A/N: This is a very interesting journey for me. I like the story, and I know where it is going. However, I am not sure I am taking too many of you along for the ride. I hope you hang in there. The support is what keeps me motivated. Sheila

The Darkest Time

Chapter 3

Tony looked up from his work, and saw her striding toward him, cradling a coffee; that secret smile playing on her lips. A feeling of joy settled in his gut. The pleasure of being around her was something he'd always taken for granted. She handed him the coffee and turned to leave. He reached out and grabbed her hand. "Don't go."

She smiled at him.

"Just stay here with me, Pepper. Just be near me."

"That's never enough for you, Tony."

He shook his head. "Being near you is all I want. I promise."

"It's too bad we didn't savor this when we had it."

He held her hand tightly. "I failed you, Pepper."

She shrugged. "It is what it is."

"Tell me I deserve a second chance."

"I'm not sure it matters what you deserve."

Then her hand was gone, and she was walking away. Tony tried to follow, but his body was part of the table. Breathing heavy, he struggled until his eyes popped open. He was alone on the couch in his living room. There was no sign of the mob that had been in residence for the last two weeks. There was no more command center. FBI and SHIELD both kept an open case file, but they were all moving onto new cases.

Sunlight flooded his face, and so he threw an arm across his eyes. He sat up, his body as weary as when he first lay down.

"Sir, you only slept four hours twenty minutes. We were hoping you would rest two-three hours longer than that."

"Shut up, Jarvis."

He threw off his blanket, and marched into the bathroom.

…………………………………………………………..

Her survival depended on her ability to keep him drunk. Luckily, that was the easy part. The hard part was getting him to pass out. Lester could drink from the moment he woke until late in the night. For the first week and a half, it had worked beautifully. Every night, he was far too drunk to do anything but pass out. As the days went on however, the supply was dwindling, and the end of the month was still a week away.

Darlene had been through the old mobile home top to bottom. She'd found some old laundry soap, and had done her best to clean the clothes and the house. There was an old bottle of drain cleaner under the sink, and it inspired a desperate plan. She struggled with it for two days, but it got closer and closer to that moment when she could no longer manipulate him with alcohol; still days away from another disability check.

With the last of the vodka pooling in the bottom of the jug, she poured the drain cleaner in. He had a full drink in front of him and was really quite drunk. This last shot would be for that last drink when he was no longer coherent, and unable to discern between the sharp taste of the cheap vodka and the sting of actual poison.

She folded her arms on the table and dropped her head into them. Lester always let her know in a very distinct way when he was ready for another. It wasn't clear how long she slept; she jolted awake by Lester's howling in the next room. "One more, Darlene. Now!"

She jumped up, breathing hard. She took the vodka bottle into the living room, and poured the last of it into his beer mug. Realization washed over her about what she was actually doing. She dropped into the chair across from him, and watched him reach for it.

"Lester, look at me."

He swung his rheumy eyes in her direction.

"I'm not sharing, Bitch."

She nodded. "Perfectly alright. I think we should go to town tomorrow."

"Check doesn't come in yet."

"I know, but I can find work."

He shook his head. "You can't risk another arrest. They'll put you away this time."

She rolled her eyes. "I won't do anything illegal. I'll get a straight job."

"Stupid whore, you have lived here for your entire life. Who would hire you?"

Tears stung her eyes. "Give me a chance, Lester."

"We'll see." He gave her an odd look, and then reached for his glass.

She held her breath. Even Lester deserved another tomorrow. "No, Lester, don't drink that. Please don't drink that."

He frowned. "When you have money, you can buy your own."

She was on her feet. "Lester, look at me."

"Shut up!"

Darlene pointed. "Oh my God! Lester, there's the biggest spider behind you."

He swung his beefy neck around. Darlene took this moment to rush over and grab the mug in his hand. She wrenched it away from him and threw it at the wall. Shards of glass fell like confetti.

"You Bitch!" Lester lunged for her. In that moment, a memory clicked into place. A handsome man had shown her self-defense moves. She feinted to the left, and let him barrel past. Her hands clasped together, she brought them down hard on the back of his head. Lester collapsed hard on the floor, breathing heavy. She checked his vitals, and sighed deeply. She sat back next to him and tried to remember the man who had taught her this move. The image of his face was fleeting, but he wore a cocky smile. A feeling of yearning grew in her gut, but nothing more came to her. Rubbing tears from her eyes, she got up and found a blanket to throw on Lester.

………………………………………

James Rhodes, stiff in his dress blues, leaned over to Tony, "This is stupid. You're not ready for a red carpet event. Let's go home."

"No." Tony scanned the dazzling ballroom. He spotted a perfect blonde. These functions always had several: big chest, tiny waist; hair as light and soft as cotton candy.

