A/N: This is the final and longest chapter. It's a crazy ride, and I hope you like it. I need to take a break now, and get back to my schoolwork, but don't think I won't have time for your reviews. They make my heart sing.
Sheila
The Darkest Time
Chapter 8
Pepper looked up and saw Rhodey come in, a smile spread wide across his face. "I can't believe it."
"I know. It looks like you're going to be a flyboy in more ways than one."
"You helped him design it."
She took the laptop off her legs and sat back. "I did. It's beautiful. He calls it War Machine."
"Why did you come down for the unveiling?"
She shrugged. "This was really about Tony doing something for you. Besides I wouldn't understand half of what the two of you were talking about."
"I can't wait to fly it."
"Tony says that it's still going to take a few weeks for the final touches. He figured it was time to get you in on the decision-making."
Tony appeared and slapped Rhodey on the back. "Pretty soon, we're going to be a team in the sky."
Rhodey nodded at Pepper. "You going to make one for her too?"
Tony looked at her and shook his head. "I don't think I could do it. I'm probably sexist. I don't know. I just…"
She waved a hand at him. "No worries. I'm happier on the ground anyway."
"Are you happy?" His cheeks burned as he asked it. It seemed a very intimate thing to ask in that moment.
She nodded and looked down. "I really am. I'm so glad to be home."
"Speaking of which, where will you live? Are you going to still stay at Rhodey's? Going back to your condo? There's always a place for you here, you know."
"I guess I haven't thought—"
Rhodey broke in. "There's plenty of time. I love having you. Don't listen to him. As usual, he's just being impatient."
Tony frowned. "Aw come on, People. Fishel's been really impressed with my growth."
Pepper jumped up. "Speaking of therapists, I'd better get a move on before I'm late for my appointment."
"Have her come here."
Pepper grabbed her coat. "Sorry Tony, the whole world can't just cater to you all the time."
"Happy will take you."
"I'll take my own car."
"Nope. I'm serious. It's been almost a month without trouble, but Sikko is still out there, and while that's the situation, you're not going alone."
She rolled her eyes. "Okay for this time, Tony, but you and I are really going to have to sit down and discuss this. I'm not going to live my life with your bizarre siege mentality."
She hurried out the door. Rhodey turned to Tony. "You're out of your mind when it comes to her. You're literally insane. You know that, right?"
Tony sighed. "I am being made aware of this by a short woman with bifocals and gray hair who eats lunch with me three times a week. She says there's no cure for it."
He slapped Tony on the back. "We'll make a decent human being out of you yet. Let's go back downstairs and admire my new baby."
…………………………………………………………………………………
Pepper leaned forward. "Happy, I'm behind schedule. Can you do some of that fancy footwork you're so good at? I don't want to be late."
She got a muffled reply.
……………………………………………………………….
Rhodey stood on the table and admired War Machine up close. He shook his head and said, "Damn!" continually. Other than that, he had no words for Tony.
Jarvis interrupted. "Sir, I just received an anonymous call stating that there's a very important message for you behind your garage. The caller suggests you attend to it immediately."
Tony screwed up his face. "What the hell?"
Rhodey broke away from his new toy. "What do you think? Sounds like a trap. I brought my side arm. How about I go out with you?"
Tony nodded and headed for the stair. Outside, they scanned the grounds, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Tony headed around the side of the garage and stopped short. Happy was on the ground, trussed from his wrists to his ankles. Tony grabbed at the duct tape on his mouth. Without ceremony, he pulled it off his face. Happy howled from the pain.
"Who has her?"
"Didn't get much of a look, Boss. Hit me over the head. He took the limo. He put something in my right front pocket."
Tony reached in and fished out a jump drive. Rhodey pulled out a pocket knife and sawed through the nylon around one ankle. He started at the second one when Happy grabbed at the knife. "Don't bother with me. Get her."
Rhodey grabbed the drive out of Tony's hand. "Her laptop is right inside."
Inside, Rhodey jammed it in hard, and immediately a face filled the screen. "Sikko!" Tony shouted, pacing. "We gotta' go after her."
"Hold on Tony. We don't even know what direction he took. We have to hear what he has to say."
