"Explain?!" Tony said, hoarsely. He gulped, his eyes wide, and his mind reeling. Oh my God! She IS pregnant!, he thought.

Pepper sighed. "Tony," she said. "I need to explain to you about when I took that test."

"Oh my God!" Tony said, this time out loud. "What are you trying to do?! Soften the blow or something?! Jesus, you are, aren't you. And you didn't tell me?! Why not, Pepper?! I'm your fiance! Your future husband! And you haven't told me your pregnant? I don't believe this!" he yammered angrily.

"Tony, stop for a minute!" Pepper demanded. She huffed. "For God's sake, I'm not pregnant!" she exclaimed.

All of a sudden, the hurricane of suspicion and hurt and betrayal in Tony's mind came to a standstill. He blinked, confused. "You...aren't?" he asked quietly.

"No," Pepper assured. "Don't you think I would tell you something like that? I resent the fact that you think I wouldn't."

"Well, you didn't tell me about the test," he retorted.

"Yeah, and you want to know why?" Pepper exclaimed. "Because it was nothing. I didn't even really think I was pregnant. I only took the test because I was a couple of days late, and wanted to be sure I wasn't. I did it when we came to New York directly after your heart surgery, when we stayed at the Tower so you could recuperate? And it was only because of all of the stress we'd been under, not to mention still being infected with Extremis at that time, that my cycle got thrown off, too. But I got my period the next day. End of story."

Tony was silent, relieved that she wasn't actually pregnant, not because he wouldn't have welcomed the news, but because he didn't want to have to think about her hiding something like that from him for any period of time. "Still," he said softly. "Why didn't you tell me you had at least taken the test?"

"And surprise you with something like that? Fresh off of heart-surgery?"she pointed out. "Do I really have to answer that question?" He could hear the smile in her voice, and it made him smile sheepishly.

Tony chuckled. "No, Pep. You don't." He sighed with relief.

"Feel better, now?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, much," Tony said. "And I'm sorry, Pep. Really. I knew in the back of my mind you probably had a good reason for doing what you did, but you know me. I get something in my brain and I..."

"Obsess? No, I wouldn't know anything about that. Why don't you tell me more about it, since I've only watched you do it over and over again for the last fifteen years," Pepper chided.

Tony laughed. "Alright, smart ass, you've made your point," he replied.

Pepper chuckled, and Tony's heart warmed at the sound. "And another thing," he said. "Now that we're past all my heart stuff, and I'm fit as a fiddle again..."

"Physically, anyway," Pepper interjected.

Tony spluttered. "Yeah, yeah, Potts," he said. "And nobody demanded that you fall in love with my crazy ass, for the record."

"But, you digress," Pepper replied.

"Right," Tony said. "As I was saying, now that my ticker's fine, can you at least tell me next time you take a pregnancy test? I want you to be open with me about everything you're doing, just like you'd expect from me. Then, at least in the off chance we have a surprise come along, we'll both be aware of it at the same time. Deal?"

"Yes," Pepper said. "Deal. But on the subject of open honesty, Tony," she said. "You haven't told me what you've been doing while you've been all the way across the country for all of this time. Care to share, Stark?"
"Nu-uh, Potts. I may have had a bit too much to drink tonight, but you're not wriggling it out of me that easy," Tony said.

"Damn," Pepper said. "You still think I'll love it?" she coaxed.

"Oh, I know you will," Tony said slyly. "No doubt about that, baby."

"So no more heavy drinking?" Pepper asked.

"No more heavy drinking," Tony said.

Tony and Pepper said their I love you's and bid each other farewell shortly after, and Tony changed out of his clothes and into some sweats and a black tank top. His head was still spinning a little on account of the alcohol still in his system, but he felt much better after talking to Pepper. He decided to turn in early, and so he climbed into bed and turned out the light, turning over to wrap his arms around Pepper's pillow. He buried his nose in it catch a light whiff of her scent in the material of the pillowcase. It made his insides warm, and he smiled, grateful that they'd been able to work everything out, and that life with her was back to normal again.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Tony tore open the hospital entrance doors and ran inside, running to the reception desk. "Pepper Potts! Where is she?!" he demanded.

Just as the receptionist was about to tell him, he heard Pepper's voice in a blood-curdling scream echo from the corridor to his left. He took off running, reaching a set of swinging double doors and shoving his way inside.

