned into her pillow screaming into it. She had already lost so much when it came to family, and she was feeling that once she lost Tony there was nothing for her anymore. Would Obadiah take over Stark Industries, and would Tony ever come home? She looked at her phone Pepper's number flashing on the screen, and hit ignore unable to face anyone let alone talk to them in her moments of grief.

A young Liza rubbed her eyes as she opened the door to her room to see her father pacing back and forth with the phone to his ear. She saw a piece of paper clutched in his hand, and wondered why he wasn't at work already. She shuffled up to him in herpinkfootiepajamas tugging at his robe with her tiny hand.

"Daddy, why aren't you at work? They need you or else they'll never get it right." He couldn't hear her through his panic and slammed the phone on thereceiverwith a growl. He continued pacing, and Liza went to her parent's room to wake her mother who was usually the only one who could calm her father. She turned the corner and was standing at the doorway of the master bedroom only to see the room looked incredibly bare. Half the closet was empty, and the drawers were all pulled out some empty of their contents.

The young girl walked back to living room where her father sat with his face in his hands. She tugged at his robe again before he looked at her with his eyes red and puffy.

"Where's mommy? She's gotta take me to school." He let out a strangled sob before pulling his daughter into a hug trying to still his emotion as not to worry the little girl.

"Mommy...hadto go away for awhile baby doll." Liza made a face and hugged her father back.

"When is she coming back? Today is show and tell." He shook his head his stubble scratching her shoulder through her pajamas.

"I don't know princess, but how would you like to come with daddy to work today huh?" Liza smiled as they pulled away from each other hergrayeyes shining with excitement.

"Really daddy? I wanna go, can I?" He smiled half-heartedly and nodded his head ruffling her hair.

"Of course sweetie. Go get dressed, and we'll go." She ran off to her pink painted room that looked like something out of a fairytale book. She would learn later in life that her mother had left them, and that fairy tales were sometimes out of the question.

She made a face at all the little cubicles crammed into the small space, as her father led her down the aisles of the office. Many faces greeted him until they reached an office with his name on the door. 'ElijahMasterson' was stamped inblack letters acrossthe glassof the door like abadge of honor. Liza smiled as her father sather on a small cot in the back of his office while he started on his work pulling out rolls upon rolls of paper and rolling them out over his desk. The little girl smiled brightly at her father as he worked, and recalled that her mother always said her dad was incredibly smart.

"Daddy are you a genus? Mommy said you were really smart, and that's what genus means right?" He looked back at her chuckling slightly and shaking his head.

"You mean genius doll, and no I don't think I'm a genius. Just very smart."

Liza tried hard to keep her eyes open as she lay on the cot trying to keep watching her father at work. Her eyes had closed for a second when a knock was heard in the tiny office. Liza sat up to see a well dressed man with slightlygrayinghair at the door, along with a young boy around her age with shaggy dark brown hair and brown eyes at his heels. Her father seemed to panic dropping a few of his tools. "Mr. Stark, I'm so sorry about my daughter being here but we had an emergency at home, and I didn't have time to get her a ride to school. It'll never happen again." The man looked right into her eyes with an indifferent stare that made the young girl go to hide behind her father's leg.

"You were late, and I needed those measurements checked and corrected by this morning."

Elijah went closer to his boss whispering so his daughter couldn't hear their conversation.

"Mr. Stark I'll get them to you right away, but mywife...sheleft us this morning. I didn't know what else to do sir. She won't get in the way of my work." The elder Stark sighed with a slight hint of pity in his eyes, and regained his rigid exterior.

"Let me see to it thatshedoesn't. She can stay with Tony in my office while we get this done." Elijah went wide eyed, and cleared his throat shaking the man's hand.

"Thank you Mr. Stark. I don't know how I'll ever repay you." He shook his head and Liza's father turned to her gripping her shoulder softly. "Now baby doll, I want you to go with Mr. Stark, and be on your best behavior okay? Can I trust you to be a good girl?"