Sikko jumped in as if scripted. "I'm not a quitter, Ironman. I said I would bring you down and I meant it. Pepper has to be the one because she's your kryptonite. Besides, the bitch surprised me back in Petunia. I'm going to make sure that she's gone this time. I want you to grab your cell, dial 555-1352, and go out to your balcony."
Tony grabbed his phone and headed for the balcony. Rhodey followed.
Outside, he plastered the phone to his ear. Sikko picked up on the first ring. "Look out on the bay. Focus your attention on the cliffs off the south shoreline." The phone clicked.
………………………………………………………………….
Pepper didn't know it was Sikko playing the part of Happy until he turned and grinned madly at her. Doors locked and the partition separating the front from the back slid into place. Bile rose in her throat and she clawed desperately at the doors. The limo came to a stop, and she heard the muffled sounds of him on the phone. A door slammed. Then the limo jerked, and sped forward.
…………………………………………………….
Tony stared at the south shoreline, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. Behind him, Rhodey was yelling at authorities over the phone.
All of a sudden, the outline of a black limo appeared on the cliffs, and then rose into air, for a moment, as graceful as a bird. Then it stopped, flipped forward and dove into the ocean.
"My God! Pepper!" Tony pushed past Rhodey and headed for the stairs. Rhodey dropped the phone in his hand when he saw the limo in the air. He knew where Tony was going. He needed a plan of his own.
"Jarvis!" He yelled. "Unlock the speedboat at the dock. I want it ready to run in the next 30 seconds."
………………………………………………………………….
The impact of the vehicle hitting water threw Pepper to the back window of the limo. She got blurry for a moment, and then heard an awful roaring. Through the windows around her, she became aware of the water rushing over the top of the car. She slammed her fist into the partition, but there was no response. The car continued to sink. Panic rose in her as powerfully as water she was sinking in.
She started screaming, and pounding on the windows. Then she laid on the back seat, took off her heels, and started to kick at the windows. There was no movement. Tiny leaks sprung around her. She stopped moving for a moment, and tried to think. She glanced up at the ceiling, and saw a heel sticking out of it. In reality, her high heels were on the floor of the car, but a moment was coming to her.
She remembered the time she got into the limo and there was a heel sticking through the roof. To his credit, Tony looked embarrassed when she pointed it out to him. He mumbled something about spending time with a young woman who was very flexible. She mentioned that it seemed odd that a women's heel could cut all the way through the top of the roof. Tony gave her some explanation about how the bulletproof windows and reinforced floor required that some part of the vehicle be open for ventilation…
Pepper reached for her heels. She got on her knees, and started pounding the heels into the ceiling. The heels ripped through the fabric, and dimpled the roof. She kept pounding and pounding until one of the heels cut through, and water started streaming down on her. Pepper struggled to ignore the water pouring down on her, and kept pounding until another hole opened, and then another and another. The pressure of the water began to tear at and expand the existing holes. She could feel the roof start to buckle, and she started pounding harder. With no warning, the roof collapsed on top of her.
…………………………………………………………..
Tony burst into the air 1 minute 23 seconds after he saw the limo go over the cliff. It would take him seconds to get to her location. It was the water that was the concern. The suit had not operated well in the water. He prayed that it would for the time it took to locate the limo and bring her up.
……………………………………………………………….
Pepper found a small pocket of air behind the roof, and took a deep breath. She remembered back to high school when she was the fourth leg of the 800 meter freestyle relay. She had to be that kind of swimmer again.
………………………………………………………….
Rhodey was still half a mile away from the cliffs when he saw Tony roar past overhead. "Go Tony!!" he yelled before turning his attention back to the wheel with one hand, and a Mayday call to the Coast Guard in the other.
……………………………………………….
Happy was on his feet, and looking for a vehicle. Rhodey's was a sports car with all the security he could afford. Pepper's had a nice, boring economy car known for its reliability. Usually, he would do little more and shake his head over it, but today was different. He headed for the car; trying his best to recall all of the tricks he had learned about hotwiring vehicles as a kid.
