Fall Out

Chapter Five: Human

Disclaimer: I own nothing…

Chapter Song: Angel by Sarah Mclachlan

Author Notes: Yeah, I've discovered the more I get into this fic the more drama-ish it's getting, but don't worry there will be Pepper/Tony.

And oh yeah, you guys might want these. gives out free boxes of tissues

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Everything fell from her hands, it clattered the floor, but she didn't hear the noise. All her focus remained on the screen before and it all moved in slow motion. The camera panned wide, it showed him prying what little was left of the car apart, the reporter was saying something, but it was all gibberish to her.

A strange sound emitted from the screen, a mechanical scream. Cameras flashed now, capturing the agony emitted from the hero known as Iron Man. He fell to his metal knees, in his arms the charred body of what had been the little boy… there had been nothing left of the parents. Pepper knew that, that image would grace tvs, news papers and the internet now, tonight and tomorrow around the world. The camera had returned to the reporter now, and she was saying something again, words Pepper couldn't hear. All gibberish still.

"Jarvis…" Her voice cracked, unable to finish the sentence, but the AI knew what she wanted and the screen flicked off.

" Miss Potts, I have Mr. Rhodes on line one."

Even the computerized voice sounded bothered by what had just happened, Pepper nodded slowly bringing the world around her back into focus, "Patch him through please."

"Pepper! Where is he? He's not at the scene anymore… do you know where—"

The house rocked from the crash upstairs, Pepper heard the glass hit the floor above her and something else, something heavy," Rhodey I'll call you back… sorry."

Virginia Pepper Potts flew up the stairs as fast as she could, faster than she had moved the night Stane had tried to kill her. When she reached the top step she froze, the scene before her now tugging at her heart, at her emotions and she stood there not knowing what to do, let alone what to say.

Tony Stark had crashed through his stylish hi-tech windows and into the living room of his Malibu home. He pulled the helmet from his head and threw it across the room as he fell once again to his knees. His eyes burned not from smoke, but from tears. Again he screamed, the sound ragged and hoarse. It felt like his entire being was tearing apart. He had failed. He stood and marched to the decanter set still unharmed by the crash and poured himself a drink, but instead of drinking from the glass he threw it at the wall and tried to drink the rest of the decanter's contents in one gulp and began to choke.



It was that moment that Pepper found her legs could move and slowly she stepped onto the glass covered floor and towards her fallen boss. She watched him throw the decanter aside as well and then proceed to tear apart the table it had been settling on, and again she stood there until he had finished, until he had crumpled to his knees and was now sobbing helplessly and only then did she come up carefully, cautiously behind him.

"Why…" His voice cracked with sobs, his eyes lifting as though he was asking God directly, " Why couldn't I save them…" His head fell again into his still armored hands," I'm a hero, I'm a good guy… WHY!" He yelled, his strong booming voice rattled with his pain as he began to try to rip the suit from his body.

"Stop…" She placed a hand now on his shoulder, "You're going to—"

"I don't care. Leave me alone." He pulled himself away from her and continued the assault on the metal covering his frame, "Leave. NOW!" He yelled at her, the look in his eyes frightening as he turned.

Pepper squared her shoulders and stood her ground, "No." She moved towards him again, and unless he went through the wall he couldn't move away this time. She knelt, the glass cutting into her knees and shins ever so slightly and she took his head in her hands and forced him to look at her, to meet her concerned blue gaze with his dark red rimmed one, "I won't leave you like this."

He tried to fight her at first, to pull away, and was shocked at her strength as she held on to the sides of his face, finally he stopped fighting and looked at her, "A family… a father, a mother and…" he looked to his hands, the metal was smeared with a little blood, " a boy… he died. I lived… he died." Defeated and exhausted both mentally and physically Tony's head fell onto the shoulder of his assistant and he clung to her as though she was the last living thing on earth.

It felt odd, all the metal around her, and yet she felt as though she was holding a child… a broken little boy. Not only had he not saved the day, he had also relived the crash that took his own parents away from him, only times ten worse she would wager. She said nothing, she held him as he cried, his sobs becoming dry as he took to random fits of coughing now. She stroked his head and did her best to support the extra weight that surrounded her.

Two hours later this was how Col. James Rhodes found them, Pepper struggling to keep her boss upright in his suit and Tony clung to his assistant, his head laying against her shoulder, " Is he…"

"He cried himself to sleep… or passed out. I don't know." Pepper struggled and made a frustrated sounded, " Damnit."

Rhodey had never heard Pepper swear, but he figured she had very good reason to, "What do you need from me Pep?"

"Can you take him?" She held back any more curses, she couldn't feel her knees at all, "We need to get him out of the suit… if we can, there's so much damage." Pepper's voice broke ever so slightly, but she wasn't going to cry, not now. She had to be strong, strong for him. He needed her.



James nodded, "Sure thing." He looked at her and sighed internally and then braced Tony so Pepper could stand.

Slowly she stood, her legs wobbly, holes stained with blood littered the legs of her pants thanks to the glass, "Okay." She watched as Jim picked Tony up suit and all in a fireman's carry and looked to her, " Jarvis, make sure the shop is ready for this."

"Consider it done Miss Potts."

"Thank you."

With that, Pepper lead the way as Rhodey carried his best friend down the stairs, which wasn't as easy as it looked, the suit despite it being light weight material was still a rather heavy piece of equipment, no wonder Tony had bulked up in the last few months. James Rhodes definitely wanted his own toy.

Thirty minutes later, Tony Stark was tucked into his bed, and Pepper made herself comfortable in the reading chair to the right.

"Pepper are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

" Yes Jim, thank you. I'll call you when he wakes up… or if Jarvis reports any changes." Pepper smiled reassuringly, but it was more sad and worried than anything else.

"Okay, and you try to rest to." It was two in the morning, talk about a long night and Col. Rhodes knew that neither of them were going to get any sleep anytime soon, especially Pepper. He was worried about leaving her to deal with it all alone, "Call me if you need me, for any reason. Got it?"

"Yes Colonel Rhodes I got it." Pepper stifled a yawn and looked to her boss, glad to see he was breathing deeply, "Good night Rhodey. You try to rest too, you get to cover damage control tomorrow."

Rhodey sighed heavily, "Don't remind me." And with that he left the room, making sure that Jarvis locked down behind him.

Pepper tried to sleep, but any sound at all and her eyes shot open, especially if it emitted from Tony, he would sigh, turn a little and mumble… and then she heard it, her name. Was he awake? No, if he was Jarvis would have alerted her instantly. Gathering the throw around her, Miss Potts slowly approached the bedside and looked down on her boss, all she had and sighed. His boyish features were more obvious when he slept, he looked innocent and untouched by the cruel world he knew now. Biting her lower lip, Pepper reached out and slowly brushed a strand of his thick dark hair from his face when his hand shot up and snatched her wrist, causing her to gasp in alarm.

" Don't…"His eyes fluttered, " Don't leave me…" He pulled her to him, his body turning and forcing hers to lie next to him, his arms securing her into place as though she was some sort of stuff animal or security blanket, "Thank you… I'm sorry…"



Pepper sighed and shifted so they were face to face, "Go back to sleep Tony. I won't leave. I promise…" And despite her reserves she laid a soft kiss on his cheek and felt a little better when he smiled, his eyes closing once again.

She laid with him the rest of the night, watching him, feeling him breathe his hold on her never loosened and before long Pepper found herself succumbing to exhaustion and fell asleep or something akin to sleep anyways.

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Okay hope you all like that. Seeing the movie a fourth time tonight helped inspire me… so anyways Glow in the dark Tony dolls for all!