Title: From the Ashes
Author: Shannon – shannyfish
Disclaimer: Iron Man and Avengers do not belong to me, but Marvel Entertainment and Disney. This is for entertainment purposes only.
Rating: PG-13 (for now)
Summary: Tony and Pepper start anew in New York. Starting over isn't always so easy… Post "Iron Man 3". Tony/Pepper
Warning: none that I can think of right now!
Author's Note: I think that given what happened in "Iron Man 3" that the characters can seem to be a little rocky! I promise, if they seem bipolar, they will straighten out! :D
Constructive criticism is appreciated!
. . .
"From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king."
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
. . .
The beeping was starting to drive her nuts. She was sure that it should be a comfort, but it just reminded her that she was in a hospital. It was just that she was in the hospital, but that everyone seemed to be very insistent that she needed to remain in the hospital bed. She wanted to walk around! She wanted to take a shower! She wanted to be alone and just deal with her own thoughts and emotions in peace for five minutes!
Pepper felt like she was suffocating!
"Are you listening?"
She hadn't been, but his asking that snapped her back to paying attention. "Sorry, I was just thinking about an e-mail," Pepper lied. She'd done all of the Stark Industries work she had to complete for the day. Things were in order and even a bit ahead for the next day. The busy work had kept her sane this long…but she wished that she had more to do now.
"I was just saying that I'm sure we'll be going to home soon," Happy told her with a smile.
Pepper smiled back at him. Happy and Rhodey tried so hard to try to distract her and keep her talking, but it was exhausting. She didn't want to be rude to them, but she was okay with them going home…or even just taking the day and sleeping… She was sure that they could use the extra rest. And then there was Tony and Bruce… Sometimes she felt like she had two husbands. Tony was the one who really needed her in so many ways…and she made him better…while Bruce was the calmer (ironically) and even one who tried to keep Tony on track with projects…they were like two halves… Bruce needed them both; he needed the family that they brought him. They brought Bruce the normalcy that he was denied. There was no way to banish either of them.
"Happy," Pepper said. She just hoped she didn't crush him in any way. "Can you do me an incredibly big favor?"
"Sure," Happy said quickly.
"Go home… Make sure they're getting the house ready…" Pepper requested. "Go to Stark Tower…make sure everyone's wearing their badges… Make sure my office and the penthouse is secure… Just make sure things are ready for when I can go home…"
Happy just stared at her for a long moment. "But—"
"And take Rhodey… I'm okay, I promise," Pepper told him. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "You two have been so sweet…but I'm not dying… I'll feel so much better to know that things are taken care of in New York and that you two aren't exhausting yourselves here…"
"But Tony—"
"Bruce will keep an eye on him here," Pepper assured Happy.
"What if Rhodey won't go?" Happy asked.
"I'm pretty sure he was babbling about how he got that promotion in DC. He should be looking for an apartment…" Pepper said. "He needs to make arrangements… You could help him with that as well…"
"Why do I feel like you're giving me busy work?" Happy asked.
Pepper smiled. "Now, Happy, you should know…I don't give you busy work… I give Tony busy work for the sanity of all of us…"
Happy nodded. "I just… I don't want you to have to be alone…or to feel like you don't have anyone to talk to. I know how Tony can be. He can isolate himself and close himself off…"
"I know," Pepper whispered. "But I promise…if I need you, I'll call you right back… And I have Bruce and Tony here… You're all so sweet to be here, but at the same time…I could use some time to just sleep…"
"I guess we do talk your ear off," Happy said.
"But you know how things are when no one's there to tend to things… For all I know, we'll come back to the house being painted with green and yellow stripes…"
"You have that file in the office at the house with all of the house renovation plans in it, right?" Happy asked.
Pepper nodded. "It has paint samples and sketches and everything…and the tablet on my desk should as well."
"Okay… I guess, if that's what you really want…"
She could tell that he was still hesitant. She'd known Happy for as long as she'd known Tony…though Tony had known Happy longer. But as long as she'd known him, Happy had been protective of her. They were good friends and he was always so sweet. Pepper just hoped that she could really convince him to go back to New York. She really could only deal with Tony and Bruce being there…and even then…that was sometimes hard.
"I would really appreciate it," Pepper told him with a sweeter smile.
"What if Tony says 'no'?" Happy asked.
"Remind him that I'm the boss."
"Right."
"Do I have to say it exactly like that?"
Pepper's smile brightened. "Just tell him that I said that I wanted you and Rhodey to go home…"
There was also the fact that Happy was really still recovering from the last time that Aldrich Killian had attacked them. He'd been in a coma and then had been in the hospital for recovery for a good amount of time. He'd been recovering at the house on Long Island, but Pepper had wondered if all of his worrying about her and sitting in a hospital chair at her bedside all day wasn't making him look worse. He looked almost pale… Which was just another reason why he needed to go home, though she'd never use that reason. Tending to their matters with Stark Industries and the Long Island Mansion were better and gave Happy a purpose.
