Redemption
Chapter 1
Tony, make it stop!
Tony Stark sat up with a start, gasping for breath. The dream was so real, like always. He scrubbed a weary hand across his face. He had fallen asleep at his desk again and sleep was something he couldn't afford to do. Turning in his chair, he looked to where Pepper lay asleep in their bed. That was why he couldn't stop. Each time he felt like the task of decoding Extremis was too hard, one look was his reminder to keep going.
Tony, make it stop!
The scene was just as fresh in Tony's mind as the day he saw it projected in Killian's dungeon. He could hear the clacking of the metal balls rolling on the floor. The picture of Pepper strapped down, an IV full of the sinister liquid in her, was all too vivid. Aldrich Killian took perverse pleasure in showing the ghastly image. The video feed had no sound, but Tony could read her lips. The tears in her eyes mirrored his own. He knew how her voice sounded, so in his brain, he could hear her screams, every desperate word.
Tony, make it stop!
It was his fault. Like a fool, he called out a terrorist and Pepper paid for it. But, he would right his wrong. He was Tony Stark and he vowed to fix the problem, to fix Pepper, if it took everything he had. He rubbed bloodshot eyes, picked up his pencil, and looked at his work so far. The desk was covered with every scrap of research he could get his hands on about the Extremis virus. For some reason, he thought of this genius mathematician in a movie he and Pepper once watched. Tony had scoffed at the idea of someone filling page upon page of a notebook with some formula that would change the world. The idea didn't sound nearly as ludicrous now. He flipped through the three dozen or so pages covered in his scrawl, gibberish to most, but for him, it represented the most important work Tony Stark would ever do, driven , not by fame, but the need to make things right. He wanted to close his eyes and not see her tear-stained face or hear her tortured cries.
Tony, make it stop!
Tony worked furiously until his hand cramped around the pencil it held. He had no idea how much time had passed. He slumped back against his chair, rubbing his hand. There were ten floors of R&D space in the new Tower, but he chose to confine his work to one corner of the master bedroom. Here he could work and watch Pepper. Rising with a sigh, Tony made his way to the bathroom. Once inside, he ran the sink full of cold water. Tony splashed his face repeatedly and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Maybe it was time he admitted he couldn't do this alone. He made Pepper a promise. He'd even made his boasts that he was a mechanic and fixing things was what he did. Who cares what else he could create if he couldn't fix the one thing that actually mattered? The list of people capable of helping him was short. The list of whom he would trust to work on fixing Pepper was even shorter. At this moment, it consisted of exactly one person. Bruce was certainly smart enough to understand the scientific aspects of what was going on. He also understood how much Pepper meant to him. If he couldn't get this thing figured out, maybe he could get Bruce to talk to Pepper. Of everyone, he would know how to help her keep everything under control. "Okay," he said to the face staring back at him. "You have completely lost it if you're considering getting anger management tips from the Hulk." Tony wet his face again before draining the sink. He patted it dry with a nearby towel and gave himself one more look. Pepper wasn't depending on Bruce or anyone else. In her greatest hour of need, she hadn't called out for her parents or God or even Iron Man. Pepper called him.
Tony, make it stop!
Suddenly, Tony was too tired to work any more. If he were fortunate, he would get some rest before the dream came. He crawled into bed beside Pepper. There had to be something he was missing. As he lay there, he began to go over the formula in his head, line-by-line. Just as he was about to doze off, he thought of the smudged writing on the name tag and the two equations he'd written when he was drunk. Those two were the only way it could possibly... He stopped himself mid-thought. Were there two? Tony tossed back the covers and practically leaped out of the bed. He rifled through the stuff on the desk until he found the tag from the Bern conference. "I didn't write it down!" He grabbed his notebook and searched for the correct page. Instead of the two equations he thought he copied into the formula, there was only one. "That's why it worked in my head and not on paper," he muttered to himself. Tearing a page from the back of the notebook, he plugged in the forgotten part. "That's it! You were a miserable, forgetful drunk, Stark."
"Tony?" Pepper called groggily from the bed. "Are you alright?"
"Absolutely," he confidently replied. "In a little while, you will be, too. I found it."
"Found what?" She sat up in bed, still puzzled by what he meant.
"You'll see," he said before bounding out of the room.
Author's note: So...there is chapter one. Is it worth more following chapters? I recently watched IM3 again and it is chock-full of story ideas. IDK how many chapters this will evolve into, but, I think it's going to be interesting. I just hope you all feel the same way. :) Special thanks to my BFF for helping me frame out the original storyline, and to nancyozz and starkind for their input. Reviews are wanted and welcome (especially to gauge interest for future chapters). PEPPERONY FOREVER!