Title: Nuclear Deterrent
Pairing: Tony Stark and Pepper Potts
Rating: Teen (For Cussing)
Summary: What if Tony didn't come back from releasing the nuclear bomb up into the void? He thinks about Pepper with his last few moments. SET DURING THE AVENGERS! SOME SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE MOVIE YET!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers, Pepper or Tony Stark. Although I wish I owned Tony. *le sigh*
A/N: This is my take about what happened during The Avengers with the scene you just can't forget. I came up with this the night after I watched it the first time and just getting around to posting this. I hope someone enjoys this. Lol. This is also a one-shot.
"Should I try Ms. Potts?" Jarvis came up on the HUD.
"Might as well." He told Jarvis as he glanced down to the HUD, an image of Pepper coming up. "Please…pick up Pep." His mind was racing as he waited. He just knew that she was going to pick up. She always did when he called her.
There would be times when he would call her so he could hear her voice or to plan where they were be heading to dinner. Then there would be the times he would call her right before a board meeting just to get her agitated for no reason at all. And he found it amusing as hell to hear her bickering at him for doing that. Hell, he got a kick out of it but he always made up for it later.
But this time was different. This time he was calling her because he was frightened. He was scared out of his mind. That this could possibly be the last time he would hear her voice. He was scared that he would never get the chance to tell Pepper that he loved her, that he truly loved her.
"Come on…" His heart started to pound in his chest. Each ring that he heard that didn't go answered, it also made his heart ache. Hope that he had of her answering the phone was slowly fading away. In the past, he would go on a mission or do some things without telling her about it. Then she would get mad with him because he didn't let her know anything. He wanted to do things right this time by telling her what was happening, if he got the chance to tell her.
Then there was Pepper, who was currently in the air in Tony's private plane, totally in a trance as she watched the TV with the events happening in New York unfold. Worry clearly was written on her face as she heard the reporter say something about "Tony Stark's Iron Man". She didn't realize that right on the little table where her phone sat was silently ringing. On the ID, there was a picture of Tony, with that infectious smile of his.
As he went higher into the void, a look of sheer disappointment came over him when he saw that the call had failed. Tears came to his eyes as he came to realize that this was it. It was over for him and she could never know how much he truly cared about her. Lights in the HUD started to flash as he went up into the void.
"I love you Pepper… You were the only one that I had… Thank you for being there…" Tony thought for the last time as he let go of the nuke, a single tear rolled down his face as he closed his eyes. Once the nuke was released, the lights in the suit went out and he started to fall, never to know that he was a hero that day. That he protected the world. He was America's nuclear deterrent and he was damn proud of that.