. . .
"You did what?!" Tony asked. "Wait! Why are you getting out of bed?! Pepper! Sit! Get back into bed!"
She swore that Tony's head was going to explode. Pepper really didn't care right now. She was not going to go stir crazy. "Tony, I talked to the doctor."
"Which one?! I need to talk—"
"Tony Stark! You stop and listen to me right now!" Pepper snapped. When Tony stopped and just stared at her, she looked him dead on. "I don't want you interrupting me while I explain this to you, do you understand?" Tony nodded. "I am fine right now… I feel wonderful… I've been in bed on bed rest for I don't even know how many days now…"
He still looked concerned.
Pepper was standing on her feet, she'd pulled on a pair of pajamas that had been brought for her, which she preferred far and above the hospital gown she'd been wearing. She'd also been able to convince a nurse to allow her to shower by herself. That had felt like heaven.
Grabbing Tony's hand, Pepper pulled it to her body and pressed it against her chest. "I'm okay…" She moved his hand down and below her belly button. "Every test they've done on our baby says that he or she is okay… There's a steady heart beat."
"Our baby…" he whispered.
Pepper smiled. It had really been the first time they'd really talked about the baby in any real way. There were still no assurances that their baby would survive, but Pepper had faith in Bruce and Tony. "Yes," she whispered. She allowed herself to be happy about the baby and beam a bit. "In several weeks, we'll even know the gender," Pepper told him. "Means that I'll get to convert one of the rooms into a nursery…"
"I'm not saying I'm not excited," Tony said. "Because I am… But, if you told me that I was going to have a baby with you five years ago—"
She laughed. "I would have thought that you were drunk…and completely delusional…"
"I love you, Pepper," he whispered and didn't move her hand. He moved forward and kissed her as if he wasn't going to see her again. The kiss was both thrilling and scared her at the same time. She was sure that it was just the realization that they were going to be parents…coupled with the situation they were currently in.
"I love you," she whispered when their lips finally parted. Their foreheads rested together.
"I still think you should be off your feet," Tony whispered.
Pepper laughed. "You're still not winning…"
"Can I walk with you at least?" Tony asked.
"Only if we talk about the baby…"
"Are you sure?" Tony asked and she could hear the worry and hesitation in his voice. She hadn't wanted to discuss the baby before for fear that if she lost it, it was devastate him…she was sure that he felt the same way about her. In truth, they would both be broken in complete devastation… But they were going to be okay…and they were going to be parents.
Pepper pulled back and framed his face with her hands. She stared into his beautiful eyes and she hoped that her smile could erase his worry. "I have complete faith in you… In all of you. Never doubt that. I know that it's just going to take a little time… That doesn't mean that we can't think of the future."
"You do remember that you also said 'yes' to my marriage proposal, right?" Tony asked.
"Did I?"
"I distinctly remember it."
"Was I conscious?" she teased.
Tony thought about it for a moment. "You said yes… I believe more than once…"
"I had been terribly exhausted…" she continued.
"Is it because I wasn't down on one knee?" he asked. Tony smiled and got down on one knee. "Because I'll ask again."
"While I'm in my pajamas?" Pepper asked as she motioned to the science t-shirt and pajamas bottoms she was wearing. "That hardly seems appropriate."
"Do I need candles? Romantic music? Maybe an exotic backdrop? A ring even?" he asked.
Pepper noticed that nurses were looking in. That was the last thing that they needed. Nurses talking to the media outside. And Happy had told her all about the media frenzy. She pulled him back up to his feet. She wrapped her arms around one of his. "For now, how about an escort around this floor? And talking about the future?"
"I like that plan…"
She beamed at him. He was right, if she'd been told five years ago that she'd be here like this with Tony Stark, she would have thought that they were completely out of their mind. This man before he was nothing like the man that she'd spent more than a decade spending most of her life with…ensuring that he was making the best decisions that she could get him to make. She loved him, though. Pepper was sure that some people might think it was a mistake, but it was the best one she'd made in her whole life. Pepper Potts was truly head over heels in love with Tony Stark…and she wouldn't want to trade places with anyone else.
"I thought you would."
. . .
It was like she'd been shoved down a flight of stairs…or hit by a truck.
Things had changed that quickly.
Pepper had felt like they'd be going home to New York in the morning and then…Extremis had adjusted its game. She didn't know exactly what was going on, she just knew that she felt like crap and she couldn't leave her hospital bed.
She had just been up walking around and eating and feeling great. Pepper just wanted to stay curled up in the bed and sleep all day. She didn't want to eat, drink, or move. She didn't want to hear the beeping or the shuffling. She just wanted to die there in silence and peace.
