The Call
Summary: This is a SongFic set to Carrie Underwood's "Starts With Goodbye". At the end of The One Thing he Can't Live Without, Tony asked Pepper to make a call. This is that call. Spoilers for the Avengers and all three Ironman Movies. Tissue Warnings apply, MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH
Author's Note: I don't own the Avenger's or the Iron Man Movies – pretty sure Marvel's got them locked up tight on that. I also don't own Carrie Underwood or "Starts with Goodbye". This was never supposed to be a part of this series – I don't think that the songs original meaning fits, so I intend to repurpose it to my needs.
There was nothing like being up at 30,000 feet, flying in the clouds all alone especially in a battle suit made by his best friend in the entire world, Tony Stark. Colonel James Rhodes had been in the Air Force since before leaving MIT, where he'd met the man, and he'd always loved flying. He'd never known true freedom however, until he was given (because he knew that the way Stark had planned the whole thing) the War Machine suit that he truly felt the freedom of the sky. The first time they flew together after stomping Vanko and Hammer's ass into the pavement it was like they were kids again; like they'd never grown up, never grown apart on different paths of life… they were them again. He misses his best friend – who became a goddamned superhero of all things while he stayed the career military man and he thinks they are drifting apart again. He may be AWOL right now, but he's currently 30,000 feet in the air at Mach 4 trying to get to the battle where his brother Tony Stark was fighting with the rest of the Avengers.
The first time his phone rings in the helmet, he doesn't really think much of it… and he doesn't answer it. He's on his way to a hellacious battle threatening to topple the city of Manhattan – and if Tony is calling him in the middle of battle again he will be extremely upset, again. It goes to voicemail, but no message is left and the ringing is right back at it. Once he thinks about it, Tony had been calling him a lot lately without leaving any messages – or asking him to call him back or stop by the tower. But with their busy lives, they just keep missing one another… He glances down at the number incessantly trying to ring in – to make sure that is isn't Tony or the Brass (since he'd been ordered not to interfere with any Avengers related business) and nearly loses his stomach when he sees Pepper Potts-Stark's number up on his screen.
*8 Missed calls From V. Pepper Potts-Stark* He answers on the next ring.
"Yo, Pepper, I'm on my way to the battle now, how bad is it?" he asks before she can get a word in.
"James." He's 30,000 feet in the air and just went to a dead stop from Mach 4. In all the years they've known each other, he can only count on one hand the number of times she's used his first name – and still have fingers left over. Either they've just lost the city… or… oh god! "James, the battle's over. We… we lost Tony, James I'm so sorry."
"WHAT! Pepper, that's just not possible! He's okay, he's got to be okay!"
"The suit… Malfunctioned… He used the 'FUCK LOKI' Protocol, James. He's gone. I'm so, so sorry."
"I… I don't understand Pepper. How could this happen? Oh, fuck Pepper, God, I am so sorry!"
"I have to go, the Avengers are getting back. We're gonna need you Rhodey. I'm gonna need you…" The call drops out on Virginia "Pepper" Potts-Stark and she can only assume Rhodey has either hung up on her – or destroyed the phone.
Verse One
Tony had asked her himself (in a video of all things) to be the one to tell Colonel James Rhodes if Tony ever didn't come home. Pepper guessed that it had been inevitable – Tony not coming home to her – especially after they lost Coulson. There was no way Tony would ever lose another member of his team if he could stop it – no matter what cost. She's hoped that once they'd found out that they were having a baby, he'd try harder to come home to her – to their son. He'd spent his entire childhood being raised by Edwin Jarvis and other servants because his parents just didn't care… he'd promised.
Verse Two
And then, he'd broken his promise. Not because it was easy, not because he was scared – but because it was the only way to save the city and the world beyond it. He'd broken his promise to come home to her and their baby boy because that had been the only way of saving them. Tony Stark's parent's might not have given a damn about him, but she loved him with all of her heart – and she was gonna love their baby with all her heart too. Dear God, how was she supposed to do this without him?
Chorus
First things first, Rhodey needed to get to the Tower, because she couldn't face the rest of the Avengers and tell them she was carrying Tony's child by herself. Tony had wanted Rhodey to know first and she would make that dream come true – even if Tony was no longer there to live it with her. J.A.R.V.I.S. had informed her that there was another video down in the workshop waiting on the Avengers… none of them seemed willing or able to go down and watch it. That would be the second order of business. Yes, her husband was gone. The father of her child still growing inside of her, not even big enough to be showing yet – was just gone. But, she'd be damned if she let anyone forget him or what he died for.
Verse Three
Thankfully Captain Rogers was not a stupid man. He'd taken on look at her face after knocking on her study door and known that she knew. His eyes too, were red-rimmed and his hair was mussed where it looked like he'd tried to pull all the hurt and fear from his body through his scalp. One look at her though and he could only admire the steel steadying her spine even as tears tracked down her face.
"You know? How?" he'd asked.
"Tony, left me a video. He didn't want anyone to have to deliver the news so he did it personally. I even know how. So I know that he didn't suffer. Please take comfort in that," Pepper'd responded. Captain Rogers had walked away dazed.
Chorus
S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Fury had called for debrief following the attack that had cost them Tony – and for the first time, every single member of the Avenger's Team, including Captain America, refused. This was something that they needed time to heal from and get their heads on straight… no one was thinking clearly and a debriefing right then would just be a jumbled mess. Much like what their lives had suddenly devolved into. Every single survivor of the newest battle was realizing just how important Tony Stark was, not just to the Avenger's Tower – but to the World in general. How were, they supposed to go on without him?
Verse Four
They never did agree to a debriefing on what the press would later dub "Iron Man's Final Battle". They did, however assemble at Fury's request a few miles away from the Tower at an old run down pier. For a moment their hearts soared to see the armored man the very edge, a six pack by his side… only to break and shatter again when they realized that it was Colonel James Rhodes, pilot of the Iron Patriot suit. It would strike the remaining Avenger's then that they were not the only ones dealing with the loss of the beloved Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist. But maybe, just maybe, with all that he had created, Tony Stark would never really be all that gone after all.
Chorus X2