I just wanted to tell everybody thank you for reviewing and for leaving such lovely comments! I know a few of you had some concerns, but rest assured, this one isn't associated with any of my other fics I'm working on right now. And I know I said it would only be a few chapters, but I've got a better idea now of where I want this to go, thought I don't yet know the length to which that will extend. So, I'll will upload as often as possible, just like my others. I've just had this one rolling around in my brain for a while, and I needed to get it out and onto the page. So, I hope you continue to enjoy it. There is plenty more to come on this one, as well as all of my others! Thank you again for your continued support! It means the world! :)

Tony awoke to find he was alone in their bed again. He rubbed his eyes, and threw back the covers. Pepper had been dealing with H.A being sick for the past few days with a bad bout of the flu, and the nights had been especially difficult. She had been up every couple of hours each night, taking his temperature and making sure he was as comfortable as possible. And it was starting to wear on her. He'd noticed the bags under her eyes, and had offered to take over. For a time she would let him, but only as a temporary relief in order to get a little sleep. Then she'd be right back at it again, and Tony would watch as she attended to their son while still on the brink of exhaustion. He knew she knew he could handle taking care of H.A while she was at work. But Pepper, being the over-protective mom she had always been, insisted on taking a few days off from work to stay home anyway.

This night, he found her watching over H.A from his bedroom doorway. The boy was resting, finally, after Pepper had successfully brought down a high fever, but his breathing was wheezy and his body was racked with a hacking cough every few minutes from the lingering congestion in his chest, which made Pepper frown with worry.

Tony quietly stepped up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. She startled slightly and then smiled warmly, resting her head back on his shoulder. "You can't stand here all night, Pep," Tony murmured, kissing the top of her shoulder. "YOU have to sleep, too."

Pepper nodded. "I know," she said. "I just hate the way that cough sounds."

"I know, baby," Tony said. "But he took the stuff the doctor gave you just before he went to bed, right?"

Pepper nodded.

"And it's only been about an hour. That stuff has a six hour dose. You gotta give it time to kick in," Tony reminded her.

"I know," Pepper said. "I just want to make sure he's okay until that happens."

"Pepper, he's fine," Tony said. "It sounds a lot worse than it is. Even the doctor said so."
"I'm just being a mom, Tony. I can't help it if I worry about him," Pepper defended.

"I know, Pep. But you've gotta relax. He's getting better. At least he's sleeping, now. And the nausea is gone. The fever finally broke, so come back to bed, honey. Okay?" Tony reasoned.

Pepper turned around and looked at Tony, finally smiling as she relented. "Okay," she said, nodding. "You're right. He's getting better. I just..."she said, suddenly stopping and frowning. She put her finger tips to her forehead and winced, inhaling sharply through her teeth. "Ow," she moaned.

Tony frowned. "Pepper?" he asked. "You okay?"

Pepper waved him away. "Yeah, it's nothing. It's just..." she said. She squeezed her eyes shut and winced again. "God, these headaches! The last few days they've come on like a freight train."
"Headaches?" Tony asked, watching his wife with alarm. "What headaches? Pepper talk to me! What's going on?"

"I need...I need to lie down," she said, her voice weak. Tony nodded and started to lead her back to the bedroom, but he was stopped as she suddenly sank to the floor. He followed, his eyes wide with growing panic.

"Pep? What's going on? Do we need to call an ambulance?!" he asked.

Pepper shook her head, but tears started to run down her cheeks as she began to weep. "Ow!" she whimpered. "My head! It hurts!"

Tony cupped her face in his hands and looking into her eyes desperately. "Pepper, tell me what to do, baby," he pleaded.

Pepper looked at him, her eyes squinted. "My vision is blurry," she replied. "It's hard to see you."

"I'm right here, honey. Just keep talking to me,Pep!" Tony begged. Just then, Pepper's eyes went wide and look of terror crept over her face. Tony watched in horror as Pepper began to convulse, her body going rigid as Tony laid her down flat on the floor. He was on his hands and knees, now, over the top of her, watching her helplessly as her body shook and spasmed with tremors. "Pepper?!" he called to her desperately. "JARVIS! AMBULANCE! NOW!" he barked toward the ceiling. "Pepper, baby, stay with me! Okay! I've got you, honey."
Pepper eyes were fixed on his, but she couldn't speak, her body gripped with this sudden seizure, powerless in its grasp.

"An ambulance has been called, Sir. Approximate arrival in ten minutes," Tony heard JARVIS report a few moments later.