"I'm sorry," Tony whispered as he brushed hair out of her face. It reminded her that she needed to ask for a hair band so that she could have her hair back out of her face. She could see the pain in his face and hear it in his voice.
It took her far too much effort to open her eyes further from the slits they'd been and even more to speak. "Why…are…you…sorry?" she managed to get out in strangled whispers.
"I…I should have… I put…" he kept stopping, and she knew why. None of this was his fault. She'd told him that before. And maybe her words were bouncing around his head.
"I love you," she whispered and slowly reached her hand out for his. She really didn't want to be touched, but she knew that it would bring Tony comfort. Right now, she couldn't stand someone laying next to her or holding her, so this was the best she could do. Tony took her hand in both of his.
"Pep—"
And he stopped when she squeezed his hand. "I love you," she repeated. She didn't know what was going to happen in the future, but she needed him to know that. Pepper wasn't ready to die yet…she worried about what would happen to Tony… He'd changed so much, but at the same time…he needed her.
"I love you," he whispered back. His head leaned down and he gently rested it on their hands.
"I'm so tired, Tony," she whispered. Her eyes slid shut. She knew she didn't have to worry about him, not with him right there. She could sleep…and he'd be there when she woke up.
"Sleep, Honey," he told her. She could feel his tears running down their hands. He was so worried…but she'd be there when she woke up. It was useless to try to explain that to him…but she'd still be there.
She just needed to sleep.
The black void of unconsciousness grabbed her and sucked her in quickly…and the world around her…beeping and all…was gone.
. . .
"You know, we could wait to find out," Tony told her.
From his tone, she knew that he was hesitant. Pepper grinned and walked around their bed to grasp his hands in hers. "It's going to be okay, you know… No matter what… Things are going to be okay…"
"I never know how you can be so confidant about that," Tony told her.
"You go out and are Iron Man all the time… How do you know that the iron's not going to short out?"
"First of all… That's a ridiculous question," Tony told her, his tone made it sound like he was very hurt. "I mean… I designed and made the armor. I suppose, theoretically…if I weren't so awesome…then I'd say that that was what upgrades and new models were for. And then there's JARVIS…"
Pepper just smiled. "And you're Tony Stark."
"And Iron Man."
Pepper just shook her head as her grin widened. "There was never going to be a way we could get you to keep that a secret, was there?"
Tony tried to look like he was contemplating it for a moment. He didn't fool Pepper. "No… Absolutely not. Can't keep secrets… That builds a toxic relationship," he told her all too seriously. "Plus, I didn't have a girlfriend…"
"No," Pepper said and then rolled her eyes. "You had many girlfriends."
"They weren't…girlfriends," Tony tried.
"What would you call them, then?"
"Uh…one night stands?" Tony attempted. "That's probably more accurate, right?"
Shaking her head, Pepper took his hands and brought them up. She kissed them tenderly before looking back up at him. "You sure you're so happy to give that all up for this?" Pepper asked and then moved his hands and placed them on her belly.
Tony gently and lovingly caressed her growing belly. "More than anything…I am happy to have the life I have now…with you…and our son or daughter…"
"So…about those names…"
"Can't we just name it…Alex? Alex is a good name, right? Sam! We could use both of those no matter what the gender!"
Pepper sighed and shook her head. "You don't have to know the gender… I can tell them… But I want to know…and I want the print-out and the DVD…"
"Is this the regular one or the 3D one?" Tony asked.
"This is the regular one," Pepper told him. "You said that the 3D ones looked like aliens…"
"They do!"
"How would you know?"
"I've seen aliens!"
"Baby aliens?"
Tony just stared at her. "Well…no…"
"Okay… So, why can't we do it?"
"You can go without me!"
Pepper pouted. "Really, Tony? We talked about this… I don't want to go by myself… It's not like it's just a check-up with a doctor… We'd get to see our baby's face for the first time!"
"You can always take Bruce."
"How about Howard for a boy?" Pepper said suddenly changing the topic. "Howard Anthony Stark?"
"After my dad?"
"No, after…yes, after your dad!"
Tony suddenly moved himself so he could sit down. "Is that a name for a kid these days? Aren't they all naming their kids things like Napster? Audio Science? Apple?"
"There's nothing wrong with Apple," Pepper quickly defended. "It's a sweet and darling name!"
"You're right… You're right…" Tony said. "It's not like we're naming the kid orange…or tangerine."
Pepper smirked. "So…what do you think about Howard Anthony?"
"Can I think about it?"
"Of course you can… It was just a suggestion… I wasn't sure if you wanted to go with family names or—"
Tony suddenly interrupted. "And what if it's a girl? A little girl with freckles and red hair?" He grinned. "Can we name her Virginia?"
"My name's Virginia," Pepper told him as she eyed him.
