A/N) Thank you for all the reviews so far! I hope you all continue to enjoy this story...

PART ONE

THE DEATH OF TONY STARK

Chapter Two

The Girlfriend and the Best Friend

She had seen everything from the Stark Industries plane. Having the latest technology enabled them to keep up to date with news around the world; however Pepper rarely used it on flights. This time a notification had come through on an automatic setting Tony had installed years ago if any large crisis had begun whilst he was in the air. It enabled them to act on where they wanted to land if they were heading to a place of crisis.

Thankfully Pepper had been on her way to DC but as soon as the notification had come through about the attack in New York and the giant wormhole that had opened above Stark tower, Pepper had immediately ordered the plane to turn around and take her back. The plane had been denied entry into Manhattan airspace and had to land a small landing pad away from the area.

Her worry for Tony only continued. She had seen him fly into the portal with a missile but she hadn't witnessed him falling back out. She hoped he had and her eyes hadn't spotted him. It was the hope that she chose to cling to, that kept her going as she sought answers to what had occurred.

When she had seen she had missed a call from Tony at the exact timestamp he had been about to fly through the portal, Pepper had tried to call back but the phone had not connected, merely stating it was unavailable. There could be many reasons for that, she had reasoned.

The suit could be down…

The phone connection embedded within the suit could have been hit during the battle…

Tony could have switched off all non-essential systems to keep the suit operational…

Her stomach twisted.

She didn't want to even consider the final possibility. She refused to even think it.

She just waited, worrying in the car that was taking her to the closest possible point of the battle, where she hoped fervently Tony would be waiting for her.

After seeing Fury, Steve had returned to the streets of New York City, intent on helping to clean up and ensure the citizens of New York were given the aid they needed.

Steve had only been on the ground for an hour when he noticed cordons being removed around Stark Tower and a black car came slowly into view, stopping on the other side of the road from it. As far as he was aware all traffic had been stopped so it seemed odd that officials had allowed a car through, especially since the roads were ruined, and were unlikely to be stable to allow traffic through.

He walked forward, watching as a strawberry-blonde woman stepped out of the car. Her face was tight with worry and, even from this distance Steve could tell she had been crying. He'd never seen any pictures of Pepper Potts but he knew without a doubt this woman was her.

"Miss Potts!" he shouted out.

The woman turned towards him but the driver of the car who had helped her out of the car stepped in front her, preventing Steve from reaching her.

Steve stopped. "I need to talk to her. It's about Tony Stark."

Before the man could say anything, Pepper spoke softly, inviting him forward. "Let him through, Happy." She looked worn, tired and her eyes were red.

The man named Happy stepped aside and Steve slowly approached her.

"I don't know how to say this…" Steve hesitated. He could see she already knew the truth but hoped it would not be. "Stark… He didn't make it… I'm sorry."

Pepper's lips trembled.

Now came the hardest part of all. "I gave the order to close the portal… I don't know if you saw what he was doing or not…"

Pepper's voice was quiet, broken as she spoke. "He had a missile on his back."

"It wasn't just any missile. It was a nuclear missile. It was sent to destroy the city to stop the attack. Stark knew he couldn't just allow it to hit the city… More people would have died needlessly. He grabbed the missile and took it through the portal. I watched him go… Whatever he did up there stopped the attack. The aliens just fell like their strings had been cut. We could see an explosion happening on the other side of the portal. If we had waited longer…"

"The poisonous gas cloud could have seeped through," finished Pepper quietly. "It could have killed millions."

Steve inclined his head. "I'm sorry. There wasn't any other way."

Pepper sniffed quietly. "Thank you for telling me."

Steve could see she was shaking, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to cascade down her face. He didn't know what else to say to her. He settled for a simple: "If there is anything I can do for you I will."

Pepper shook her head. "No. There isn't. Thank you, Mr…?"

Oh, that's right, he hadn't given his name. "Steve. Steve Rogers."

Pepper inclined her head. "Thank you, Mr Rogers." She turned and walked towards Stark Tower.

