She did not want to see this. To see New York. To see Tony in danger. Yet again. The urgent report was playing though and she could not draw her eyes away from it.

"No." She mouthed seeing Tony with a fucking nuke. Of all the stupid things, she supposed to be proud of him being the hero... but she wasn't. Call her selfish but she would rather see Tony fly as fast as he could away from it all, see him safe. She valued Tony over New York and if that was not selfish then she did not know what was.

She only heard her phone when it was too late. Tony. By the time she picked it up he had gone through the hole and it had closed.

He did not come out. Nothing did. Not more aliens, nor any nuclear blast. Not Iron Man but most importantly not Tony Stark.

"No." He had tried to call her and she had missed it. She never got to hear the last words he meant for her.

"Tony..."

"Tony..."

An empty coffin was lowered into the ground. AC-DC blared out as that was the way Tony liked to make his entrances and so he would his last exit. Everyone wore sunglasses as she just felt that was a detail that Tony would appreciate, even if in part just to hide her tears. Tony had never coped well with crying especially not hers or his own.

"To Tony!" She declared raising a glass of whiskey, she did not like the stuff but Tony had. Everyone else rose a glass with her. She could have easily broken down there and then, but she didn't, she had help holding herself steady. A strong hand on each shoulder and one that trembled just as much as hers holding onto her like it was a life-line.

Captain America and Happy Hogan flanked each side whilst James Rhodes just gripped onto her hand as desperately as she gripped onto his. Tony had left a lot of people behind, more than he possibly even thought when he had to go and sacrifice himself. The words 'sacrifice' and 'hero' felt bitter on her tongue.

Even if Tony had made his suit fit for space even it could not withstand a nuclear blast, just in case though she had pleaded Thor to ask that all-seeing man he spoke for just to check for him. It was not logical and she did not dare allow herself to dream he would show up sunglasses and all and tell her that, yes, he loved her. To tell her what he wanted to say on that missed phone call as he flew up to his death. To say that the reports of his death was greatly exaggerated with a shit-eating grin on his face as if he hadn't decided to take a suicide mission.

Thor agreed solemnly to her request, his hands dwarfed hers as he clasped them telling her that he was sorry for the chaos that his brother had wrought. Said brother had a muzzle on and chains beside him. The muzzle was for Loki's own safety. The moment Bruce had seen that man's smirk after what they and the world, she, had lost he had practically Hulked out very willing to give the self-proclaimed 'God' some permanent damage. Heck, if she saw a smirk she was pretty sure she could have given the Hulk a run for his money on destroying Loki.

Loki was not the only one she felt like destroying, Loki had not been the one to call on the Nuke after all. Stark Industries was not going to let SHIELD or their little council anywhere near any of their products, old or new. They had killed Tony just as much as Loki had a role in doing so, and they were going to suffer for it. They did not even have Phil to soften the blow as Loki had killed him too. Loki and SHIELD were both going to feel the wrath of one Virginia 'Pepper' Potts.

SHIELD hadn't sent a representative to the funeral; Natasha was there but not as representative. The whole Avengers team was there, including Thor who had returned briefly for it after securing Loki in a cell where he could not hurt anyone else. Or get hurt by the Avengers for taking one of their own. Pepper was grateful for them showing up.

"For Tony!" The Avengers' voices carried the furthest and she blinked back heavy tears and held back the sobs that threatened to wrack her body. She would cry later, but she had finally found him... the elusive Bruce Banner. Bruce was struggling but he still came and that meant a lot. He had braved his fear of turning big, green and ugly just to show his respects for Tony.

She had to be in business mode for this bit, Bruce Banner was a tricky little shit on keep pinned down but he had showed up here. This was her best chance to catch him, if she succumbed to her misery who knows when she would next see him.

"Dr. Banner." She greeted, his throat bobbed and he bent his head towards her in greeting not trusting himself to speak. His hands had a slight green tint to them; she cleared her throat lightly causing him to look up at her. She took those lightly green hands in her own without fear. Banner's breath caught and he tried to remove his hands from hers, she didn't let him and held firm.

"We have an opening for someone of your talents at Stark Industries." The man practically choked at her words.

"Is this really the time?" His green tinged eyes looked at her in concern, Pepper was not sure what his eye colour was supposed to be but she had a feeling that they shouldn't be that green. She had dealt with Tony hiding the fact he was dying, when he was in Afghanistan – Tony Stark even at his best made her heart clench in fear for him. She knew true fear; she did not feel it with this man and with Tony gone she would not have to feel it again. It hurt. She wouldn't let Bruce Banner cower her with his own fear.