"No," he said. "Your name on paper…like the super legal kind…is Virginia…but everyone else in the whole world knows you as Pepper Potts…"
And it was true. Somehow, Tony Stark had gotten the whole world to call her by the nickname that he'd given her so long ago. She actually was quite fond of it. She didn't think she'd respond to Virginia if someone started calling her that. "What about Maria?"
"You can't name our kids after my parents," Tony told her. "You should have some addition to them…"
"I like your parents' names," Pepper told him. "And your parents were good people who did good things in this world while they lived. There isn't anything wrong with passing along that legacy."
"Won't Stark be enough?" Tony asked. "Are we hyphenating? Potts-Stark?"
Pepper shook her head. "No… Just Stark." And she was happy with that. She knew that no matter what surname she wanted to give their child that Tony would be okay with it. He might whine about it…for the sake of whining about it, but that was it. He would be happy that she was happy.
"Maybe we need one of those baby names books… Make it official… Isn't that what you're supposed to have? We could look at meanings… Make a whole list…"
As she stared at him. She knew that he was completely serious. She just smiled and ran her hands over her belly. Pepper was excited about the baby, but she knew it wasn't the same for Tony. He wasn't as connected. Not yet, at least. It was so nice for her to see this… For her to know that Tony wanted this baby and was excited and wanted to be part of the process.
Tony leaned in and kissed her belly before resting his forehead against it. "You know what Pepper?"
"What?" she whispered.
"We're going to have the most beautiful, genius, talented, and most likely downright bossy daughter…" Tony told her with great confidence.
. . .
The beeping wasn't what woke her, but it was the first thing that she found herself focusing on. Pepper tried to throw off the sound, but it kept rolling around in her head. Her head felt like it was full of cotton balls and her mouth felt dry. She was on her side and could tell that the room was dark, but didn't dare open her eyes. She wasn't ready to be awake…for people to notice.
"Hey…"
Pepper wasn't sure if the voice was talking to her. She hadn't moved so far as she knew and she'd kept her eyes closed.
"You wake up and let the docs look you over...then we can go home," the voice continued. "Sleep in your own bed tonight… I don't care which one. Manhattan or Long Island."
And she thought about it. Both of their beds were nice. They were both different though. She thought about which one she would be more comfortable in and realized that she didn't want to be at Stark Tower. Not for a while… She just hoped that Happy had taken care of everything at the Long Island house. She didn't want to go home with what she was sure some orders that included rest to a house full of workers…
"Pep… Honey… Please… Open your eyes…"
His voice seemed to be pleading and he seemed absolutely terrified. Pepper could just lie there and not say anything. But her dream… It had felt so real…and it had been such a happy place… She didn't want to wake back up into the uncertain world that she'd left for a time…
"Shh…" she barely got out audibly. Pepper opened her eyes to find Tony right up against her bedside. She could barely keep her eyes open and when they were open, she couldn't keep them focused. Pepper wearily and blindly reached out to try to touch Tony. He immediately took her hand and kissed it. Her eyes closed again, but she listened for him. She was so tired… "Shh…"
"Where'd you go?"
"Home," she whispered.
Tony let out a dry short laugh. "Trying to get around doctor's orders?"
"You were telling me something…" she whispered and slowly adjusted her body to a more comfortable positioning on her side.
"What was I telling you?"
"You were certain…that we're going to have a daughter…" She was quiet for a long moment and a smile spread across her lips as she thought about the memory of that dream. "That she's going to be beautiful and genius…and…"
"And I'm right," Tony whispered. His voice broke and he kissed her hand again.
It felt like something was wrong… She could feel it in the air. Pepper opened her eyes again. Tony was sitting there and when her eyes focused for a second here and there…he looked like crap. How long had she been out? Was she better? In a way, she felt better. Pepper squeezed his hand and just stared at him. "Long Island," she told him.
Tony nodded and kissed her hand again. "Anything you want," he told her. "Anything you want, Pepper."
"Come lay in bed with me," she whispered. Pepper really wasn't sure how well she could scoot herself over to one side, but she wanted him close. If he was close, she felt like she could also find out what was wrong. There was something wrong. Tony just wasn't worried about her. She knew him better than that.
A few minutes later, he'd helped reposition her so that he could lay on his side with her in bed. It was tight, but it was cozy. There was so much comfort with his arms wrapped around her. And Pepper realized…it didn't hurt for him to touch her. She pressed her forehead against his and sighed happily as her eyes closed.
"You're not telling me something," she whispered sleepily.
"Tomorrow," he promised.
"Tony—"
"Pepper… Please…just rest… You need to rest."
And before she could argue any further, unconsciousness dragged her under again. This time, though, she could feel the warmth, strength, and comfort of Tony's arms wrapped around her.
. . .
TBC…