Disclaimer: Iron Man and all other associated characters, plotlines, etc. do not belong to me. They are the intellectual property of Marvel Comics and several others. I'm just playing in their multi-million dollar sandbox for a bit.

I honestly have no idea where I was going with this. Even though I'm there, I'm still not really sure. Tony just talked and talked and said, "Don't change a thing, doll." He's the genius here, so I guess I'll trust him. That said, this is:

The Pepperony 100 Challenge Theme #34: Death

Irreplaceable

2. Personalized Hell

I was never in a hurry to be anywhere business-related. When it came to business, "hurry" and "Tony Stark" just never were found in the same sentence. Never would be. Pepper swore up and down that I dragged my feet on all things associated with Stark Industries because I didn't care. Most of the time, I was just trying to push my luck with her.

Don't tell her that, though.

Now driving speed…that's another matter entirely. On the way home, to the airport…any time I'm on the highway, the cruise control rarely drops below eighty. Speed and I went together like milk and cookies. Chips and salsa. Red and gold. Cars were made to help men go faster; rules were made to be broken. That was just how it was.

Speeding was another habit of mine that got on Pepper's nerves. "This is why you have a driver," she said to me the last time I came into the office with a speeding ticket—a minor annoyance, mind you—in my hand.

"Yeah, a slow one."

"A safe one," Pepper snapped back at me, jerking the piece of paper out of my hand to take care of it. "You're going to get yourself killed one day."

…maybe, I thought as a loud scream of protest from some belt or other issued from my car, I should've listened to Pepper. My hands tightened on the wheel, and I attempted to gently guide the car back into the fast lane.

The sound of grinding rubber grew louder. Was I hearing things? I always kept this damn Audi in tip-top condition. I did the work myself. Why the hell was it acting up like this? It shouldn't have been. No, I had to be imagining things.

But if you're imagining things, said my conscience as I cast a nervous glance in the rearview mirror at Pepper, then why are Pepper's eyes the size of saucers way back there behind you?

Suddenly gravity pounded me like an array of cinder blocks. The car went into a hard spin, cutting short any explanation I could've offered myself. I knew in the back of my mind that there was a strong chance that my tires would leave the ground, thanks to how fast I'd been going. Damn it. Pepper had to be right now, of all times, didn't she?

An invisible force slammed into the bottom of the car. Here it comes, I thought. I'd be lucky if the car missed the steel fence posts that sat along the edge of the right-hand lane.

Funny, I mused as glass shattered and sheet metal tore. Wasn't my life supposed to flash before my eyes right now? I was definitely about to die, I had no question about that. But no, I didn't see a replay of my whole life. I didn't really feel any pain.

All I could think about was Pepper.

Pepper. What was she thinking right now? She probably couldn't hear the rushing winds or the sound of ripping sheet metal like I could, but she would more than likely see the sparks. She would see what was going on while my world spun around me in a swirl of colors and eardrum-shattering noise.

What would she do when I was gone? How would she take it? Would she know just how much I'd cared, how I'd felt, how much I'd loved her?

In all reality?...probably not.

I think I was still conscious as the Audi skidded down the road on the roof. God, I didn't want Pepper to see this. Maybe she wouldn't be able to get to the car whenever it finally stopped moving. Maybe the last thing she'd see of me was a bulky form sealed up in a body bag, because I sure would look like hell when this thing quit rolling.

I love you, Pepper, I thought uselessly as the edge of the highway flew up toward me outside the windshield. I'm sorry I didn't listen. You were right.

The last thing I knew for a while was my head hitting the roof so hard that it left a dent in the ceiling.

Quiet. That was the first thing I sensed—it was quiet. Gone were the howling and screaming of sheet metal scraping across asphalt, the sounds of glass shattering and my own screaming.

Silence reigned.

I opened my eyes to bright light, so bright that my eyelids squeezed together reflexively. I couldn't see a thing.

Huh, I thought. Bright light. Quiet. Numbness. It all adds up…you're dead.

Bright light. Right. I guess I was about to find out where I was going. Heaven or hell. Ah, well, wherever it was…it'd be hell without Pepper. So it didn't matter.

I listened for a moment. Wasn't someone going to come and get me? I certainly wasn't going anywhere; I couldn't feel my legs. As a matter of fact, the only thing I did feel was a belt across my chest. Weird. It was like I was still belted into the driver's seat of the R8.

"Tony!" an almost ethereal voice broke the silence. It sounded like it was coming from underwater. I tried to turn my head, but I couldn't feel my neck. Instead, I listened. And listened.

Where was she? It had definitely been a she. A gorgeous she, from the pitch of her voice. Had the big guy upstairs sent his most beautiful winged helper after the one and only Tony Stark? I'd thought I wasn't in his good graces.

"Tony?"

Wait a minute. That wasn't just any she. Call me dead and insane, but that sounded like...

"Pepper," I murmured (or at least thought I murmured, I wasn't sure my lips had moved). That couldn't be right. I hadn't hit Pepper in that crash, of that I was pretty sure. I would've felt something like that. Damn, if I'd hit Pepper, then I might as well just be thrown in the fiery pits below right now. That had to be the sin of all sins, killing a woman like Pepper. No joke.

"Tony?"

Oh, he was taunting me with her. I see, I thought with a mental nod, accepting my punishment. This was my personal hell, then. I'd hear Pepper, I'd remember those few amazing kisses we'd shared, but I'd never see her face again. I'd never get to let her know just how damn much I loved her. You win, I thought. Just when I was changing, just when everything was going right for once, you take it all away from me. Ironic son of a—

"Tony." I wanted to scream. Her voice was right near me.

Damn it, Potts, I begged her silently, tell him you're not going to do his dirty work. Please, just go be his most gorgeous angel somewhere else.

"Tony, please, please wake up." I had to give God—or whoever it was in charge of this anguish—credit. Rather than just letting me hear Pepper's voice, he had her upset. Damn him, I'd kill him for making her cry. I'd find a way.

"You've got to wake up. You've got to." Wake up? I was dead. Was there waking?

Maybe—and my pathetic excuse for a dead heart fluttered half-heartedly at the theory—Pepper was still alive…and I could just hear her. Damn, she'd gotten to the car after all. Go away, Pepper. Please.

A soft touch glanced over my cheek. Now I really wanted to scream. I wanted to pulverize everything around me…if indeed there was anything at all. He was letting me feel her hands on me? Bastard. This was the ultimate in cruel.

"Damn you, you're not going to die on me!"

Too late for that one, kiddo, I thought, my chest figuratively swelling in wounded pride. That was my fiery redhead. Believe it. Believe it and leave me here.

As much as I wanted her to go away, though, I was addicted to her voice. I was addicted to it, and it was fading away with each word. No, damn it! Don't leave me! Don't…just don't!

Then, God...assuming that's what he called himself, if in fact he wasn't a woman...went for a real big one: the seatbelt loosened its grip, and suddenly Pepper's arms were around me, one of her hands holding mine. The feeling set my whole body aflame, but I didn't want her to let me go. I never wanted her to let me go. My body was in nearly unbearable pain, but it was a good kind of pain, the best damn pain I'd ever been subjected to. These must have been the flames the evangelicals ranted and raved about before the masses, the flames of my own personalized hell. And honestly, with Pepper holding me, it sure didn't seem as bad as they'd made it out to be.

Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter. Reviews are appreciated.--MJ-Skywalker