"Tony would have liked me to tie up his loose ends. He would have wanted you taken care for and I promise him this that I will. He would have done this himself... if not for..." Banner's eyes were painfully dull now the green washed out of them, he looked so worn. Pepper realised that her business mask was cracking but she couldn't bring herself to care. She too was worn.

"Despite all claims he had no heart... which sadly I think he started to believe along the way, the truth was he loved too easily. He had met you for about ten minutes and decided to take you into his folds... that's the man he is... was. If he was willing to trust you then I'll offer the same hand. Come on Banner, if Tony Stark believed in you it's about time you take a chance and believe in yourself a little." Maybe her voice had hitched as small sobs broke their way through but at least she was getting to the man. She could have probably pulled her tried and tested steel woman act on him but she felt too shattered from Tony's death, it hurt to think about how he wouldn't be able to annoy her again, to pull herself together enough to use it.

"When's the interview?" Pepper gave a mix between a sob and a laugh.

"You better show for it Banner. He left me the suits and I'll hunt you down in one." She knew as she had seen him write his will, been the one to check it over as genius though the man was he did not have much of a business head on him. He had wrote one when he realised he was dying, but didn't tell her as he was a fool at the worst of times, he had updated it several times since then.

The amount of death threats and near deaths he had it would be unwise not to have a will, he had updated it after Agent Coulson had left as if he knew something like this would happen before getting down to research. He had joked that if he died that way he made sure she got eighty-eight percent of Stark Tower, when she asked why that number she already knew the answer. So he was the one who had twelve percent rather than her.

She had not seen the latest will fully so when who received what came up she may still be surprised. Tony had a bad habit of adding people to his will for the stupidest of things. If a valet did a nice job with one of his cars and opened the door for Pepper, then that valet probably ended up getting that car in Tony's will. Tony merely waved off Pepper's concerns before sending her a smile.

"You get what you give. I just happen to have a lot to give than they do so if they managed to leave an impression on me then they may as well get what they deserve."

There was a lot of confused people who did not know why they were there, why would they of all people be invited to Tony Stark's reading of the will. Tony Stark's left shoe were bound to cost more than they would ever earn. Pepper knew better however.

That woman there sitting nervously upon her hands looking out of place in her waitress uniform had gave Tony a smile when he was having a bad day. Something had set him off, Pepper had a feeling it was something about the lobster tank and having to stand above it to pick his Lobster. It reminded him too much of being dunked in Afghanistan. When his hands had trembled so hard that his glass had smashed on the floor, she had cleaned it up and calmed him down without causing a fuss or reporting the incident to the tabloids. For her simple kindness Tony had searched her up, seeing that she was saving up to buy her father's old bar. Naturally Tony had bought it and then brought it back to its old glory, that was what the woman was going to receive from Tony's will.

There was several incidents with people giving Tony Stark small kindnesses receiving ridiculous paybacks. Tony could have given it them when he was still... alive. He had always been a dramatic son of a bitch though and he did not believe in doing things half way, he would them his all or nothing until he could give them his all.

Captain America to his surprise had received something. As did Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner and the Hulk. Banner had sheepishly arranged to accept it on the behalf of the Hulk. Pepper should have really been more surprised but Tony had known of all them before he had researched his to be teammates. The night he updated his will he had been researching them after all. She might have thought that he had updated it since then if it wasn't for the devastating sound of Phil Coulson being on his will. Tony wasn't the only man that was being buried that she had cared about. Phil Coulson or Agent if Tony was to be believed had become a friend.

He had left a video to go with his recent updates to the will. It was shown after everyone was taken care of and left considering how intimate it may be, out of respect it was shown when there wasn't about a hundred people there. Pepper smoothed down her skirt to calm herself down at the sight of Tony Stark grinning in the face of a camera being shown on a large screen. Had this really been barely a few weeks ago? Probably not even forty-eight hours before his... passing. He looked so full of life and excited as if he was speaking about his new car rather than what would happen to his stuff in the event of his death.

"To 'the Incredible Hulk' I leave a pair of stretchy pants that will prevent further indecent exposure charges. I know because I'm very good at research when Pepper promises me nice things." There was an eyebrow wiggle there. Banner gave a short laugh of disbelief and embarrassment, somewhere in his bundle of emotions there was also gratefulness. "To Dr. Bruce Banner, I leave the removal of one Thaddeus Ross from your life as you'd be surprised how quickly people lose their power when all their dirty deeds come to light. If anything I've done was less than legal well if you're hearing this I'm already dead so hey go ahead and lock me up. Your welcome." The video Tony held up his wrists with a grin and gave a small bow of his head as if accepting thanks and praise from Bruce.

