Below me was a pit of fire. I looked up into Tony's eyes and begged him to catch me as I fell, but as I let go of the platform I was on I only briefly felt the touch of Tony's hand in mine before I slipped and fell into the fire. I felt it burning me and I could feel it building up inside of me as I heated up to survive.
That is when I woke up. I was sweating and I could feel the burning still inside of me as I jumped out of the bed. I felt my body getting hotter and hotter and I couldn't control it! It kept coming back no matter how much I tried to push it down and cool myself off as I sat on the floor in our room it wouldn't stop. I couldn't take the images of being caught in the fire out of my mind. It was there, I was falling and burning up so hot that I should have exploded.
Tony didn't catch me. He wasn't there like he said he would be to catch me. Why?
I stood up, suddenly angry at how he hadnt been there like how he said he would have been. I went over to the bed and shook him awake. He opened his eyes startled and then I saw fear and worry. But I couldn't react; I was too angry to think of anything else except the fact that i felt i couldnt trust him to be there for me anymore.
"Pep, what's wrong what happened?" he asked worried.
"You weren't there!" I said as hot tears ran down my face.
"What do you mean?"
"To catch me; you said you would catch me, but you weren't there. You weren't there for me!" I yelled and backed away from the bed, I hugged my arms around the middle of my body. The images were still flashing through my eyes.
"Pepper! Honey, you know I tried to catch you. I was there and right when I had you in my finger tips you slipped out. Do you know how much I beat myself up because of that? Because I didn't do what I promised you; that I didn't protect the one thing I can't live without?" he said as he slid off the bed to stand infront of me. By now I had cooled down enough to listen to him, but the tears still fell from my eyes as I looked at his torn face.
"Pep, talk to me, why are you suddenly bringing this up?" he asked and put his hands on my shoulders but i backed away.
"Be careful..." I said; I hated how cautious I had to be about him touching me now. But Tony has never really listened to me and moved forward and put his hands on my arms, moving them away from my stomach and took my hands in his.
"See, all fine don't worry. Now tell me what this is about." he said.
"I had a dream, or more like a memory of what happened... Of how you didn't catch me and I fell..." I said feeling bad for even bringing it up now that I knew he had beat himself up about it.
"Pep, you know I would have caught you if I could. I wish I did catch you. I know it hurt then but now seeing it hurt you even a month after it is even worse to me... Im so sorry Pep." he said and sat back down on the bed.
"Tony." I said and stepped up infront of him. "I know you would have caught me and Im sorry I got so freaked out about it. It wasn't your fault, I was out of your reach. It just scared me, I kept thinking 'what if he's not there next time and I dont have Extremis to save me?'" i said and curled my hands in his hair. He suddenly got a seirous look in his face.
"Pepper I promise you. I will do anything within my limits to keep you safe at all costs. Im not going to let that happen to you again! It can't... I can't feel like Iv'e lost you again because if I do I know I'll go insain. I love you Pep and I need you here unlike anything else." He said and rapped his arms around me tightly as he pressed his head into my chest. It was then that I noticed the hand shaped burn marks on the sides of his arm.
"Oh Tony, I love you and I promise that I'm not going to go anywhere. The only place I want to be is right here. But, I keep putting you in danger. At any moment I could wake up having a nightmare and burn you in your sleep..." I said swollowing the lump in my throat.
"Honey, I can cope with the burns I'm okay. Its actually kinda hot" he said and winked at me, but then saw that it wasn't a joking time and corrected himself. "Pep, I'll fix it. I already have JARVIS researching and computing things that could work as a solution to the virus. Everything is going to be okay Pepper. I promise."
I looked into his eyes and saw how determind he was to make me believe this. I nodded and kissed him gently.
"I trust you with my life Tony." I said and he hugged me close again. He then pulled me up into our bed and I moved in close to his side.
I knew then that I was protected. That even though he hadn't caught me that time I knew he would catch me the next. He would always be there for me, and I would always be there for him. To catch him when he falls.