……………………………………………………
Tony couldn't see the limo from the air. He didn't have sonar, and had hoped that the shape of the vehicle would be clearly visible, but the water was too dark and too deep. Tony figured he had the right patch of water so he slowed and dived in.
Tony could see clearly for the first twenty feet, but then the water muddied. He knew the limo had probably settled on the bottom by now, and so he went straight down. The bottom was dark, and the suit often hit something before he saw it. There was a slight whine, and he knew that water was probably starting to seep into the circuits.
He adjusted his scanning capabilities, relying on light and infra-red. The infra-red took a lot of power, and he hoped the suit would hold up under the power drain and water damage.
……………………………………………………………
The first moment, Pepper really believed she might drown was the moment she broke surface. She choked on the air mixed with water; her body drained of all energy. Her arms started to flail, and it took time before she could calm her panic. Luckily, years in swimming pools kicked in, and eventually she settled into a steady dog paddle. She looked around and saw the shore. Turning the other way, she saw a speedboat slowing at a spot in the distance.
The speedboat was closer, but all Pepper could visualize was heading for shore. She lay on her back and started to paddle with her legs. It took the least amount of energy.
…………………………………………………………
Circuits had gone from whining to jamming. The infra-red flickered on and off, and Tony could barely get a discernible picture.
"Mr. Stark, systems are failing. Abort mission."
Tony pushed on despite the warning. Moisture started to run down his face, and he wasn't sure if it was perspiration or actual leaking into the suit. Then there was a pop, and his entire tracking system went dark. Tony was worse than a blind man now. He couldn't feel or hear his way through the mucky water.
He reached for auxiliary power, and saw that power levels were down to 4%. At this point, he didn't have the strength to do anything even if he did stumble on the limo. He cursed into his helmet, and pushed hard against the ocean floor. The suit propelled him upward.
………………………………………………………………………………………
Rhodey had his eyes peeled on the surface of the water. In his head, he prayed over and over that Tony would break surface with a coughing but breathing Pepper, but every minute that passed denied its feasibility. His watch told him that it had been 13 minutes since the limo crashed into the ocean. There were only so many stories he could tell himself about how she could survive underwater that long.
He heard a rush of water, and turned to see Ironman break surface on the other side of the boat. He grabbed a rescue pole and reached for him.
……………………………………………………………………….
Pepper could hear the sirens all around her now. Cops were on the beach, and in the water, she could feel the vibrations of boats rushing to the scene. She turned to the open water and watched Coast Guard vessels barreling down on the lone speedboat.
Pepper turned back to shore. Hypothermia was setting in. The water wasn't too frigid, but she had so little energy that her body succumbed to what cold there was. She closed her eyes, and tried a simple breaststroke for awhile.
………………………………………………..
Tony was pulling arms and legs off the suit as soon as Rhodey pulled him into the vehicle. The Coast Guard cutter pulled up alongside. Rhodey waved at the water. "A vehicle drove off a cliff into the water less than 15 minutes ago!"
A commander leaned over the side. "We're checking out sonar. We should have the location in a few minutes."
With the suit off, Tony started over the edge again. Rhodey dived and caught an ankle before he jumped. "No way, Tony."
"Let go, Rhodey!"
Rhodey scrambled to his feet and pulled Tony away from the edge. "You don't even know which direction to dive!"
"She's down there!" Tony pushed Rhodey away.
Rhodey grabbed him from behind and hugged him around the waist. He hissed into Tony's ear. "And you die with her. That's your plan?"
Tony struggled. "I'm not leaving her down there."
The cutter got close enough and two seamen jumped on. They grabbed Tony from both sides, one of them pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
The commander leaned over the railing again. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but there's no way humanly possible that you can conduct a rescue without equipment. By subduing you, we can assure that all of our attention is on the victims in the vehicle, and not on your rescue as well.
Rhodey pulled Tony into a chair. "I'm sorry, Man. I'm so goddamned sorry."
Tony looked away from his friend, and pulled on his restraints.
…………………………………………………………………………………….
Happy spotted him on the side of the highway. He was just an ordinary looking man with one difference. He was wearing Happy's suit coat. Happy slowed the car onto the shoulder.
Sikko noticed his interest, and started running to a small car parked in the dirt. Happy sped up. Sikko got in the car, and tried to start it. Happy drove straight into his bumper.