"Scan, J!" Tony barked back. "What the hell is happening to her?!"
Tony watched as a green, holographic ray suddenly shone down from the ceiling and moved over Pepper's body. "A hemorrhage has developed in Mrs. Stark's brain," the AI reported after a few moments. "Emergency surgery is required, or she WILL NOT survive, sir."
"No, no, that's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna lose her," Tony said, shaking his head in denial. He cupped Pepper's cheek, and stroked it with his thumb. "Don't worry, Pep! It'll be okay! It'll be..."
Just then, H.A appeared in the doorway of his bedroom, his eyes wide. "Mom?!" he said, in a panic. He looked at his dad. "Wh-what's happening to her, Dad?!"
Tony grabbed his son and pulled him into his arms, turning his boy's head away from the spectacle of his mother's body convulsing on the floor. "Come here, and stay calm, son. She'll be okay," Tony assured.

"Dad? Why is she like this? What's happening?" the boy pleaded in a panic, raising his head again and turning his eyes back to Pepper.

"H.A, looked at me," Tony demanded. H.A fought to tear his eyes away from his mother to look at his dad. "I need you to listen to me, okay? The ambulance is coming. Go unlock the front door and wait for them there, okay? Can you do that, son?" Tony pleaded.

"But, dad, tell JARVIS to..." the boy argued.
Tony shook his head. "No, H.A. I need YOU to do it, okay? Please," Tony said. The boy frowned, and then nodded in agreement. He scrambled to get off the floor and run downstairs to do what his father asked, and Tony turned his attention back to his wife. "I'm here, baby, I'm here," he assured, grasping Pepper's hand in both of his. The tremors had stopped, and Pepper's body had begun to relax. But her eyes were closed now, and her chest heaved.

"Shhhhh," Tony said softly into her ear, stroking her cheek. "That's it, honey. Just hold on. I've got you." Tony kissed her temple, and Pepper's breath slowed back down to a normal rate. "That's it," he reassured.

"Dad! They're here!" Tony heard H.A call from downstairs a few moments later. Tony scooped up his wife's body, and made his way downstairs, her head lolling limply against his shoulder. The EMT's entered with a gurney, and Tony met them at the foot of the stairs, gently laying Pepper's body down onto it. Time seemed to be going in slow motion as he stepped back, releasing her to them and watching as they put on the oxygen mask, and strapped her onto the bed. One of them was trying to ask Tony questions to confirm the details that JARVIS had given them in the emergency call, and all he could do was numbly nod in reply, the adrenaline wearing off and exposing his heart to the heavy pain of not knowing if she would survive taking its place. H.A ran to his father's side and threw his arms around his middle, hugging him tightly and burying his face in Tony's t-shirt to hide his tears. Tony wrapped his arms protectively around his son as he gritted his teeth and set his jaw, desperately trying to keep his composure and stay strong as they watched Pepper get wheeled away out the front door and put into the ambulance.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony awoke with a start and jolted upright in bed. His brow was damp with sweat, and he ran a shaky hand through his hair. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, but he couldn't steady himself, and his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably as he sobbed. He grabbed the pillow, Pepper's pillow, next to him and buried his face in it, trying to muffle the sound of his anguished cries so that his children wouldn't hear him sob from their bedrooms.

After a few moments, he raised his head and swiped bitterly at his tears. "Oh, God!" he whispered into the darkness. She shook his head in disbelief at how fresh the pain still was. "I need you, Pepper. I miss you so much," he gasped. He inhaled deeply and blew it out sharply, blinking back the rest of his tears. "I can't do this," he said, speaking out loud in a murmur. He shook his head. "I've tried. But I can't do it, Pep. It's too hard." He scrubbed his hands over his face and slung the pillow in his lap back to its place beside him. He threw back the blankets and turned to set his feet on the floor beside the bed. He sat there for a moment, working his jaw in thought of going down to the shop to find something to do to get his mind off his aching loneliness when Ginny appeared at the doorway of his bedroom, clutching her favorite stuffed bunny rabbit.

"Daddy?" she said. "I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you?" she asked.

Tony relaxed and smiled. "Of course you can, baby. Come here," he said, getting back into bed and holding his arms open to her as she climbed up onto the bed and under the covers. She rolled over with her back to him, and she snuggled up against his chest. Tony wrapped his arms around his little girl protectively. "Bad dream, huh?" he asked. She nodded. "Yeah, me, too," he said. "But I'm glad you're here to make me feel better."

"You're welcome," she said, and Tony smiled to himself.

He kissed her hair, instantly feeling comforted by her presence. "I love you, baby," he murmured.

"I love you, too, daddy," Ginny said back. She sighed happily. "Much better."
"Mmmm hmmm," Tony agreed, smiling softly as he drifted back to sleep with his daughter in his arms.