Fall Out

Chapter Nineteen: For You

Disclaimer: I own nothing…

Author Notes: Here we go folks… technically the last chapter. Thank you for reading, reviewing and faving and also thank you for baring when me when it's taken me sometime to update. There will be a whole epilogue deal and I'm going to focus more on one shot stuff for the Pepperony100 fic challenge on LJ so be on the lookout for those once this reads complete status wise.

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Startled blue eyes stared at the gun. Only a few moments ago it had been just her and Tony in his office, but then someone… Paul. His name was Paul had busted through the doors and pointed Tony's pistol at them. She felt Tony grip her hand tighter as if trying to give her some sort of comfort in the situation, "Paul… you don't want to do this."

"Yes I do. I want to free you. I have to!" Paul tried to keep himself from shaking, but wasn't having much luck. He could feel the sweat pooling on his forehead, but made no move to wipe it away.

"Free—"

"Shut up Stark." The pistol stayed true on its target, despite the shaking of the hand holding it.

"I hope you know this means you're fired." Tony was not going to back down to this guy, no chance.

"You open your mouth again and I'll shoot. I swear." Paul clicked back the hammer of the old pistol; he wanted it clear he meant business.

Pepper bit her lower lip, this man had seemed so nice, what had changed? Or had it all been a front to begin with? And what did he mean about freeing her, "Paul… why don't you put the gun down. " She was terrified, but she did her best not to let it show.

"I'm sorry Virginia, but I cannot. You see he's the only thing standing in the way of us. I love you." He felt almost conflicted, if he killed Stark would she love him? Or would she hate him… what to do, what to do.

"No Paul. You don't love her. This isn't love, trust me."

"What the hell did I just tell you?" Paul's finger caressed the trigger, he wanted to push it.

"You've got one bullet. Don't miss." Tony had had enough, he dropped Pepper's hand and walked forward, ripping open the front of his dress shirt as he moved, holding it open, "Take your best shot you sick freak."

"Tony…" Blue eyes widened and she moved towards him.

"Stay where you are Pepper, he won't shoot me." Tony took two more steps closer to Paul, "If you harm me in anyway Paul you lose. You know that." He paused; the gun was now face to face with the arc reactor in his chest. If he was worried or afraid, he didn't show it.

Frantic blue eyes shift from the man right in front of them to the woman just behind, the blue stare noted the woman's paleness and the worried crease between her brows, the pleading stare her own blue eyes gave. He sighed, "Leave." Paul whispered to Tony, "GET OUT!" The gun changed focus and leveled on Pepper, "Or I'll kill her instead."

Pepper swallowed hard as the barrel of the gun stared her down, she stood still, as if she was a statue, in fact she wasn't sure if she was still breathing, but she was pretty sure she was as she hadn't passed out. She said nothing, her eyes just bore into Tony's and fear fed the gaze.

Slowly Tony lifted his hands up, the motion of surrender and began to turn and head backwards for the double doors, his eyes never leaving Pepper's as he walked, he watched the tears flicker across her eyes, he watched them as they gathered at the corner of those blue orbs he loved to look into each morning, "I love you."

"Shut up. You don't love her. You've never loved anything but yourself Stark." The gun moved from being leveled on Pepper back to Tony, "Now leave us."

She hadn't wanted to cry, but the situation seemed to make the tears form and fall, she had tried so hard not to cry. Damnit. Her eyes flickered from the mad man in the center of the room and back towards Tony, and she couldn't speak all she could do was mouth her reply to those three words 'I love you… too.'



Tony nodded as he read her lips and looked back towards Paul, "You've got about two minutes if you're lucky pal before a whole bunch of government agents are up here and taking your sorry pathetic ass down." Those brown eyes narrowed, darkening, "And I'll be waiting." The words came out as intended, as a threat. Then slowly Tony slipped out one of the double doors and let it close behind him and listened.

"You've got me alone Paul… now what?" Her voice was starting to shake, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She couldn't fall apart, not now, not here.

"Oh my darling Virginia, don't cry… it's going to be okay. I'll take you away from here and we'll be happy." He moved slowly towards her, the gun lowering.

"Wrong." She feels her backbone again and measures up to it, "I was happy Paul, I love him. I love Tony. Not you… I don't even know you aside from you delivering me a sandwich a few times a week you don't know me either."

"That's not exactly true Pepper, we've know each other for longer. I lived next door to you at one time, before the building burned down." His tone held little remorse of that night, "We've said hello countless of times, you've smiled at me… your eyes sparkle when you smile." He stopped right in front of her, his eyes trying to stare into hers.

She frowned, her expression clearly saying she was thinking, going over things in her mind, "You… you were my next door neighbor, you fought with your wife, you…" And then she felt herself pale even further, "She didn't make it out of the fire alive… and you did…" She began backing away, a shaking hand coming to rest at her mouth to help her swallow a scream that seemed to build out of nowhere.

"I killed her for you." Once again he closed the gap between them, "I love you!"

Pepper swallowed hard, her eyes closed a moment as she worked to keep her bearings, to distract him, "Then let me go… if you love me, let me be happy." Her eyes slide to look over his shoulder and they widen as she spies Tony not but a foot away from them. She nods as she watches him lift a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet, to keep going.

"No. I can't let you go… no one else can have you but me. You are mine! You always were!" And then he sees her eyes looking passed him, beyond him and he turns coming face to face with Stark, " I thought I--" The pain registers slowly, his watery blue eyes fall to his chest a little surprised to see the silver letter opener sticking out of it.

All three of them look to the doors as they bust open, Coulson and the Calvary finally there, six guns level on Paul Redlins as he stares back down at the letter opener and the blood that now stains his shirt, his fancy tuxedo shirt. He watches Stark move around him and snatch his Virginia and move to exit as he slips to his knees and then slowly he remembers he has a gun, and one shot.

Several shots then echoed through the room mixed with a hoarse scream.

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Epilogue is forth coming. It will be up very, very soon! I know this was short, but it got re-written about three times and this turned out to be what I was satisfied with the most.

And I fully promise the end result will make you all, very, very happy.