Rhodey got to his knees beside the bed and felt for Tony's pulse, pressing two fingers to his neck. It was slightly elevated, due to his recent activities, but really nothing to worry about...yet. What had he meant with dangerous? He decided to go for the direct route and ask Jarvis up front.

„Jarvis, what's dangerous about the new arc?"

„Nothing that I know of, Sir!" the super computer replied instantly „However, it has not yet been thoroughly tested, because Mr. Stark left for New York before a full scan could be completed."

„What do I do, Jarvis?"

„The best course of action would be to replace the RT currently attached to Mr. Stark with its previous version, at least until the scans are finished."

„The poisonous one?"

„Yes, sir!"

„But wouldn't that be counter productive? I mean, would it not restart the poisoning?"

„There are about three hours left until it is finished. Not enough time to cause further harm."

„What would happen, if we leave it in until he has recovered enough to do it himself?"

„As I said before, Sir. Due to the lack of results, the risk is still not sufficiently calculated. I would suggest you attend to it, as soon as possible."

„Jarvis, I don't have the slightest idea, what I'm doing!" Rhodey complained.

„I suggest you accompany Mr. Stark down to the workshop and let him do what he meant do to, when he tried to get up, Sir" Jarvis almost sounded impatient now.

Rhodey sighed as he looked at the prone figure lying on the bed, still unmoving and out cold.

„Right, accompany... More like carry your lazy ass!" he murmured before he grabbed hold of Tony's arm and pulled it upwards, dragging his limp body along until it was slung over his shoulder. He staggered under the weight, although he remarked for the second time that day, that he wasn't by far as heavy as he should be. He slowly staggered out of the room and headed for the elevator, when he spotted Pepper making her way up the stairs.

„What are you doing?!" she asked incredulously.

„Going downstairs!" he grunted out between sharp breaths „He needs to check on something! Get that elevator, Pep!"

At first she didn't move. Obviously too confused and very much against Tony leaving his bed. She reluctantly complied and followed them inside once it had reached their level. She bent forward to tenderly stroke Tony's red face, currently hanging upside down. Standing back up she threw a questioning glance at her friend who was starting to sweat slightly under the weight. He almost mimicked her, when he raised his eyebrows as well.

„Ask Jarvis!" he only answered.

When they reached the workshop, she went ahead to the sitting area and immediately set out to transform the largest couch into a bed. When Rhodey laid down his burden, Pepper had already gone to find a few blankets and pillows, in order to make the fever stricken man more comfortable. Meanwhile Rhodey checked the contents of the small pharmacy bag Pepper had brought. He smirked slightly. Of course Pepper hadn't just left. How could he have thought that for a second. A minute later Pepper returned, Happy in tow with most of the blankets from the master bedroom. She set them down and gently covered Tony with the thickest one. He had become eerily still now. No movement whatsoever, flat breathing and only a slight tremble whenever a fever tremor wreaked havoc on his weakened body. His previous attempt to walk here on his own, must have thoroughly drained him, Rhodey guessed. Happy had come up to him and asked him with a low and serious voice.

„How's the bossman doing?"

Rhodey only sighed.. „unchanged I think. Although, I think that magic agent shot did something!"

„Really?" Pepper asked hopefully.

„I mean it didn't last long, but it was something,"

Pepper's expression grew solemn again. „So why did you bring him down here? He would be more comfortable upstairs."

„Because I need to finish this" Tony's weak voice suddenly sounded from his position on the couch. Their heads snapped around immediately, as he once again tried to lift himself off the matress

„Jarvis! Are you there?!" he exclaimed and waved away Pepper's probing hands, as she was trying to feel for his temperature on his forehead.

„For you, Sir, always!"

„How far did you get with the scans on the new element?!" he managed to push himself up on two shaky legs, relying heavily on Pepper in order to remain upright.

„Tony, what do you thi..."

He ignored her and instead listened to Jarvis meager account on the results he had managed to extract from the interrupted scanning session.

„How long until the scan is complete?"

„Estimation for complete scan is 3 hours and 45 minutes, Sir!"

Tony huffed in annoyance and, blanket slung over his bare back and Pepper supporting him with her arm slightly slung around his hip, they made their way to his main desk. Once there, he retrieved a small silvery block from one of the drawers and placed his right thumb on a slot. Pepper was watching him curiously and almost fainted when she saw the read out on the small display. Palladium level 79,3%.

„Jesus, Tony!" she gasped. He turned around to face her and immediately noticed her chalky white complexion.

„Pepper! Come on, sit down!" he pointed at a second chair in close vicinity. „It's not that bad anymore!" he tried to sooth her, but immediately realized that he had chosen the wrong words. „It's going to be alright!" he hastily added „I promise"

Pepper regained her composer quickly, in typical Potts fashion... Tony wouldn't have expected anything less ... and suddenly fixed him with a stern gaze. He almost flinched away from the intensity behind those blue eyes.

„Tony..." she sighed and instead of phrasing the long string of questions she had prepared for him, she opted for silence and conveyed everything to him in that one gaze. The helplessness of the past hours, the hurt over seeing him suffer like that, the sense of utter betrayal, because he hadn't told her and first and foremost the soul eating guilt, that was nagging away at her, since she heard Tony say those words to Natalie, or rather Natasha. „Yes, for the moment I am not dying. Thank you..."

„I...I'm sorry, Pep!" he said. His voice barely above a whisper, his eyes lowered, avoiding her gaze. „I shouldn't have! I should have ..."

„Hell yeah, you should have! What were you thinking!"

„In my defense though, Pep! I tried a couple of times" his voice was a little stronger now. Pepper's mind wandered back to his inpromptu invitation to a vacation in Italy, after the first one had failed so dramatically. It's a great place to ... be healthy.

Only now, in hindsight, did she realize, what he had actually meant to say and how she had deliberately chosen not to notice all the symptoms surrounding his plea not to return home. His tired, sometimes bloodshot eyes and the greyish complexion of his skin, or the way he sometimes moved a lot slower, as if he was in pain. She didn't answer him and was suddenly jolted out of her reverie by Tony's shaky hand gently pushing her aside so he could open a drawer. He picked up an old cigarette box, that looked like it could have been his father's. She observed him as he pulled out a small silvery cartridge, the last one it seemed, since there were a lot of free slots in the box and reached for the abandoned arc reactor lying on the table. With practiced ease his right hand reached for the center of his chest, twisted and removed the new arc reactor from its socket and quickly replaced it with the one lying on the table. Pepper had seldom seen him do this, and was once again trying hard not to show her repulsion over the unnaturally deep hole in his chest.

He hissed when the arc slipped in and started functioning. A cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead and since he doubted that the Palladium would have such an immediate effect on his system, he put it down to psychsomatic imaginations.

He turned around in his chair and put the new, triangular shaped arc into a socket that seemingly protruded from the base of his desk.

„Do your worst, Jay!" he said before a cough tore through him and he reached out his hand to steady himself on the desk to make sure he didn't fall off the chair.

Pepper was by his side immdiately and Rhodey's footsteps echoed through the large hall as he quickly made his way over. With the experience of a soldier he nonchalantly and without allowing any form of debate slung the other man's arm over his shoulder and almost picked him up completely from his chair. Together they stumbled over to the couch area where Rhodey laid him down and Pepper covered him up. Her gaze though remained transfixed on the blue circle of light, that had been causing so much trouble and for all Pepper knew, was actively making Tony sick again. She could have sworn, that she could see the gray veins darkening.