For a while Steve stood there, looking up at the building that Stark had renovated in his name. There was beauty there, he could admit, despite how ugly it had seemed to him before. Finally, he moved away and started towards the rescue services, intending to help them.

After all, what else could he do?

Pepper's contacts through the government had allowed Happy to bring her to Stark Tower, despite the centre of the battle being an exclusion zone. Stark Tower was a resource of arc energy. She needed to check to ensure the reactor hadn't been damaged. And to collect any personal files that were stored on the server. The whole building would be open to investigators, and she didn't want them digging into personal, private files Tony had stored there.

Despite the heartache she felt at losing Tony, she knew what he would want her to do. She was grieving. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and cry, but she had a duty to Stark Industries first and to Tony's personal instructions. She was only filling out what he had once asked her to do. She would follow them though, allowing herself only moments to grieve when she could.

The public and the press would expect her to show a brave face.

Pepper would do that.

Make Tony proud.

She felt tears coming but pushed them back.

She had a job to do.

Heart still breaking, Pepper got to work.

It was after Pepper had completed the work she needed to do in Stark Tower that she finally clambered back into the car and found she had several missed calls. Most seemed to be missed ones from an unknown number but a few here and there from Rhodey had been getting through between the attempts the unknown caller had tried.

Pepper played with the phone in her hands. Rhodey needed to know. He had probably seen something on the news. She knew this would be a difficult conversation, yet it was one they had to have. She couldn't just go and see him either. He was in the Middle East, aiding the US Army as War Machine to hunt down terrorists that threatened their country.

If he hadn't of been, she was sure he would have been in New York. Helping Tony would have been a priority for him.

Rhodey deserved to know the truth.

Pepper dialled Rhodey's number, holding the phone to her ear, waiting with baited breath.

He picked up on the first ring.

"Pepper! Tell me Tony's fine!" Rhodey's voice was urgent and he sounded breathless.

Pepper stilled. How could she answer? The truth, yes. "Rhodey… are you flying?"

"I'm on my way back to New York. I'm over the Atlantic."

"Set the suit to auto-pilot." instructed Pepper. She didn't want him losing control and falling into the ocean over this. Tony was dead and she wasn't going to lose another friend today.

"He's really gone, isn't he?" Rhodey's voice was sullen over the phone. He'd already guessed.

"Have you set your suit to auto-pilot?" Pepper persisted.

"Yes."

Pepper breathed out. "Then yes, Tony is gone." She felt tears welling at the side of her eyes. She let then fall. She was in the safety of her own car. She didn't need to hide her misery from anyone. "He… He tried to… phone me… Just before… JARVIS lost… contact…" Her voice was breaking. "I… didn't… see it… Tony's dead…."

Tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn't care. She had kept it bottled up but now it needed to be let out.

"Pep…" Rhodey's voice was sad and sullen over the line. "You couldn't have known." His voice was breaking too. "You know Tony… Once he gets an idea into his head, you can't stop him."

Pepper couldn't reply. She just cried.

Rhodey listened to Pepper's sobs over the phone. He wasn't going to disconnect the call. He was on auto-pilot so he didn't need to worry about controlling the suit. Deep inside he wanted to shoot something, anything just to let the frustration out at not being able to save his friend again.

He'd failed to save Tony before in Afghanistan, and he'd failed again to save him from whatever had happened to him this time. Rhodey had only seen the news bulletins of the battle that had been happening in the skies of New York. As soon as he had heard the news he had received permission to leave his extended mission in the Middle East and travel back to New York.

Rhodey had wasted no time. He'd kept trying to call Pepper or Tony. Pepper's had kept ringing without answering and Tony's… just stated that the number was unreachable. Of course it would be if Tony was in space somewhere, lost forever more.

Rhodey swallowed. He didn't want to think he had been unable to save his friend. Surely there was hope?

Pepper's sobs continued down the phone.

"Pepper?" asked Rhodey. "I'm on my way to you. Where are you?" She was on the move, he could tell, her location kept moving according to his phone tracer.

