His eyes shot open, his breath coming fast and short as he panicked for a moment in the darkness before he settled his head back against a pillow, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Tony?" a soft voice said beside him, bringing him back and grounding him in his new reality.

Natasha had taken to crawling in between his sheets on most nights since they'd been back (all of them really, since she'd figured out that she could), and now she was reaching for him, her face etched in concern.

"It's okay," he whispered reassuringly.

"Was it another dream?" She whispered back, her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," he said softly, pulling the covers over her. "Go back to sleep, sweetheart."

She slowly lay back down, her head resting on his shoulder as she turned into him and a warm, tingling sensation started to spread through him.

He put an arm around her, clutching her close and slipping his fingers between her t-shirt and shorts as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

"Your heart is racing," she murmured as she snuggled into his chest.

She fell back asleep almost instantly and he lay awake for awhile longer, trying to memorize the feeling of her breath on his skin and imagining that it could wash over him and calm his nerves.

XXXXX

The shower in his quarters was running when he got back to the tower after tucking in Morgan for the night and he frowned, knowing that she'd already had one earlier in the day.

That was the other thing Natasha had taken to since they'd gotten back; incessant showers, trying to scrub away the feeling of…. well, he supposed he knew what she was trying to scrub away better than anyone else in this tower did.

Her eyes brightened when she saw him as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom, pushing her damp hair back with her hand.

"Hey," he said, offering a genuine smile as he made his way over to her with open arms.

"Wait…" she said, her eyebrows furrowing. "Do I smell like….?"

He shook his head. "No, sweetheart. You smell perfect," he assured her.

Finally, she grinned and stepped into his embrace. "I missed you today," she said as she squeezed him.

And electric current traveled up his spine and his heartbeat increased at her close proximity. "I missed you too, darling," he said truthfully, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

"Tony…" she murmured as he pressed a kiss into her neck.

"Okay, okay. I'm stopping," he whispered, although his heart was still racing.

"It's not that, it's just….. can't we just wait until the ink is dry?"

XXXXX

"Do we actually have to sign divorce papers if there's a death certificate?" He wondered, wrinkling his nose as his pen hovered in mid-air.

"Tony. You know as well as I do that the death certificate was shredded in the presence of our entire legal team," Pepper said.

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes unconsciously darting towards his bedroom.

"What, is she here?" Pepper said. "I guess I always knew that if she gave you an inch, you'd be walking all over her for miles," she spat.

"It's not like that," He said, his voice a little more harsh than he'd intended. "And seriously? You've GOT to be kidding me. Was my body even cold when you….?"

"Screw you, Tony!" She shouted, angrily scribbling her signature and thrusting the papers into his chest.

He sighed as he took them from her. "We doing this, Pep? It's already hard enough without us being mean to each other."

She covered her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she began sobbing.

He set the papers down on the table before he crossed the room, embracing her fiercely. "I know," he murmured, fighting back his own tears. "I know."

"I still love you, you know," she cried. "And I always will."

"I love you too. Always."

She took a shuddering breath as she stepped away from him. "Are you ready?" She asked, handing him the pen.

He swallowed thickly as he took it from her, scrawling his full name on the dotted line.

"Well," she said. "I guess that's that."

He nodded. "I guess it is."

"I really am sorry, Tony," she said tearfully.

"Me too."

She patted his cheek with her hand. "I'll be back on Tuesday to pick up Morgan."

"Alright." He caught her hand in his, raising it to his lips and placing a kiss across her knuckles. "See you then."

He silently walked her to the door, watching without speaking as she disappeared into the elevator with an uncertain wave.

"Are you okay?" A gentle voice asked after awhile.

He placed a hand over his face, rubbing the tears out of his eyes before he turned around to find Natasha leaning against the doorframe. "No," he said quietly.

"That's okay," she whispered softly, taking a tentative step towards him. "Sorry. I just thought you might need a friend."

He nodded slowly and she closed the distance between them.

"What can I do?" she asked gently.

He shrugged. "I guess a hug from my favorite redhead can't hurt."

She wrapped her arms around his middle, ducking into his embrace and leaning her head against his chest. "It's going to be okay, Tony."

He rested his cheek on her head, closing his eyes as the familiar tingling sensation spread through him at her touch.

After a moment she raised her chin, looking up at him. "Want to go get some cheeseburgers?"

He managed a small smile. "Mmmm… you know what I like."

"I do," she said softly, running her fingers gently through his hair.