Well, I know that I said I was done...but I just can't stop writing about these characters. So here's a story that'll be about 3 or four chapters, depending on how I feel.

It takes place five years after "You're All I Have."

PLEASE-Read on, and remember to tell me what you think. :)

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Previously in my Promotion series...

"I love you, Virginia," Tony said, touching his lips to hers in a kiss full of sweet emotion. "My Pepper." She smiled.

"I love you, Anthony," she said, purposely using his full name, earning a heartwarming smile. After a moment, she said, "Remember how you told me…all those years ago…that you didn't have anybody but me?" Tony's face twisted into a wistful grin.

"You mean when I first made you change the Mark I chest piece," he said knowingly. Pepper nodded, letting out a small laugh. "And then…" he remembered, "Later…when you quit…"

"Briefly," she reminded him. Tony nodded.

"Briefly," he agreed. "You said that I was the only one you had."

"You were," she said gently. "You were the one part of my life that was constant…and that meant the world to me."

"But?" he questioned her, his eyebrows narrowing in thought, the smile vanishing from his face.

"But not anymore, Tony Stark," she said, he barely being able to hear her voice. "Not anymore." He nodded in agreement, his smile slowly reappearing.

"Never again," he said, kissing her cheek. "You're not all I have…now I have so much more. Thank you, Pep."

"For what?"

"Everything," he said simply. "For believing in me…for never giving up on me…for staying with me all these years. For everything."

And as he handed his daughter off to the doctor, Tony walked over to the window and opened it, letting the first of the morning light through. He smiled to himself as he watched Malibu slowly wake up, that day being just a typical one for everyone else.

But not for me.

Maybe…if there's time…I can get a few hours of sleep myself.

But I doubt it.

Rhodey was right. We'll never change.

That's a good thing…right?

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Five Years Later; Flushing Meadows, New York

Stark Industries Film Studio

"The key to the future is here," Tony Stark said, smiling into the camera that was pointed towards him. "Here, at the Stark Expo, we can discover tomorrow…today. As my father, Howard Stark, used to say-" A crash sounded from behind him, and he frowned, his brown eyes narrowing. A little boy, no more than five years of age, was holding a model…a broken model…of the 'Tent of Tomorrow,' the main presentation hall. He smiled guiltily, his blue eyes large.

Tony sighed and lifted his son into his arms, ruffling his pale orange hair.

"Are we still online?" he called to the camera crew.

"Yes, sir," came the reply from the back of the studio, where a crowd had gathered to watch him film the introduction for the Stark Expo.

"Cut the connection," Tony said, staring into his son's wide, worried eyes.

"But sir-"

"Just do it," he said firmly, walking off to the side of the studio. He set the boy on the floor and bent down to his eye level. "James-"

"Sorry," James mumbled, looking down at the floor. Tony smiled softly and lifted his son's chin up.

"It's okay," he said, mussing James's hair again, causing him to scowl. He gently took the broken model from the boy's small hands and laid it on the table. "Models can be rebuilt, pal." He nodded silently and chanced a smile at his father.

"What happened here?" asked a rushed, exasperated voice that Tony had become accustomed to over the years. He stood up and gave Pepper a firm hug. "Tony, you're supposed to be-" He smirked and captured her lips in a soft kiss, if for no other reason, then to shut her up. Breaking the kiss, Pepper glared at him. "Tony, not kidding." He raised his hands in surrender, sending a wistful grin in her direction.

"Pepper-" But her angry face twisted into a warm smile as a small hand clasped her wrist. She took James into her own arms, kissing his forehead. She brushed his hair out of his eyes as he leaned on her shoulder. Looking up, she studied Tony's face for a moment, her smile slowly fading.

"What's going on with you, Tony?" Pepper asked quietly. "What aren't you telling me?" Her voice was too close to silent…pleading. Tony looked back to the model of the Expo layout and sighed heavily.