Through her sniffles and tears, Pepper's voice came over the line. "I'm heading to SHIELD. I…. think…. I've… had… a few… messages… from them." Her voice was nearly breaking. "I have to be strong…"

"I'll meet you there," he said. No way was Rhodey going to let Pepper handle this on her own. Tony was his best friend. He would not abandon her.

Pepper and Happy were already within the SHIELD Helicarrier when Rhodey arrived in the War Machine armour. He was given priority landing and escorted towards the bridge, once he had disengaged from the armour and locked it down. Pepper and Happy was already on the Bridge, talking in a secluded corner with a man who wore an eyepatch. The man's bald head seemed to glint in the light.

As he approached the man glanced up, nodded his head at him, which caused both Pepper and Happy to turn and face him.

She looked terrible.

Her eyes were red and sore from crying and her cheeks flushed. Her hair was out of place from the ponytail she usually wore it in. At this moment, appearances didn't matter. What did was their mutual love of Tony.

Happy looked shocked and at a loss. His skin was white and his eyes were shimmering with tears though they seemed to be refusing to fall.

Pepper ran to him and Rhodey hugged her, patting the top of her head, as once more tears fell from her eyes. "He's gone."

"It's okay Pepper." It wasn't really but what else was he supposed to say? "Tony did what he had to do…"

"But he didn't have to if he had stopped that missile in the first place!" Pepper pointed towards the man she had been conversing with. "He could have shot that plane down!"

The man stepped forward. Rhodey had never met him before.

"I'm Nick Fury, director of SHIELD, Colonel Rhodes," the man introduced himself.

"You made Pepper cry," stated Rhodey, holding Pepper close. "I don't take kindly to people who make my friends cry."

"Is that a threat, Colonel Rhodes?"

Rhodey narrowed his eyes. "Depends."

"On what?" Fury narrowed his one remaining eye.

"On what you say next," answered Rhodey. "My best friend is dead. You turned Tony down from SHIELD because he didn't fit your idea of a team, yet when the world is in danger, you bring him in. If anyone is responsible for Tony's death, it's you. I do not know what happened with that missile but if there is any way you could have stopped it without getting Tony involved then you need to tell me now."

Fury sighed. "The World Security Council made the executive decision to destroy New York, overriding me, and not allowing my team the chance to end this without causing the deaths of millions. I managed to stop one plane from taking off. I didn't expect them to have prepared a second plane to go as well. I didn't have the weaponry to prevent it flying off before it got out of range. Our Helicarrier was sabotaged, preventing a lot of our heavy duty weapons from working. If we could have stopped the plane from taking off, I would have."

"And Tony was the only one who could stop it…" Rhodey realised. How was it fair?

"He was," Fury answered. "If I could have contacted Thor I would have done. But he didn't have an ear piece and was unreachable. I had minutes to spare before the nuke hit New York. Stark was the only option. If it is any consolation, seeing the son of a friend sacrifice himself, knowing full well what the outcome was going to be, was an incredibly difficult decision to make. If I could change it, then I would. But without Stark, the loss of life would be an even greater number."

"I hope you won't try to protect the ones that sent the nuke towards New York," stated Rhodey. Oh, he knew what he was going to do to those that had ensured the death of Tony Stark.

Fury stiffened.

Pepper turned in Rhodey's arms and caught Fury's eyes. "You can rest assured, Mr Fury, that Stark Industries will pursue this through the courts." Despite the amount of crying she had been doing, Rhodey was impressed by how strong and sure Pepper sounded. She was an incredible woman.

"Taking the World Security Council to court will not be easy, Miss Potts," said Fury. "They acted in what they believed was the correct thing to do. They had a whole world to protect from further incursions."

Pepper sniffed. "It is my understanding from Captain Rogers they found a way to close the portal barely a minute after the missile had been launched."

"They did but closing it wouldn't have stopped the ones already here from attacking," explained Fury.