To his absolute shock, he found Pepper lying on a hospital bed in a hospital gown with her head elevated, and her feet in stirrups, her chest heaving. He ran to her side. She reached her arms out to him. "Where have you been? I call you hours ago!" she exclaimed, clenching the front of his shirt in her hands.

Tony's mind reeled. "I, uh, I, you, you did?" he stammered, looking at her in confusion. He looked around to survey what was happening. Pepper appeared to be very pregnant, and in the throws of labor, but he couldn't, for the life of him, remember anything before that.

Her cheeks were flushed and her skin was clammy. She looked exhausted. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it hard. "Oh God!" she said, breathing rapidly. "Here comes another one!" She squeezed her eyes shut and scrunched up her face, moaning loudly.

Tony winced at the pain in his hand she was currently crushing, but he bit his lip at the pain, not daring to make a sound on account of she'd probably rip his head off for griping about it, given the current state of pain she was in comparatively.

"Pepper, sh-shouldn't you breathe, or...something?" he offered, helplessly. "You know, like, in through the nose, out through the mouth?"

Pepper slowly popped her eyes open and looked at him. Tony started mimicking the breathing he'd instructed her to do, and she soon followed. They looked at each other, breathing in unison as the contraction began to subside.

Pepper sighed, and laid her hand back, closing her eyes for a moment, before smiling a weak smile, and looking at Tony.

Tony smiled back, and patted her hand. He kissed it sweetly. "You doing great, honey," he said proudly. She nodded, and he brushed some hair back from her forehead, which was slicked with sweat.

Suddenly, a doctor appeared in full O.R. scrubs, including a surgical mask, at the foot of the bed. "Ready to push, Pepper?" he asked.

The doctor's voice sounded familiar to Tony, but he couldn't place it. But there was no time to ponder it, as Pepper, once again, gripped his hand and geared up for the next contraction. A weak whine left her lips.

"When you feel ready, bare down," the doctor instructed.

"Okay," Pepper said weakly. She squeezed her eyes shut again, and, scrunched her face back up as she let out a loud wail before she started to push. Tony offered her his hand again, and she grasped it as he lunged into it with her, wrapping his arm around her back, and pressing his cheek to the side of her head.

"Yes,Pepper! Push!" the doctor instructed.

A strangled yelp came out of her throat before her efforts gave in, and she sank back against the bed, panting.

"You're doing beautifully, baby," Tony said.

"I am?" Pepper said, her voice soft.

Tony nodded and smiled at her adoringly. "You are,"he said.

Pepper nodded, and then her eyes went wide. "Oh, here it comes, again!" she said. "And I need to push!"

Tony wrapped his arm around her back and offered his hand again for her to grip. She took it and they looked at each other, breathing again in unison a few times before Pepper gritted her teeth and bore down. "That's it, Pep! Keep pushing!" Tony coached.

"Oh my God! It hurts so much!" Pepper cried out, her voice shrill. Her body weakened and she sank back, her eyes closed as she shook her head.

"I can't," she cried. "It's too hard. I can't do this," she moaned. "Tony, tell them I'm done. I can't do this anymore! I'm exhausted!"
Tony cupped her face in his hands. "Pepper, I know you're tired baby, and in you're in a ton of pain, but you CAN do this," he encouraged.

"No, Tony," Pepper said, shaking her head hopelessly, tears sneaking out of the corners of her eyes and running down her cheeks. "I can't."

"Pepper, come on," Tony warned. "Yes, you can, honey, okay? I know you can. The baby's almost here, and if you push for just a little bit longer, you'll be done, and we'll get to see our baby, okay?"

Pepper looked at him, puzzled. "OUR baby?" she said.

Tony looked at her curiously. "Yeah, Pepper. OUR baby. It is OUR baby...right?"

But Pepper had no time to respond. Her body was racked with the pain of another contraction, and she squeaked loudly as she moved to sit up, and push. Tony, stunned by what just happened, numbly offered his hand to her, his stomach in his throat as his mind reeled at the idea that Pepper, his fiance, was giving birth to someone else's child.

"That's it! Just a little more, Pepper! The head is starting to crown!" the doctor announced.

"Oh! It is?!" Pepper asked, excitedly. She looked at Tony with renewed vigor, and he looked at her weakly, his face completely crest-fallen. Pepper grunted and pushed again, her teeth gritted hard, and her jaw set, her skin soaked with sweat, as she made her last efforts to birth her baby.