"Nothing," he finally said. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"I know you well enough to tell when you're faking it," she said, her voice almost shaking with anger and worry. "Tony-"

"I'd better get back to…" He pointed back at the set where the camera crew was still waiting for him. He turned and looked into her clear blue eyes, the eyes that she had passed on to their twin son and daughter. "Pepper…we'll talk later. I promise." She bit her lip and nodded.

"Sure." He kissed her lips lightly, and then smiled.

"I love you."

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Stark Mansion; Malibu, California

"Dad," Tony heard his eldest son call down the stairs, rapid footsteps following. He groaned silently, drumming his fingers on his arc reactor. Watching the eleven-year-old impatiently type in his password to allow entrance into the workshop, a slight smile appeared on Tony's face. "Dad!"

"What is it this time?" he asked automatically. Jason frowned.

"What makes you think that I've done anything?" he countered. Tony smirked, standing up.

"Because every time you've come down here, it's always because you've rearranged the toaster or something," he answered with a raised eyebrow.

"I haven't done anything to the toaster!" Jason exclaimed indignantly. He grinned after a second's thought. "Good idea, though, Dad." Tony groaned again and mimed hitting his head against the wall.

"Don't do anything that'll get your mom on my case," he said finally. "Otherwise, it's fine with me." He reached over and wrapped his son in a quick hug, giving him a grin that suggested they shared an important secret. "So?" Tony sat back down, Jason right beside him, toying with a scrap of metal that had been sitting on the desk.

"I have a question," Jason said suddenly, after a moment of staring blankly at the ground.

Nonplussed, Tony replied, "Shoot."

"What's wrong with your heart?"

"Wh-what?" he stuttered, his son's dark eyes penetrating the depths of his soul. "Jason-"

"Don't tell me that you don't know what I'm talking about," he said quietly. Tony sighed heavily, running his fingers through his hair.

"Well…a long time ago…"

"If I might, sir," the voice of Jarvis commented out of thin air, "It is most unwise for storytime as the moment." Tony frowned, raising an eyebrow that Jarvis couldn't see.

"Why's that?"

"Because Mrs. Stark is currently walking towards the shop," the AI answered. "She appears hassled and angered. It is my impression that you promised her that you would 'talk' later. Am I right in presuming that you mean to reveal your condition?"

"Your impression is correct," Tony mumbled in reply. "What a surprise." Jason frowned, an exact imitation of his father.

"Condition?" he asked, confused. "Dad, what-"

Tony swore under his breath, muttering something about "fucking computers" and "idiotic robots".

"It's nothing," he tried to say, but he knew that Jason, as smart as he was, wouldn't buy it for a second. "Look…Jarvis is right. I told Mom that I'd have a talk with her. We'll talk later, all right?" The boy narrowed his eyebrows and slowly nodded, standing up.

"You are gonna tell me, right, Dad?" he asked hesitantly. "You do trust me…right?" Tony smiled and extended his hand.

"Come here." Jason tentatively took his father's hand, which led into a hug that he surmised was comforting. Tony mussed his hair, causing him to scowl, as did both of his sons. His momentary smile faded, as he looked Jason in the eyes. "I trust you with my life, kid. Don't think for a moment that I don't love you…trust you." The boy smiled, backing out of the workshop and heading back up the stairs.

Tony closed his eyes and leaned back, focusing on all his senses besides his sight. He heard the door open again. Just smelling the slight fragrance of the perfume that he knew so well told him who had entered. He felt a gentle hand stroke his cheek, and he forced himself to open his eyes.

"You look like crap," Pepper commented, feeling his forehead. "And you're burning."

"Pepper-"

"No, Tony," she insisted. "You're sick. Admit it." But he shook his head silently.

"I'm not sick, Pepper," he muttered, taking her hands as she led him over to the couch. "It's worse."

"Worse?"