Rhodey scoffed. "And you know that how? If destroying their command ship dropped them all dead, what if closing the portal shut off their signal to them as well? We won't ever know now!" He watched as Fury's shoulders slumped.

"There is nothing we can do to change what happened. But… if you wish to take the World Security Council to court, I will stand by you. I did my best to stop them. Ultimately I failed," admitted Fury.

Pepper swallowed, hugging Rhodey tighter. "Thank you. The three of us need to make preparations." A single tear fell down her cheek. "And mourn for those we have lost today."

Fury nodded. "If any of you need anything, you know where to find me." It was an offer they were unlikely to take him up on, but one they appreciated.

Taking Pepper by the shoulders, Rhodey led her away, with Happy strolling behind.

Rumours began to swirl online and in the national news and press of the sacrifice of Tony Stark during a battle with, what was being dubbed, an extra-terrestrial attack. There had not been any confirmation from the government of what had happened in New York or why it had, though news crews were already out in force, filming the devastation left by the attack and what people on the ground had thought it was.

Most all said the same thing: it was an alien incursion.

They all spoke about the six individuals who had risked their lives to put a stop to the attack. It had been noted by most sources Iron Man had flown through the portal with a missile on his back and had not returned, though confirmation was still to come through he had not.

The US government released a short statement a few hours later stating merely there was an attack on New York City and more details would be released soon. No mention of Tony Stark was made.

The clean-up commenced with rescue services piling in from other cities and states to help with repairing Manhattan.

It was the next day when the government held a joint press conference with Stark Industries that the truth came out. In attendance were the remaining members of the Avengers, who stood at the back of the hall. Thor was the only one who stood out among them, holding his hammer in his right hand, loosely at his side.

President Matthew Ellis moved to the podium. He wore a grey suit with a red and gold tie. His brown-grey hair was swiped back across his head. He didn't smile. He placed his hands on the podium and looked out at the range of reporters that had gathered for the press conference. There was another podium next to him reserved for Colonel James Rhodes, who would be speaking on behalf of the military and Stark Industries, at Pepper's request.

She was still too upset to make an appearance. Despite her professionalism and her desire to do her job, Pepper had known she would be unfit for a public appearance. And the government had understood, as well as the Board of Directors at Stark Industries. So far the only people who did know Tony Stark was dead numbered below twenty, all of them sworn to secrecy until the Ministry of Defence had officially announced it.

President Ellis cleared his throat. "I would like to begin today with a statement regarding the events of New York which occurred yesterday on the 4th May. At precisely eleven o five am, the Stark Tower in Manhattan was taken over by a hostile entity. Using advanced technology, stolen from other government agents, the hostile entity was able to open a portal above the tower. Beyond this portal was an intergalactic army, poised to attack the Earth. The portal was opened at eleven thirty three. Immediately on the scene was Tony Stark's Iron Man. He engaged the hostiles in battle, in an attempt to draw them away from bystanders. Within minutes of the attack beginning, other enhanced individuals were on the scene. These were Steve Rogers, Thor, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, all of whom risked their lives to help save people caught in the crossfire." The President indicated the people at the back of the hall.

The Avengers had all agreed to waive their right of anonymity. They had all chosen to do so as their faces were on every television camera during the battle and afterwards. There would have been no way to hide their identities.

"Due to the scale of the threat and the world-wide implications of such an attack, the World Security Council decided to order a nuclear strike against Manhattan, an attack which was not sanctioned by any World Leader. A missile was deployed and would have destroyed the city and may or may not have stopped the advancing army. If it had not been for the quick actions of Tony Stark to engage the missile and direct it into the portal itself, the outcome would have been very different."

President Ellis paused briefly to clear his throat. "Tony Stark flew into the portal taking the missile with him. Whatever happened beyond is unknown. The attacking army collapsed soon after. The hostile entity responsible for hundreds of deaths in the last few days prior to the attack on Manhattan has been detained and will face justice for their crimes against humanity."

