Tony stared at the night sky. The stars shined brightly, the gentle waves of the ocean were all that could be heard. The light breeze blew in his face, helping the bitter tears roll down his face.

"I'm leaving Tony."

At that moment Tony Stark was rendered speechless. His mouth opened and closed several times. Had his heart not been functioning by the arc reactor surely it would have stopped.

"What…? Pepper…what are you…why?"

Tony downed the last of his sixth glass of scotch. Angrily he threw his glass into the beautiful night sky. No shattered glass could be heard, just gentle waves. Tony slumped down to the floor of his balcony, hugging his knees tightly to his chest.

"I…I can't do this anymore Tony." Pepper darted her eyes to the ground. She knew full well that if she held eye contact with Tony her resolve would come undone.

"Pepper…I don't understand…what can't you do?" Tony's hands fisted at his sides as he tried to control his emotions.

"God Tony! This!" Pepper couldn't keep her tears at bay anymore.

Tony buried his face in his knees that he clutched tightly, his loud sobs now joining the sound of the gentle waves. He knew that he made several women cry in his life, but none of them painfully affected him like when Virginia Potts cried.

"It just hurts too much Tony. I…could only take so much."

Tony rushed to Pepper and gently wiped the tears that rolled down her beautifully sad face. Pepper angrily jerked away from Tony's touch as if she was just burned. Tony's heart constricted at her actions.

"DON'T! Please…Tony, don't. This just isn't working anymore. Please accept that. I'm leaving." Pepper made her way to the door.

"But you can't!" Tony shouted. "I need you!" Tony chased after her.

Tony lifted his head from his knees and stared blankly into his house. Tony Stark possesses many things, many materialistic things. He's never really needed anything in life. Everything was handed to him ever since he was young. It was always "I want this", "I want that" never "I need this" as a mean for survival. All the things he possesses aren't necessities in life. But Virginia Potts was a necessity. Tony Stark needs Virginia Potts for survival.

Pepper whirled around to face Tony. Her eyes were red and puffy with tears still falling down her face, her lower lip quivered, and the sight made Tony's own tears fall freely.

"I need you Pep." Tony swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. "I can't live without you."

"You have a great way of showing it." Pepper spat out with venom.

Tony Stark was a show off. He loved the attention he can receive from envious people. Whatever he had he liked to make a spectacle of it. Everything from money, trendy clothes, flashy cars and even women…

"Women…" Tony slurred. That was the root of his current predicament.

Tony stood up on shaky legs. His head was spinning with dizziness from the alcohol. He clumsily stumbled back inside and made a b-line straight to the alcohol. Finding another glass Tony poured a generous amount of scotch. Tony stood stock-still and stared at the alcohol filled cup. With an equally shaky hand Tony brought the cup to his lips. The liquid amber burned his throat but he couldn't bring himself to care because no amount of pain could hurt him anymore than the pain that resided in his heart.

"I…Pepper…" Tony was taken back by Pepper's venomous voice.

"You what Tony? You need me for what Tony?" Pepper tried to gage Tony for an answer. When none came quickly enough to her liking she answered for him.

"What? You need me to throw out your trash! Need me to get rid of…night after night…get rid of all…" Pepper couldn't finish that sentence. She just couldn't bring herself to state the soul reason why she's leaving.

"Yeah you have a real great way of showing that you can't live without me. I think you'll be fine without me." Pepper closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I…I can change. Pepper I can change…" Tony desperately said.

Tony Stark never regretted the things he's done. He wasn't a firm believer that his actions caused personal growth, it just was. But then there was Iron Man. That was probably the only time that he's changed for himself. But he's never willingly changed himself for anyone. He's never had the need to. He was the billionaire playboy that every man wanted to be and every woman wanted to be with. He lived his life the way he wanted to, unchanging for anyone. But for Virginia Potts he would change everything for, everything without hesitation.

"You can't change Tony…" Pepper said with disbelief.

"For you I can. I can change for you Pepper. I swear I can change. I will change. Let me prove to you. Please...don't go."

Pepper's heart broke at Tony's plead. The sadness in his eyes was killing her. But she had to be strong. She had to stick to her plan because in the long run she knew she was the one that would end up hurt. Tony could manage he would manage. She on the other hand could not.

"Tony you can't change a lifetime of habit."

"Yes I can…believe me Pepper I can…you just, you just…" Tony choked on a gut wrenching sob, his body giving up on him as he fell to his knees. "I love you."

Pepper felt her heart break into a million pieces. She waited so long to hear those three words from Tony but she just couldn't accept them. She couldn't let herself believe they were true.

"Then let me go…"

People have come and gone in Tony's life. Once his parents were gone Tony kept his heart guarded never wanting to feel that horrible pain ever again. His world was shattered at a young age and everyone around him seemed jaded so he hid Anthony Edward Stark. No one will ever truly know Anthony; they will only know Tony. There are only two people in his life that truly knows Anthony Edward Stark and one of the two just walked out of his life, not realizing that she was his everything.