She walked up to him, a cloying smile on her red lips. She handed him a water with lime. "Mr. Stark, I understand you're drinking sparkling water these days."

He winked at her. "Thanks darling."

He took a deep drink and got quite a surprise. The sparkling water and lime was infused with a healthy dose of vodka. His eyes widened and he coughed.

Rhodey frowned at him. "You okay?"

"Uh, actually, I am just fine." All of those weeks of denial came rushing up to him. The feel of the alcohol burned his throat, and he was gripped with a need for more. He spotted her retreating back. He gestured at Hogan. "Catch her. Tell her she's in charge of keeping my glass full all night."

Hogan gave him an odd look.

Tony frowned. "Go!"

Rhodey grabbed his shoulder. "Come with me. You need to shake hands with a few stockholders before we get you out of here."

Tony looked over his shoulder one more time, but the blonde had disappeared. He reluctantly followed Rhodey.

…………………………………………………………..

A few hours later, he sunk comfortably into the back of the limo. Rhodey slid in across from him. "So she kept you in booze all night. Don't deny it. I can see it in your eyes."

Tony ignored him. He was feeling a soft buzz that had stolen all of his concentration. The intense pain in his gut was dulled and it was the first peace he had felt since the nightmare of her disappearance.

"Tony, this isn't the answer."

"It's been four weeks, Rhodey. I stopped breathing four weeks ago. I need to let go."

"The booze with kill you. Pepper would be disappointed."

Tony lunged forward. "Shut up, Rhodey! She would understand. She would know how hard I've fought."

Rhodey shook his head and looked out the window.

"Hogan! We're stopping at the next liquor store."

Happy turned his head. "Are you sure, Boss?"

"Are you working for me or Rhodey?"

"Sorry Boss."

Rhodey threw up his arms. "All right, I can't be here anymore. Happy, stop at the next corner."

"Aw, come on, Rhodey!"

Rhodey pointed a finger in his face. "I'm not going to stand by and watch. You don't think losing her wasn't hard on me too? Now, it's happening again, and I'm not going to watch. Happy, drop me right here."

The limo slowed.

Tony shook his head. "I need you."

"Not as much as you need to fall into a bottle." Rhodey climbed out and looked back in. "Call me if you ever manage to get out again."

………………………………………………………..

"Damn! I have a helluva' hangover." Lester weaved his way into the kitchen. "And I got a knot on the back of my head the size of a goose egg. What the hell?"

Darlene raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, you tried to get up last night, lost your footing, and hit the back of your head on the end table."

Lester growled. "And you left me laying there?"

"What exactly did you want me to do with you? That was as good a place as any to let you sleep it off."

"What the hell kind of wife are you?"

"Lester, you promised me that we were going into town today."

"Ain't time for the check yet."

"I have a money making idea."

"You haven't had one original idea in your life."

"You don't have any booze in the house, and you promised to take me to town. What kind of day are we going to have if you don't follow through on your promise?"

He grunted. "Get in the truck, Darlene."

………………………………………………………………………………….

Tony turned his head as the alarm, and the blinding sunlight annihilated him. He slid off the couch next to an empty bottle of Dewar's. "What the hell, Jarvis?"

"Sir, there is a hostage situation in Burbank. I hate to disturb you. I am not at all sure that the your blood alcohol has settled enough for you to be up—"

"That's enough, Jarvis!" Tony headed for the stairs, hugging the railing all the way down."

He stumbled through the suiting, and burst into air, his head fueling a headache the size of the San Andreas fault. Luckily, there was enough intelligence in his suit to drop him in on the convenience store in Burbank. His thoughts remained disorganized, and the only idea that came to mind was drop feet first through the roof of the store. Coordinating with the police was an unfortunate afterthought. Bricks and mortar flew everywhere. People dived for cover, glass shattering in all directions.

Tony struggled to get to his feet, groans sounding all around him. Guns cocked, and he turned to find L.A. County SWAT drawing down on him. A lieutenant stepped forward. "You're a little late, Ironman. Hostage situation ended ten minutes ago. We're just cordoning off the crime scene until you destroyed it. Hope, we can convince a judge that some of this evidence isn't contaminated by you…dropping in."

Tony winced. "Sorry guys."

…………………………………………………………………………..

The next day's headlines ran the gamut from Ironman Destroys Crime Scene to Has Ironman become Irrelevant? Tony threw the newspapers to the ground, and sat back on the couch. A fresh bottle of Dewar's stood open in front of him. He closed his eyes and winced. "Pepper, what have you done to me?"

……………………………………………………………………………

Next chapter Wednesday or Friday