"It is with regret I announce the death of Tony Stark, who sacrificed his life, without any hesitation, to save the Earth, from an advancing alien armada. He didn't return before the portal closed."

There was a clamour of gasping from the crowd of reporters.

"I will now give the podium to Colonel James Rhodes, liaison to Stark Industries." The President stepped aside as Rhodey made his approach.

He placed his hands on the podium, looking down at first before raising his head.

"I am here to talk on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Stark Industries. What happened in New York is a terrible tragedy. It does demonstrate the need to prepare for further intergalactic threats. Therefore I can announce NASA will be working directly with government agencies and the Ministry of Defence to monitor any potential threats. We hope this deal will be enough to allow us to prepare for another invasion if it comes to it, as we would be able to detect any anomaly that appears in our regular data. The clean-up of New York City has already begun. We fully appreciate everyone's time and energy who have so far helped out."

Rhodey leaned back from the podium, straightening his shoulders. He took a deep breath and continued. "I've known Tony Stark since he was a teenager when he attended MIT early. We've been friends for years… I've been there by his side through some of the most difficult times of his life, but… once again I failed him. I failed him in Afghanistan when he was kidnapped and I failed him again yesterday when he fought against impossible odds to save the Earth."

"I would like to read a statement from Stark Industries. Miss Potts is unavailable for comment at the present time."

Everyone knew why she wasn't. Thankfully no one dared comment.

Rhodey had to keep his composure. It would be difficult to do so but he had no choice. Pepper had entrusted him to this statement. She was too emotionally involved to be able to stand in front of a press conference and not break apart.

"It is with great regret that Stark Industries announce the death of former CEO, Anthony Edward Stark. More widely known as Tony Stark, he was the son of Stark Industries founder Howard Anthony Walter Stark and his wife Maria Collins Carbonell. Born in 1970, late into his parent's marriage, Tony was a gift to both Howard and Maria, both of whom had greatly longed for a child. Tony inherited his father's intelligence and his mother's interest in charitable causes, many of whom he continued to donate to throughout his life."

"At seventeen, his parents were cruelly taken in a car accident, Tony fell into the horror of drugs and alcohol, frequently running into trouble with the law, and gaining a reputation as a womaniser, completely happy with his antics being known about in the press. Whilst Tony dealt with his grief, Stark Industries was overseen by Obadiah Stane, the right-hand man that once stood behind Howard Stark."

"A few weeks after Tony's twenty-first birthday, Tony Stark returned to the fold and became the youngest CEO of a fortune five hundred company. He took up the reigns of Stark Industries and revolutionised the weapons industry with new technology and improved safety for soldiers with weapons to help better protect them in combat. The weapons he designed were advanced in every way and the technology he revolutionised continues to benefit everyone to this day. Even with his death, his work will continue to influence the industry."

"In 2008, he flew to Afghanistan to present the Jericho for the consideration of the US Army. On his route back to base, his convoy was attack. Tony was kidnapped by terrorists." Rhodey paused to allow the implications of the statement to sink in. "He was gone for three months. No trace was heard from his captors and everyone began to assume he was dead. His business co-partner, Obadiah Stane, began the process of transferring everything to himself. A few days after he began this process, I found Tony wondering the Afghan desert, battered and bruised but very much alive. We brought him home."

"His experiences in Afghanistan changed him. Immediately returning home, Tony shut down all weapons production, intent on taking Stark Industries in a new direction. It was primarily known as a weapon's company but in the years since, it has become the first business to promote clean energy. Tony has revolutionised arc reactor technology and Stark Industries will continue to use this new revolutionary technology to produce more clean energy and reduce the amount of pollution across our planet."

Rhodey paused. It was a long statement but Pepper had wanted to give a brief overview of Tony's life.

