A/N: I do not own Ironman; if I did I wouldn't be writing this. I started writing this a couple days ago before seeing Ironman 2. I'm going to finish this before seeing it so I won't have any of that in here. Please review!
Pepper Potts stood in horror as the man she loved was beat down, being hit over and over again with barely an equal defense for himself. He has told her to overload the arc energy generator to induce an energy release that would cause an explosion hopefully large enough to disarm Obadiah Stane's suit. Pepper could now see that Tony was on the middle of the roof where the explosion would be most lethal. His helmet had come off and he no longer had the advantage of Jarvis. Hanging by his arms, Tony was thinking through his options. He kept coming up with the overload. He know it would put himself and maybe even Ms. Potts in danger but Pepper was smart and he believed that she would be able to escape in time. Potts was all he had. No wife, no kids, as Yensin said, he had everything and nothing.
"Pepper!" Tony yelled down to her.
Pepper looked up in disbelief and defiance knowing what he wanted her to do but needing clarification nonetheless.
"Hit the button!" Tony yelled.
"No, it might kill you!" she replied.
"Just do it!" Tony screamed at her, sounding but not feeling sure that he would make it out alive.
Pepper smashed down the button and ran to get out of the building knowing it would soon explode. As she was running out, debris was falling all around her. Just as she opened the door to the hallway, a metal beam fell slamming her to the ground and hitting her head against the concrete floor. Pepper blinked several times to try and clear her head of the fog but it was no use. Pieces of the building were beginning to rain down and she knew the arc reactor would soon explode. Pepper tried to stand up but the beam was holding her legs down and she fell to the floor, fog overtaking her mind, fell limp into unconsciousness.
Tony landed on the roof of the building after fighting Stane. He knew that Stane had been defeated but didn't have enough power to save himself. He knew in his heart that he was going to die and as he lay on the roof of the destroyed building with his power flickering, he had many regrets. Mainly he regretted not paying any attention to what his company was doing and never being the man that people could look up to and respect. His biggest regret, however, didn't only affect him: he had loved Pepper and never told her. His last thought before succumbing to the veil of darkness covering his mind was for the wellbeing and future of the only woman that ever really understood him.