Song: Hero by skillet
Disclaimer: sorry about the story, but this has been bothering me for a while, and I had to get it out. It's my first IM fanfiction, and I know I got some of the characterization wrong. *sigh*
Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this reality. Which is the reason I have rejected your reality and substituted my own. And now that I realize that I don't even own that last sentence. *sigh*
Set after the movie.
****
I'm just a step away
I'm just a breath away
Losing my faith today
Falling off the edge today
"Fight it Stark! Fight it Stark!" Tony yelled at himself as he walked through the desert, having escaped those that would kill him. "Just keep it together Stark. Go over the plans for the suit in your head, yeah, that's it, just keep your mind busy" He was wandering through the desert, his suit had crashed on him, and he was waiting for someone to find him. It was the middle of the afternoon, Tony could tell that much from the place of the sun, but other than that he was lost. He had no clue where he was, what day it was specifically, or whether he was even heading in the right direction. He was just a step away from falling into despair and stopping, which would spell his death just as surely as if he had walked off a cliff.
I am just a man
Not superhuman
I'm not superhuman
Someone save me from the hate
Suddenly, his thoughts turn to Pepper. Gorgeous Pepper. He remembered her yelling at him, staring at him with indignation after he made a pass at her. AGAIN. As Tony's mind wandered, he slipped, fell in the sand and cut himself. But it wasn't sand. It was something different, it was… glass. Glass!
It's just another war
Just another family torn
Falling from my faith today
Just a step from the edge
Just another day in the world we live
Suddenly Tony's mind raced to another event, replaying it in his mind, like the former. He saw himself and Obadiah on the roof at SI. Fighting. Suddenly, he was in his body, just in time to feel Obadiah punch him. Obadiah, who was as close as family, no, Obadiah who was family, had just betrayed him. Well, not just, as he was the one to arrange his kidnapping. But still, you get the point. The point was that he had now lost everything. He thought he had lost it all after the death of his parents, but this was losing, because now not only did he not have parents, but he found that a man he trusted like a second father had been using him since his parents died. So what did that leave him with? Or, who did that leave him with? Well Rhodey, for starters. And Pepper. As Tony started to think about Pepper again, he felt his mind drift off again in a dream.
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
a hero will save me just in time
It was about noon and Pepper was in her office working. She was busy typing a report and was almost finished, which was surprising, because usually Tony would interrupt before she could get halfway through anything. Pepper decided that Tony probably got sucked in to another project, maybe one of his cars or the suit. Pepper's stomach growled and she headed down to the kitchen, "Jarvis, would you make some coffee for Mr. Stark and I?" Pepper asked the AI, but he didn't respond. Pepper remembered that Tony said something about being offline until about 10:00am for an upgrade, and that he would tell her when Jarvis was back online. She decided to head down to the garage to see what was taking Tony so long.
She headed down the stairs that lead to the garage, but she noticed that Tony's music wasn't playing. She hurried down the last stairs and quickly typed in her pass code, not seeing Tony working and knowing that he would have told her if he was going out. She entered the garage and notices how cold it is. She scanned the room, looking for Tony. All of a sudden her eyes stopped in the corner of the room, next to his workbench on what appeared to be a shoe. Tony's shoe. She ran to the workbench and saw Tony collapsed on the floor, lying in a pile of shattered glass, and what appears to be a gash on his forehead. The light in his chest, the one from the arc reactor, had gone out.
I've gotta fight today
to live another day
Speaking my mind today
my voice will be heard today
Suddenly, Tony snapped out of his pleasant thoughts of Pepper. He looked around, but he didn't know where he was. It was dark, and damp. It was some sort of cell, and there was a bed, which he was sitting on. Tony stood up, and walked to the grey brick wall, looking for a way out. Suddenly, he felt his world shift, and a presence behind him. He turned around and the cell door was gone. In its place was a dark mist, entrapping everything. Tony stared into the darkness and saw himself. But it wasn't him.
I've gotta make a stand
But I am just a man
I'm not superhuman
my voice will be heard today
Pepper knew she didn't have much time. She kicked of her shoes and ran to Jarvis' counsel, in the corner of the Room, and turned it on quickly before running back to Tony's side. "Jarvis!" Pepper shouted at the AI "Does Tony have another ARC reactor?" Pepper prayed he would say yes. "No, Ms. Potts, I'm afraid he does not." The AI answered, almost sadly, "And he is running out of time. By my calculations, he has been unconscious for almost a half of an hour." Pepper cursed her luck and jumped up with a start. She ran to the first car in his garage, his Audi. "Jarvis," she said "Where does Tony keep the wire? Preferably coated. And the Wire-Cutters too" She popped the hood and unhooked the battery. Jarvis opened the cabinet that the wires were in "Third shelf, on the right Ms. Potts and the wire cutters are on the counter" Pepper pulled out the battery and set it down next to Tony. She hurried over to the open cabinet and pulled out the box of copper wire, grabbed the wire-cutters and ran back to Tony's side. She unscrewed his dead ARC reactor and pulled out, grabbing the wire attached to it and preventing it from exiting his body. She quickly unraveled the new wire and attached it to the old. Then she grabbed the wire cutters, cut a length, stripped the end, and attached it to the battery. "Jarvis!" she shouted, after seeing no immediate effect "Is he alright?" she said, looking at the ceiling to Jarvis' camera. "Please," she said softly, trying to stop the tears from falling
It's just another war
Just another family torn
my voice will be heard today
it's just another kill
the countdown begins to destroy ourselves
Tony knew immediately that this wasn't a true reflection. For starters, the doppelganger had darker eyes, almost black. No. Not almost black, not almost anything. They were empty, completely empty, a void, stealing all the light in the area. In the doppelganger's hand was a bottle of vodka, half empty. In the other hand was piece of clothing, a thong, specifically. Suddenly, out of the darkness came women. Many, faceless women, each one planting a seductive kiss on the double, and disappeared. The double smiled, but the sight was sickening. Then the doppelganger backed up into the darkness, and Tony felt the world shift again.