"Upon returning from Afghanistan, Tony Stark created a metal prosthesis suit which was dubbed Iron Man by the press. Taking the name, Tony used the suit to track down all his weapons which had fallen into wrong hands and proceeded to aid the army in attacks on terrorist strongholds. He soon decided to pass on the CEO position to his long time personal assistant Virgina 'Pepper' Potts, a woman who had remained loyal to Tony for over a decade. Shortly after the attack on the Stark Expo in 2010, it was revealed Tony and Pepper were in a relationship. Pepper and Tony made a great team and their love for one another was mutual. They supported one another in everything they did. Tony purchased a tower in Manhattan, renaming it Stark Tower. It is the first building of its kind to use Arc Reactor technology to power the tower independent of power cables. Stark Industries intends to make Stark Tower a powerhouse within New York, using it as a second main site for the business, to allow for more expansion of the company across the board."

His speech was now drawing to a close. "Tony sacrificed himself to save the Earth from the attack of an advancing alien race. Tony Stark will always be remembered for his deeds and the contributions he left behind. He will be sorely missed by all those that knew him and loved him." Rhodey bowed his head. "Thank you." He retreated from the platform, glad it was finally over and he could now leave and mourn for the loss of his best friend.

A few days later, Pepper invited Steve Rogers and the rest of the team to meet her at Stark Tower where renovations were well underway to repair the building. It hadn't suffered any structural damage, therefore it was safe to still be a functional working building whilst Operation: Clean-Up New York was underway.

Pepper had yet to return to work but she planned to do so in the next few days, no matter how much it hurt to do so. Without Tony… No, she couldn't think like that at all. He'd want her to move on with her life. Not mourn for him for months and years. No, Pepper Potts was strong and she would ensure to honour Tony's wishes.

Happy informed her when the Avengers were seated in the living room of what was Tony's penthouse. It was still a bit of a mess but the window had been repaired and the Loki-shaped holes in the floor still remained. Pepper intended to make sure the rest of the building was repaired and others were too before she finally made the necessary repair to the floor.

She entered the floor via the lift, approaching the team whom had settled themselves onto the sofa and armchairs. Pepper sat down in an empty chair, composing herself for what she needed to say and ask of them.

She'd only met Steve but had seen photos of the rest of them.

"I'm Pepper Potts. I'm sure you all know how much Tony meant to me." She paused. "I want to thank you all for coming today. I know it has been a hectic few days and one of you intends to depart later."

"I stayed because you asked, Lady Pepper," said Thor. "However Asgard needs me and Loki needs to pay for his crimes against Midgard."

"I'm still… processing what has happened… Tony tried to call me before he died… I regret so much not realising he was calling…" sighed Pepper. She took a deep breath. "I know all of you have lives to lead, people you must love to get back to…"

"Anything you'd like us to help you with, Miss Potts, we will be there for you," said Steve, reassuringly. "It's the least we could do after what has happened."

Pepper inclined her head. "Thank you… Tomorrow I am holding a press conference. I would like all of you there, if you can be. It would be a gesture of respect to Tony and what he did. And… Steve… I'd like it if you could talk about Tony. I know you only knew him for a short time… But it would be nice if the leader of the Avengers could speak about him. The conference will be part of a day long mourning and celebration of Tony's life."

"I'll be there," said Steve. "As will everyone else. Apart from Thor." Steve looked around at the others, seeing confirming nods, aside from Thor who spoke up.

"Aye, I can no longer put off my return to Asgard," confirmed Thor. "But I will return to Midgard. You have my word."

"Thank you," said Pepper, rising from her seat. "I will see you tomorrow… Please feel free to uses the Tower's facilities for the night. Meet me at ten thirty tomorrow morning in the foyer. We will discuss the itinerary for the day then."

Bidding farewell to the Avengers, Pepper made her way to her room – the one she had once shared with Tony only briefly in this tower - and she sobbed herself to sleep as grief overtook her once more.

To be continued..

Please let me know what you think!

Happy's POV regarding Tony's death will be shown later on in this story. I really wanted to explore Pepper and Rhodey in this chapter and how the government would explain the events of New York.

The next chapter will be posted next week... Probably Boxing Day... If not... the 27th!

Happy Christmas!

Until then,

the-writer1988