Banner actually choked up at that bit and clenched at his trousers trying to not to break in front of everyone. He excused himself but no one could possibly think any less of him, Pepper did not. She felt rather too emotional at the sight of Tony being so... Tony.

"To Natasha, Natalie or Nicole. Who knows what other name you're using, you should really start using different initials though. You were a nice PA – not Pepper level but hey who could compete with. For stabbing me in the neck I offer you a chance to go clean, I doubt you would take it though but the offer stands and I know I'm not in the weapon business anymore but considering how much you enjoy stabbing things I decided to make an exception for you. They can glow, they slice, they dice any number of crap. You're welcome."

"To the overly emotional Captain America," The video Tony was bursting with hardly concealed amusement.

"Oh crap." Pepper murmured, Steve Rogers may have looked confused but Pepper knew exactly where this was going. Looking at Rhodey he knew exactly where this was going as well.

"Who grubbed with his husband Hank." Poor Steve Rogers looked startled and all sadness he may have felt was currently being overpowered by utter confusion and a need to point out that he had never once had a husband let alone one named Hank. "Grubbed for everything they could get from me and then shed crocodile tears when I needed sympathy."

Pepper cringed, of course Tony would do this to the Captain America he had grown up to hate before he got to know the man a little more and eventually begrudgingly respecting the other. Not realising how much the other would actually grieve one of the last connections to his past, the son to one of his greatest friends, the man he fought beside. She tried signalling to turn it off but the person in charge of the screen was too enraptured themselves to heed her.

"To Captain America I leave... a boot to the head." Pepper sighed resting her head in her hands. Goddamn it Tony, he aimed to give her headaches from beyond the grave.

Thankfully being super human and all the rather alarmed and slightly hurt Captain America managed to catch the boot that some idiot decided to actually throw before it hit him in the head.

"He fucking did." Rhodes muttered to himself trying to convey his apologies to the blond. Even when Tony was dead (dead was such a harsh word) he still had to cause issues where they need to apologise for his erratic and extravagant behaviour. Steve was otherwise preoccupied by a piece of paper in the boot. Because it wouldn't be Tony if he didn't go full out.

Pepper was on her feet quite willing to try and apologise to the man who had been nothing but supportive for whatever offensive message Tony probably put there.

Steve Rogers clasped at his mouth when opened the sealed, unopened package. Well that hurt more than the boot would ever do. It was a note and child's drawing attached to a worn and faded Captain America poster. The child's drawing had a figure that was obviously him next to a boy holding his shield aloft. The names 'Captain America' and 'Tony (me)' sprawled across them.

'I'm not sure if I ever got to meet you, this is in case I did and no doubt was an ass. Hey, that's me. You're probably as perfect as dad made you out to be, America's golden boy. I don't cope well with perfect, just ask Pepper, the amount of times we drove each other up the walls. I don't deserve perfect heck knows why she doesn't call for a restraining order.

'The boot to the head, probably not funny – if I wasn't dead Pepper would kill me for it. I just wanted you to know... shit. Well this is so fucking sappy but you were my childhood hero and I guess I don't want Captain Fucking America to think of Anthony Edward Stark as nothing but a small selfish man who thinks he's a big man when he's in a tin can.

'I guess some stupid part of me wanted one of my childhood heroes to think that maybe Tony Stark wasn't such as waste of space... I was too late with dad. That was where I spilt water, it was definitely not a tear, Stark Men DON'T cry. Well here's a stupid drawing I did when I was like four and my old poster, I should have thrown them away. I throw a lot of things away but guess Tony Stark does have a heart after all.

'This is our little secret solider, no one must know of this mush contained in this letter otherwise I will HAUNT you so damn hard.

'Tony.

'(P.S. Coulson probably got his cards signed, it's stupid because I'm dead but hey sign my poster for me?)'

"I didn't think you were a waste of space Tony." Steve murmured softly, he might have been appalled by some of the crass language used in the letter if the rest of the contents did not hurt so damn much. He realised with a choked laugh that he was going to sign that damned poster and probably Coulson's cards too even if it was too late.

He had been upset by whatever the boot was supposed to mean but that was nothing compared to what that stupidly honest letter had dragged out of probably both the reader and the writer. He had a piece of Tony in his hand and that was more than most people have ever gotten. He had to wonder if they would have grown closer if Tony had lived or if it remained that the closest Tony would have ever gotten to being truly honest with him was when the Stark felt safely dead.

"Captain Rogers? I'm sorry for this. It's just... was just his twisted sense of humour." That wasn't the first time Pepper had caught herself still talking about him in present tense as if he was still around rather than long gone.

"It's fine, ma'am. I got his apology right here... he thought you were perfect. Did you know that?"

"No. I didn't know that."

"Well... he did."