Liza nodded and her father pushed her over to his boss with a smile and a wave. The intimidating man signaled to her to follow him and his son.

"Come on young lady." She followed quickly waving to her father before following the man to another office. "What's your name sweetie?" She shuffled her feet and spoke softly to him.

"Liza, but my daddy calls meLi-lisometimes. What's your name?" He was starting to seem less intimidating as the conversation went on he smiled slightly to the little girl.

"Howard, but you should call me Mr. Stark."

They finally made it to a grand office with leather couches, and dark cherry wood tables and shelves. She looked around in awe, and smiled as she spotted an old phonograph in the corner of the room. She looked back and saw Mr. Stark whispering to another man who nodded as Mr. Stark left the room leaving her with the boy, and a stranger. She looked to the boyMr. Starkhad called Tony who was looking back at her with the same strange look she was giving him. She spoke first as the two shifted uncomfortably under theirbabysitter'sgaze.

"Does your daddy work here too?" He scoffed at her and made a face.

"Thatwasmy dad. My name is TonyStark." She was silent again for a second before asking him another question.

"Isn't that just short for Anthony?"

Liza laughed as she jumped onto the back of James Rhodes with Tony laughing to the side of them. She had grown quite a bit in the years that had passed being fifteen at the time. Rhodey as the two so affectionately called him laughed trying to keep her on his back.

"You're not as light as you used to be you know." She faked a gasp and looked to Tony.

"I think he's saying I'm fat Tone. Can you believe this?" Tony chuckled with a shrug and a shake of his head as they made their way to the Stark home.

"I'm staying out of this one." Liza laughed again, but frowned and jumped offRhodey'sback as agroup of paramedic's shuffled out of the Stark building with a stretcher.

She recognized her father on the stretcher and stopped a paramedic in panic.

"What's going on what happened to my dad? Is he gonna be okay?" She was pulled away and turned to see Howard Stark himself pulling her back.

"Liza we'll met them at the hospital come on, hurry up." She nodded with worry deep in her eyes both her friends following after her into a car. Once they made it to the hospital she didn't leave her father's bedside whispering encouraging words to his sleeping form. She vaguely registered Tony's hand on her shoulder rubbing softly in comfort.

"You can't leave me daddy, not like Mom. You're gonna make it through this."

Liza was sobbing into Tony's shoulder the umbrella above them taking a beating from the rain that feel around them as they lowered her father into the muddy ground. He was holding her close, and trying to calm her down. Howard was next to them sadness in his eyes as he looked to the little girl he had become quite attached to. There was no trace of emotion on his face, and Tony had starting complaining to Liza all the time about his coldness. She felt fury bury itself in her heart at the fact that even when her father was dead her mother never bothered to come back. She was trying to stop crying but couldn't her throat burning at the sobs she was trying to hold back. Little did she know the tables would turn just a few years later.

Liza wiped her eyes at the memories remembering that just two years later when Tony was seventeen, they both lost Howard as well. Now she was losing Tony, and she wondered just what else fate would cruelly take away from her. She felt her heart ache at the thought that she would never see Tony again. That maybe she would be burying him next, and that she would never tell him what she had been hiding for so long. She had realized while she was in college that after all the years being with Tony that she had fallen in love with him. She had also vowed to never tell him until the time was right. She sobbed into her hand when she thought she may have missed her chance to tell him everything. She would have nothing, and be nothing without her best friend. She had never been spiritual, or been the praying type. She prayed now though for Tony's safe return, and she prayed as hard as she could.

Alrightywell, I promised if enough people wanted this to be a fic I would do it, and in honor of the Avengers coming out I decided to finish this first chapter. I know that I'm pushing a lot on you in this first chapter about Liza's life, but the purpose is for you to see her grief at Tony's disappearancein the beginning ofIronman, and why she is grieving so harshly. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and more of Liza's character in the next chapter and perhaps the return of Tony! Reviews would be nice!