"Worse," he affirmed, with a slight nod of the head. He unbuttoned his silk shirt, showing the palladium from the arc reactor that was slowly intoxicating his blood. Pepper held back a gasp, her eyes widening.

"Oh, God," she whispered. "Tony, please tell me-" He started to button it up again, but she took his hand into hers, and he looked down, almost…ashamed. "Tell me what's happening."

"I'm dying," Tony said simply, his shoulders slumping.

"That's bullshit," Pepper said. "You're not…" She trailed off as she saw the seriousness and sadness in his eyes. "You really are…aren't you?"

"And there's nothing I can do about it," he said quietly. "I've tried ever known element, alloy, and compound. But there's no suitable replacement for palladium." Seeing a few tears slip down her cheeks, he added, "Pepper, I'm sorry."

"There's nothing you have to be sorry for," she said softly. Kissing his forehead, she whispered, "At least tell me how much time you have left. Six months? A year? Tony…"

"Five to ten weeks," he answered, not finding it in himself to say it straight to her face. Pepper stared at him.

"Oh, God," she said, shakily extending her hand to touch the arc reactor on her husband's chest.

"I dunno…" Tony trailed off, feeling tears building up in his eyes. "Pep…maybe it would've been better if I'd died all those years ago…if Obie had gotten his wish."

"And…what, Tony?" Pepper asked angrily. "A madman would've taken control of the company that your family built…Iron Man would never have existed."

"What am I going to do?" he asked finally, after a moment of staring into her eyes. "How can I tell…"

"Jason can help you," she said softly. "He knows that something's wrong, Tony. He's a smart kid, and he's worried about you."

"He just asked me…if I trusted him," Tony said, his voice quiet. "Did I ever do something to make him think that I didn't?" Pepper almost laughed, a smile appearing on her face, if only for a moment.

"You keep everything bottled up inside," she said. "If Iron Man has a fatal flaw…it's not trusting anyone."

"It's overrated," Tony said. "Everyone I've ever trusted…"

"That's a lie," Pepper said, her eyes narrowing. "I've never betrayed you. Your parents never did. Rhodey-"

"Rhodey worked with Hammer," he said quietly. "He stole my suit."

"He's your best friend," she argued. "You know that sometimes friends fight. But…he's still always there for you, you do know that, right?" Tony nodded slowly, frowning.

"Yeah…I guess," he answered, shrugging. "Just…now…I know that I'm living on borrowed time. And there are some things I can't do."

"Maybe if you just asked someone for help…"

"I said no," Tony said firmly. "I'm not dragging a eleven-year-old into this."

"He can help you," she argued. "Why won't you let him?" Tony sighed, closing his eyes. When he finally opened them again, he looked up at her with sadness etched into his brown irises.

"His whole life, Jason's thought that he could fix anything," he tried to explain. "And the truth is…he can't fix this. No one can. I won't let him carry it around for the rest of his life. He deserves more than to just live up to the legacy that's left behind...after...I'm gone."

"He is your legacy, Tony," Pepper said gently. "He's going to carry it either way…whether you let him help you or not. And you know that."

"I…" She looked at him, tilting her head to the side.

"There's no other option, Tony," she said softly, kissing his forehead. "You can't always do things alone." He smiled sadly.

"You've probably got a meeting or something," Tony said wistfully. "Tell me how it goes."

"Will do, Mr. Stark," she answered, her serious face twisting into a smile. Then she leaned in closer to him. "You'll figure a way out. I know it."

He watched sadly as she walked back up the stairs.

Not always alone…but who else is there?

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What did you think of my continuation of (quoting my Latin teacher) the "epic, shmoozy saga of Iron Man and his girlfriend"? Yes. I take Latin. Because I'm beast like that.

Um...well, did you guys like the movie? I thought it was way awesome. Just because War Machine stole the show. And Justin Hammer...well...he's Justin Hammer. And he creeps me out...just...A LOT.

Remember to review (always) :)

-William D. J Watson