Erik'sTrueAngel – Insert the surprised Pikachu image here. LOL! I died when I read your review of Happy/Tony being in on it. Love it!

Chapter 20: Tenfold

"Are you sure about this, Rhodey? It just seems too much?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Believe me. These two owe me. I mean, I still think they went overboard paying for everything, but there's no way to say no to them. Trust me. I've tried, my whole life."

"But this thank you seems tenfold!"

"Yeah, Tony and Pepper have always been… extra. That's OK. They won't sleep at night if we tell them we're not going to the honeymoon they paid for after attending the wedding they also paid for."

"But, Rhodey…. A month? In Europe?"

"Babe," Rhodey hugged his bride from the side and then gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Trust me. It's easier to just go with the flow with these two."

"If you say so."

"I know so."

Clara, Rhodey's now-wife, had met Tony and Pepper on only a handful of occasions since they had started dating at the Air Force Academy. Each time, the Starks had been doing something over-the-top: leading a worldwide effort to ensure everyone had access to affordable healthcare; lobbying for mandatory clean energy solutions; working on an early warning system for natural disasters, and all other types of humanitarian initiatives that Clara had only dreamed about ever witnessing in her lifetime.

The Starks, as everyone knew them, were a powerhouse. After Howard Stark had stepped down from leading Stark International to enjoy his life with minor responsibilities, Tony and Pepper had taken over the company. Stark Solutions and Stark International had formally merged, so now even Rhodey, who had been on payroll for Stark Solutions, was part owner of Stark International. He attended a few meetings here and there, but he trusted the Starks to do what was right and fair for everyone involved.

The Starks, Rhodey thought with amusement. He could not believe his friends had married so young.

He still remembered vividly, as if it had been yesterday and not six years ago, when Iron Man had landed on the Air Force Academy base with the sole mission of speaking with James Rhodes in person. At first, Rhodey had thought something bad had happened – why else would Tony Stark show up in person and not make a call? However, when the genius had started walking back and forth like a caged lion in Rhodey's dorm room, still in his Iron Man suit sans helmet, babbling about Pepper and him, Rhodey knew this was not bad – but it was a big deal.

Then again, the then 19-year old billionaire telling his friend that he wanted to marry Pepper during the summer break of their freshman-to-sophomore year in college paled in comparison to Pepper's current state: eight months pregnant with twins.

"You know," Clara began, "back in the day, when you told me that Tony Stark was going to propose to his high school girlfriend, I honestly thought he was just doing it because he'd knocked her up."

Rhodey snickered. "To be honest, me too."

However, time had proven Rhodey wrong. Pepper had not been pregnant then. Tony had just doubled down on his belief that Pepper was it for him. A year away from her while she attended Berkeley and he went to MIT had removed any final doubts he might have had. He had wanted to solidify his commitment to her. The promise ring just had not seemed to be enough anymore.

Nineteen was an incredibly young age to get married, for most people. Yet, seeing how happy Tony and Pepper had been then, and how happy they were now, was enough evidence that for some people, it was never too soon to tie the knot. James Rhodes, however, was not one of those people. Clara and he had dated for three years at the Air Force Academy. They had then taken a year off to go on separate missions after graduation. Yet, as soon as they had been both released from duty, they had picked up where they left off and had never looked back. That journey had led them to today. To the most special day of their lives… until one day they would be in Tony and Pepper's current situation: expecting their first daughter and son.

Today, shortly after his twenty-fifth birthday, Rhodey was finally getting hitched. Today, many years after meeting Tony and Pepper, the trio was still going strong. And tomorrow, just as they themselves did, he hoped that their children experienced, among other things, the ups and downs of friendship and love. He hoped that, at the very least, they quickly learned the most basic lesson about life: something will always swipe the rug from under your feet, one way or the other. However, the severity of the drawback will always hinge on the eye of the beholder.

FIN

A/N: The foreshadowing for this chapter was hinted in C11 – Detention. Can anyone tell where on that chapter it was hinted? Also, this is the last chapter of Eye of the Beholder! Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, even after years have gone by. I think you all know what comes next: an update to Oh, Yeah – Her. I don't know how soon I will update, because I have to re-read the story myself to remember where I was going with it, but I CAN promise that OYH will get the attention it needs until it is complete. Thank you, my Faithful Readers! Stay safe!