"Yes, keep pushing, keep pushing,and..." the doctor said. Pepper yowled as the baby's head emerged and the doctor pulled the infant from her body, holding it up for her and Tony to see. "A beautiful bouncing baby boy!" the doctor proclaimed. "Well done, Pepper! Well done!"

"Oh my God!" she cried out joyfully, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He's gorgeous!"

Tony, despite himself, smiled softly at the miracle of birth he'd just witnessed, and he couldn't help but look at Pepper in admiration. But his heart was shattered, and the joy and admiration was short lived.

Tony suddenly noticed something strange about the baby, as the doctor turned to wrap the infant in a receiving blanket. It's skin glowed with a fiery orange tint, like molten rock.

Tony's mind whirred with an unspeakable realization. "Pepper, if he isn't mine, who's is he?" Tony asked urgently, flipping his gaze to her and searching her eyes.

"He's MINE," the doctor said, cradling the baby once again in his arms. He pulled the surgical mask down, and Tony recoiled when he saw the face revealed. Standing before him, was Aldrich Killian, grinning devilishly, the baby's cry ringing shrilly in Tony's ears.

"What the hell?!" he exclaimed. "Pepper! You SLEPT with this guy?!" he said angrily, jabbing a thumb in Killian's direction.

"No, Tony! I didn't! I promise! Please believe me!" Pepper pleaded, sobbing.

"She's right, Tony. Don't blame her. It was MY idea. She WAS the perfect candidate, after all," Killian said, his tone as smooth as a serpent's scales. "She probably wouldn't say she enjoyed it, or even remembers much of it. She WAS pretty groggy, given the amount of sedative we gave her. But I can say I CERTAINLY enjoyed it. And I've got the first organically-made, EXTREMIS-carrying human in my arms to show for it."

Tony wretched, doubling over, and bringing the back of a hand to his mouth, feeling the bile rise in his throat. "You...sick...fuck!" he croaked out hoarsely, his eyes now bulging with raging fire. "I'll kill you for touching her! I swear to God!" He lunged at Killian, but was restrained by two men who suddenly appeared beside him, their skin glowing like the infant's. Tony felt the burn of their intense heat on his skin, and he growled in agony at the searing pain.

"Tony?" he heard Pepper call out weakly. Somehow, he managed to wriggle free form their grip, and go to her side. "That's right, let him have some final moments with her, boys," Killian said, watching Tony struggle free and race back to Pepper. "It's the least I can do for stealing the girlfriend of the infamous Tony Stark, right? Besides," he said, looking back at the baby in his arms. "We don't NEED mommy anymore, do we?" he cooed sickeningly at the child in his arms. "YOU'RE the trophy now, aren't you? Aren't you, my beautiful boy? Yes, you are. Yes, you ARE."

"Tony?" Pepper called again.

He grabbed her hand with one of his, and cupped her cheek with the other. "I'm here, baby. I'm here," he assured.

Pepper's eye lids were heavy. She lazily closed and opened her eyes, and squinted, trying to focus on Tony's face.

"Tony, I'm sorry. I couldn't...I didn't..." she said, trying to speak.

Tony shushed her. "Don't, Pepper. Don't talk, right now. Just rest, okay? Just...just rest," he said, glancing at Killian, who was still enamored and cooing at his creation, his triumphant expression now contorted grotesquely. Tony brought his gaze back to Pepper's eyes, but he soon realized that they suddenly lacked the light of life they were so desperately clinging to just seconds before. Now, her skin was pale and she just stared blankly at where his gaze had left her, lifeless and cold.

"Pepper? Honey?!" he murmured weakly, cupping her cheek and searching for any sign of life.

The sound of an EKG machine flat-lining pierced Tony's ears, and the bottom of his stomach dropped to the floor. "No. No, Pepper! Baby? No, please!" he begged hoarsely, trying to keep his stomach from heaving. He pulled her upper body into his arms, bringing her to his chest desperately. "No. Don't leave me, honey!" he murmured in her ear. Bitter tears burned his eyes, and he blinked them back, pulling back to look at her face again. Lovingly, he brushed her hair back behind an ear, and stroked her cheek, a sob choking up in this throat. "Please, don't die, Pepper, I need you," he moaned. "Don't go, I can't lose you! Not again! Please!" he pleaded, gritting his teeth, the sound of Killian's devilish laughter echoing in his head.

Oh the angst! *gasp* Gotta have a little pain with the pleasure, you know! Cause it makes that pleasure oh so much sweeter!

Thanks for following along, as always! And for the awesome reviews! See you in 36!