"Hello Mrs. Potts….its nice to finally meet you, I have heard a lot about you" Stuttered Steve

"Yes, well I wish I could say the same, can I ask what you're still doing here, I was under the assumption that the team was at the hotel across the street." Pepper said, her scrutinizing gaze unwavering.

"Oh, well yes they are, but with Tony's…umm…..situation" Steve pointed vaguely to his chest were Tony's arc reactor rested, "The team didn't feel comfortable leaving him alone with strangers"

"Well I do appreciate that, but I am here now. I would have been here sooner, but I was across the world when I got the call. You are free to leave."

"Well with all do respect Ma'am I would like to stay and keep an eye on him. He's been having troubles with ….remember where he is and has become rather…..umm…Violent" Steve blushed, not quite knowing were the boundaries were in order to not step over them, "I don't think anyone quite realized how….strong Tony is, and it took a lot of people to subdue him the last time. I would feel a lot more comfortable if I could keep an eye on him. Help if the need arises"

"Did S.H.E.I.L.D. send you to stay with him" Pepper accused

"No….No Ma'am I just want to do what best for our team."

Pepper stood there with her hand on her hip and her blue eyes searing into his soul, looking for any sign of dishonesty or ulterior motive. Upon seeing nothing but honesty she let out a shaky breath, a posture slouching ever so slightly and her face loosing the steal edge that made sure Steve knew exactly who he was messing with, and what would happen if he was lying. "Thank you Steve, that's…very kind"

Right at that moment Tony's doctor came running back in to the room mumbling "Stupid, so stupid how could I have not seen this earlier" over and over again. He briskly side stepped a very surprised Steve and walked over to Tony's bed, picking up his chart, and looking at monitors. He was rattling off numbers and words that Steve would never be able to say let alone spell. He started fidgeting with Tony's shirt. When he started to unfasten it to go to the arc reactor Steve and Pepper realized what he was trying to get to.

Steve jumped over and grabbed the doctor by the wrist, pulling him away from Tony's chest, Pepper moving to stand between Tony and the Doctor.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you were giving direct orders to not so much as to think about touching the reactor" Steve growled, his words dripping with venom and dark promises if the doctor did not have a valid reason for daring to try and touch Tony.

"Steve, please let go you're gonna break my wrist. Hear me out"

Steve looked down at his hand realizing that he was squeezing the doctor's wrist just under enough pressure to snap it. Abruptly letting go he stepped back from the doctor, still staying him and Tony. Crossing his arms over his chest he gave a curt nod for the doctor to get on with his explanation.

"Look, I believe I know what's wrong and what keeps triggering his flashbacks. Tony is in pain, a lot of pain. Not from the surgery or anything that happened while he was fighting alone with you, but I think its something he has carried for along time. When I realized that something had to have happened before the battle to put him in so much pain I realized. It's the Reactor. I don't know how I couldn't have seen it, or how he's dealing with it so well."

Steve looked at the Doctor in confusion. "How is the Reactor hurting him, I was under the assumption that it was keeping him alive."

"Steve look at it this way, he was blown up, literally. There are loads of shrapnel all in his system, frighteningly close to his lungs, major arteries and most importantly his heart. Without the reactor he would have been dead within a week. And now that his body has come accustomed to it and has incorporated its function like a new organ, even without the shrapnel he would not be able to live without it. Without it, it seems like he would die in only minutes. But everyone seems to forget, and I am ashamed to have been one of them. There is a whole in the middle of Tony's chest, and very deep not properly placed hole in Tony. A hole that never can heal, that forced to stay open constantly. I can't imagine what pain he is in now, and knowing the conditions of which he received the reactor and just looking at someone of the scaring. It looks like a lot of it was not from the bomb but…..not to be too vulgar. Most of the scar tissue in the immediate area of the reactor is from thrashing around during its implantment. I hate to even think about it, but my best guess is that he was awake during the procedure….without much or any anesthetic at all. The only reason I am saying this is because if he is in constant pain from the reactor, and the last time he was in pain like that and strapped to bed with, excuse my language, a shit load of wires coming out of him, he was in Afghanistan being brutally tortured. It would make since as to what keeps triggering his memories, and why he thinks he's back there being tortured again. It makes so much since. He seemed to always be trying to touch his face, but I think he might have been reaching for the source of the pain; he was reaching for the reactor"

Understanding shot through Steve and Pepper worst than any bullet could have. Tony was in pain. Constantly, and there was nothing they could do about it. For Steve he felt nothing but guilt and self hatred for ever saying anything horrible about this man. A man be barely knew but put a smile on his face, gave a laugh, and even risks his own life for people he barley knew. All while in unimaginable pain. He thought about ever injury he had ever complained about and his guilt only got worst. There was nothing he wouldn't give to give Tony his enhanced healing, even though logically he knew it would most likely do the man no good.

For Pepper guilt at away at her for not seeing it. For letting him go through this alone. For not understanding his nightmares, for not understanding his fear for anyone touching his reactor. For not appreciating the gesture of him ever asking her to help him remove it for any reason. And for most of all, the drinking. For ever saying anything about his drinking problems. For ever accusing him of being like his father. How could she have said those things, allowed him to be in so much pain. And for what, for the company? For a couple extra hours of sleep? How could she not have known? And hearing about even a small hint of his torture brought to her mind all the things he was afraid of after coming back, the way he would flinch away as if burned every time she touched him. His horrible fear of water….all she could think of was all he had to have been though, for Tony of all people to be afraid of anything, the strongest person she's even known.

How was she only now seeing these things? All the signs were so obvious, but she was just so caught up in herself and the company to truly pay attention. And now after going through all that, here he is, reliving it all over again, if she had just looked, just paid more attention rather than treating him like a insolent child. He wouldn't have to.

The room fell into a pained silence. All three people realizing how badly they had messed up, and having no idea how they were going to fix it. What do you do when the only thing keeping someone alive might be killing them?

Thank you so much everyone for reading, and thank you so much for the people who are following this story i really appreciate it. Reviews and Comments are really appreciated. Also, if there is anything you want to see happen in this story, i am completely up for suggestions, i know i sometimes look at fics i love and just wish one thing could have happened, so if you have any suggestions let me know!