Wow...didn't expect this one to be almost 500 words long. Guess I just get too carried away sometimes...*biggrin* If you like, leave a review. If you don't, leave one anyway!

Wristwatch

He'd sped well over the law's limit to reach the Stark Tower. He was dying; there was no way around it now. There wasn't enough time to decipher his father's words — if there was anything there to decipher at all.

This thought would've made pleading, praying children out of any other man, there wasn't enough space for it to settle properly in his mind. There was only one thought, one feeling. He had to get to Pepper. Even if she was still upset, he had to at least see it in her eyes that she wouldn't be angry with him forever. He had to know that somewhere, unspoken, she loved him, and would miss him when he was gone. Maybe he'd even get to give her a proper farewell, if she was calmed enough to allow him to explain.

As these thoughts shot through his head with the same dangerous speed of his Audi R8, a little spot of red on a wagon caught his eye on the roadside up ahead….

Three weeks after the devastating explosion at the Stark Expo in Flushing Meadows, Tony stood tinkering with the arm piece of his latest variation of the Iron Man suit. Hell'd freeze over before he'd let something Justin Hammer practically stole from him and rebuilt upstage his own suit for any longer than was necessary; he smirked as he envisioned Rhodey's reaction to seeing that he had once again taken his place as the rightful Big Gun — literally and figuratively.

"Scan and upload this into the system, JARVIS," he commanded to his trusty assistant as he unrolled his sleeves and refastened the buttons around his wrists (another reason he wished it was acceptable to be shirtless at all times — stupid sleeves were always getting in the freakin' way), and spun his chair from the workstation to his computer display.

"Yes, sir," replied the accented, mechanical voice, coming from no exact source in the big room.

Almost amusingly, Tony noted how dim the workshop had become; he'd been down here for much longer than he'd realized. Pepper would probably have some mile-high pile of political crap for him to sign by now that he should probably get to….

He glanced absently at his wrist out of pure curiosity, and then his eyebrows raised at the light skin in the shape of a wristwatch where his luxury Zenith should be.

As he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a soft noise behind him, and thin fingers touched his shoulder.

"Tony?" came a mildly concerned, feminine voice. "Are you okay? You've been in here for a while. Do you want some supper?"

He couldn't help but smile ironically at the memory of such unnecessary desperation.

Just a little side note: I read on answers(dot)com that Tony drives an Audi R8, so if that's not right, take it up with them. And I personally looked up expensive watches, so unless I have psychic abilities I don't know about, it's probably not a Zenith wristwatch in the movie.
More soon...if I get good reviews, that is...*wink*