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
a hero will save me just in time
Tony turned around again and was blinded by an intense light. Then the light dimmed, and tony saw a figure in front of him. It was the suit. But something was different about it. The suit walked forward and reached out to touch him. Then Tony noticed the difference. It wasn't his suit. Sure, it looked like it, same colors, but it was shaped differently. More womanly. Then the faceplate on the suit lifted, and Tony saw the face of Pepper Potts. She reached up to his face, and gently caressed his cheek. Then she backed up, and disappeared into the light.
I need a hero to save my life
I need a hero, just in time
Save me just in time
Save me just in time
who's gonna fight for what's right?
Who's gonna help us survive?
We're in the fight of our lives
and we're not ready to die
Suddenly, Tony was back in the cell. But instead of the one cell door, there were two. Tony walked to the door that was closest to him. This one had a small opening in it, just big enough to see what was on the other side. Tony looked through it, and could see his doppelganger and the women, doing things he had done before, but was too much of a gentleman to speak of. Things he used to love to do. Then, after appreciating the view, Tony remembered the other door. Tony tore himself away from the first door and made his way to the second. He ran his hands over the door, but couldn't find a hole like in the first. Instead, he found that if he put his ear to the door, he could hear what was on the other side. First, he heard the voices of the people he had saved. Their congratulations and thanks. Then, he heard Rhodey and Jarvis bickering about something. Jarvis won, of course. Then he heard something that startled him. He heard Pepper laugh.
Who's gonna fight for the weak?
Who's gonna make 'em believe?
I've got a hero, I've got a hero
Living in me
Tony immediately grabbed for the door knob, trying to get the door open. He shook it and twisted it with all his strength, but couldn't open it. But then he heard something else, coming from the other door. He heard Pepper's moan. He ran to the door and looked through it again. He saw himself and Pepper, having sex, and he could tell she was enjoying it. This was his dream come true, Pepper finally trusting him enough for them to become lovers. He grabbed at the door knob, trying to open it, but like the first, it was locked. Then he felt the world change, just slightly. He looked back and on the bed laid a key, on top of a scrap of paper. The paper read "this key will work on either door, but only once. Choose wisely. Remember, things are not always what they seem." Tony went back to the first door. He looked through it one more time before he entered. But what he saw stopped him. He saw Pepper, kneeling by his grave, crying, broken hearted. He could barely make out the words on the headstone, but he could read some of them. He could make out the words "Car accident" and "Father-to-be". Tony did a double take. He looked at Pepper again, but she didn't look pregnant. Then he saw a smaller grave, next to his. It said "Unborn". Immediately, Tony ran for the second door, pushing his ear as close to it as he could. He heard Pepper laugh again, but she sounded different this time. A little more tired. Then he heard someone else laughing. A man. But it wasn't his laugh. Then, Tony knew what the dilemma was. He could have Pepper, and leave her in ruins, killing their unborn child, or he could let her live her life and let her be happy, without him. Could he do it? Could he live without Pepper? Tony started for the first door, but stopped in the middle. He had a choice to make.
I'm gonna fight for what's right
Today I'm speaking my mind
and if it kills me tonight
I will be ready to die
Tony had made his choice. He reached his door, inserted the key, and opened the door.
A hero's not afraid to give his life
A hero's gonna save me just in time
I need a hero to save me now
I need a hero, save me now
I need a hero to save my life
A hero will save me just in time
It had been 10 full minutes, and Pepper had done nothing but sob. She thought she lost him, the man who had her heart.
"Ms. Potts," Jarvis started, speaking for the first time since instructing her as to where the wire cutters were.
"What" Pepper said dejectedly, the sound of her voice muffled from where she had buried her head in Tony's neck.
"It's Mr. Stark madam" Jarvis said, sounding unsure "He… appears to be regaining consciousness"
Immediately Pepper lifted her head. She looked at Tony, whose eyelids were moving.
"Tony?" she said softly, her voice full of hope. When there was no reply, Pepper's face fell and she once again buried her face in his neck, starting to cry again. All of a sudden, there was slight movement, and then she heard his voice.
"Pepper… that tickles" Pepper smiled against his neck and picked her head up.
"Hey Peps?" Tony started "why am I on the floor attached to a battery?"
"Because your reactor gave out on you, you idiot" Pepper replied, smiling.
"But...where'd you get the battery?" Tony looked around the room and saw which car she had taken the battery out of.
"You took it out of my Audi!" Tony cried "Why the…" All of a sudden Tony felt Pepper's lips crash against his, nearly stopping his heart. Again.
"Shut up, Stark" Pepper said as she leaned over and captured his lips in a kiss again.
(I need a hero)
Who's gonna fight for what's right?
Who's gonna help us survive?
(I need a hero)
Who's gonna fight for the weak?
Who's gonna make 'em believe?
I've got a hero
20ish years later, Tony remembered that day. That one of the best days of his life, definitely the most life changing. Oh, he still had his mansion, his cars, and his projects. But now he had something more. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Rhodey and Jarvis bickering. He looked up in time to see his wife of 19 years laughing, still just as gorgeous as the day she saved his life. He heard his son, almost 20 now, say something that his mother clearly thought was funny. As his son's laughter joined with Pepper's, he knew he made the right choice.
I need a hero
A hero's gonna save me just in time
So, that's it. Yes really long. And slightly insane. No, actually, it's very insane. And possibly the longest single chapter I have ever written. Sorry. Please review and be nice since it is my first IM fic. Please