The lightning forked right behind Tony, missing him only because the lightning hadn't accounted for his forward trajectory. The light at such close quarters blinded his receptors for a second, even though the lightning was from behind, and then just as suddenly as Tony had entered the cloud, rain began to thud on the armour; big heavy rain drops bearing bad news.

And Tony, for only the third time in his entire life – the first being four and wanting a kid to build a proper pet – which coincidently became Dummy – the second time being by his mother's bedside as she lay there sick and sleeping – prayed. He payed he would get home, to Pepper, and to their baby. He didn't care how weak and stupid he must've looked – who'd judge him anyway?

The rain was thundering down and the sound was so loud Tony wasn't sure this was even rain. There was the roll of thunder again, and a chill ran through Tony's spine.

"Jarvis …" Tony said, somehow knowing that the lightning won't miss him a second time – as if it was learning.

"Initiating evasive manoeuvres." Jarvis's voice was monotonous, and then Tony's suit engine groaned as his speed dropped dramatically and flaps were deployed. The lightning flashed and missed him by an inch; directly in front of him. Tony thought he was just going to fly right into it though, but the suit burst to the left and then immediately to the right again as another strike of lightning narrowly missed him, as if it had been aiming for him.

Then the thunder quietened down, and Tony realized how hard his heart was beating, and he was sweating cold sweats and he felt like he was being stifled – he couldn't breathe and each breath came in harder, thinner. The suit was locked down to avoid any wayward limbs attracting lightning, and Tony couldn't move any part of his body. Just as well, because he felt like his entire body was shutting down and all of his muscles were giving up on him; if he was standing up he would've collapsed at this point – he wasn't sure he could feel the good parts of his legs, and there were pins and needles down the bad parts. His mouth was completely dry and he couldn't get a sentence out, all he could do was wheeze and attempt to comprehend the extreme level of fear he was feeling – it washed over him, and he was being dragged out further and further into the inky blackness where he was sure he would reside for the rest of eternity. The fear was nestled in his chest and it was pushing on him, pressing him against the suit, pressing with an urge almost as if the fear didn't kill him now, the lightning would. He felt dizzy, and the vision feed from outside the suit was received as blurry and warped – Tony couldn't feel his arms except for the tingles, he couldn't move his fingers; it was all he could to keep breathing.

Tony was hyperventilating and he did not like it – he felt crippled with fear and all he could remember was flying into the portal at New York and thinking he was never going to come back again – and maybe he survived that just to die here.

"No, please, please no. No. Please no." He began to whisper, because that's all he could offer; soft pleas for help from a higher power. "Please, please, please God, no."

But like all things, Tony knew a little about what he was going through – he breathed deep, tried to keep himself in control. "No, please no. No. No." He continued, as he breathed in through the nose. Out through the mouth. In through the nose; long and deep. Out through the mouth; deep and long. Tony wasn't aware how long he kept that on, but by the time he had summoned up enough courage to open his eyes again, Jarvis was still rolling him around the storm cloud, but Tony could see how frequent and common the lightning was now. They only chance they had was – "Jarvis, just get us out of the cloud!" He commanded, and the suit began to descend, still maintaining its sporadic path to avoid being targeted by the lightning – it seemed to be learning, learning the patterns the suit made, so Jarvis had to randomize the path, to hopefully give Tony a chance. Tony just concentrated on his breathing and the thought of Pepper waiting for him, and eventually they broke through the clouds.

Tony felt relief hit him harder than any wench lobbed with too much power or surface he's accidentally flown or driven into. Tony saw the city rolling beneath him – he was only a few meters into it, with buildings still low set and parks here and there.

The suit weaved as it wound between the taller buildings, the sky scrapers beginning to loom and appear, taking the heat off him and attracting the lightning instead.

"Sir, are you okay?" Jarvis asked after a quiet second of flying.

"Yeah, yeah just unlock the suit, Jarvis." Tony said, his voice still a little shaky and his mouth still dry as cotton. The suit unlocked and immediately Tony began to plummet, and Tony's entire body felt heavy and weak, and his legs and arms were wobbly from the effort. Jarvis caught him in time and directed the suit to a safe altitude again.

"Sir?"

"It's nothing. It's … nothing." Tony said, his breathing quickening just a little bit. "No, it wasn't nothing. Jarvis, what the hell was that?"

"I do believe you suffered a panic attack, sir."

"A panic attack."

"An anatomic scan of your physical state while we were in the clouds indicates a panic attack, sir." The full body scan showed how the heart beat rose, the general body temperature fluctuated – probably in hot flushes which is what made him sweat chills – and the muscle tensions that probably was the cause of his weak legs and arms. "Shall I fly, sir?"

"Yeah. Yeah do that." Tony managed, looking down at the city; at the buildings milling past and recognizing what was perhaps the view he would've had when he fell back down from the portal. Eventually the suit arrived at Stark Towers, and as it opened – as each individual segment released to let Tony out – he fell out onto the floor, and felt just how heavy his own body was, and just how weak he was, physically. His legs were wobbly and his arms were tingly, but he managed to get onto his feet.

"Pepper." He managed to rasp out, wetting his lips.

"Tony?" From inside, Pepper emerged from the hallway, wearing one of his business shirts and half a croissant in her hand – her face was curious, not expectant. But when she saw Tony standing there, bruised and battered and seen its fair share of the villainous world, she dropped the croissant and ran to him – as much as her pregnant physic would allow her to, and touched all of his bruises and cuts as she kissed him.

"Oh my god." She said when they broke apart. "What happened to you? What's the point of the suit if this is still going to happen to you?"

Tony hissed between his teeth when she touched his forehead – so head injury then, not a headache. "That doesn't matter, I'm here now."

"Yes," She smiled and kissed him again. "Yes you are." She paused to look between his eyes, almost as if she could sense that something had happened just before he got here – almost as if she could see the panic attack replaying in his eyes. But she let it go, she let Tony's mind at ease, she let it settle until at least next morning. She took his hand. "I've missed you so much." She said.

Tony smiled, tired. "I've missed you too." He said as he let his hand glide down the bump on Pepper's stomach. She smiled.

"Come on, let's get that looked at." She said as she led him down the balcony back indoors. "There's so much you've missed out on."