…………………………………………………………………………
They finally noticed her when she was still out about fifty yards. One of the cops took off his gun belt, and waded in. He was up to his chest by the time he reached her. She hadn't realized that she was close to drowning in five feet of water. She put her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly.
……………………………………………………………………….
"If you start that engine, our friendship is over."
Rhodey had tears in his eyes. "They can't conduct a proper search with us in the perimeter
"I'll destroy the suit."
Rhodey glared at him. "I wouldn't want the suit without the friendship."
"Please Rhodey, I need to find her."
Rhodey let go of the throttle and advanced on him. "In 40-50 ft. of water? What's your plan, Tony? Are you that deluded? Have you forgotten that you're not a superhero without the suit?"
Tony looked away.
"Do I always have to be the fuckin' adult here?" Tears ran down Rhodey's cheeks. "You drowning does nothing for her. You got that? I suffer, but it does nothing for her. You're my brother, Man. And I got to do the right thing even if it means you never talk to me again."
With that, he grabbed the throttle and headed for shore.
……………………………………………….
Pepper sat on the beach, knees pulled up to her chin. She had three rescue blankets around her, and despite the warm afternoon sun, she was shivering. She'd given the officer Tony's number, and he'd been trying it for several minutes with no response. She stared out onto the water, watching two Coast Guard cutters circling the area where the limo went in. She noticed a speedboat coming into shore, but it was the Coast Guard that held her attention.
……………………………………………….
Pepper's car was a total loss, but somehow Happy knew that the money would be found to get her a new one. He'd used the car to plow Sikko off the side of the road, and into a cement encasement. The man was stunned but actively trying to get out of the car. Happy was in no hurry. He was about to catch up on some time in the ring. Working for a busy man like Tony, workout time was hard to come by. So since he had a chance to sharpen those old boxing skills, it would have been a true shame to waste it.
…………………………………………………….
Rhodey moored the boat in about two feet of water. "I'm going to wade in to see if the police found Sikko. You want to come with me?"
Tony was like a statue, staring out on the water.
Rhodey sighed and waded away from him. Police were huddled around a figure on the beach, and EMS had arrived. Rhodey wondered if they'd captured and injured Sikko. He had no shame in hoping that Sikko was critically injured.
…………………………………………………………..
A paramedic was trying to stick an IV in her arm when she spotted Rhodey wading into shore. She struggled with the paramedic briefly, and reclaimed her arm. Hands tried to hold her down, but she resisted. "Rhodey!" She yelled.
Rhodey sprinted into their midst. He wrangled his way through. Soaked, hair and sand streaked across her face. He dropped down next to her and pulled her to him. "My God, Pepper, how is this possible?"
"Where's Tony?"
He looked at her. "He thinks you are still in the limo."
"I kicked a hole in the roof."
"Honey, we gotta' go tell him."
A paramedic intervened. "Hey Mister, she needs some IV fluids."
Rhodey pulled her to her feet. "You can have her back in just a few minutes."
As they walked, he could feel how weak and shaky she was. He scooped her up into his arms, and waded out to the speedboat. Tony was still seated on the end facing the water: silent and completely still.
"He's very frightened right now, Pepper." Rhodey whispered to her as he hoisted her into the boat. She nodded at him and grabbed the railing.
"Tony," She said. "It's me, Tony. It's Pepper."
His head shot up and he looked around. She was pulling herself along the railing toward him. He tried to rise, but he was still handcuffed, and he stumbled forward. She was there, and put her arms around him. She could feel him sobbing into her neck, and she held him as tightly as she could.
………………………………………..
Happy dragged the man down to the beach by the scruff of his neck. When he saw the cops, he pushed the man forward; letting him stumble in and land face first in the sand. The man rolled over onto his back and groaned. His face was a mass of bruises, and he held his gut protectively.
A cop looked down at the man, and then back at Happy. "What happened to him?"
Happy narrowed his eyes. "This is the filth that kidnapped Pepper Potts. He was still wearing my suitcoat."
"So, what: are you saying he ran into a door?"
"I ain't saying nothing about that. I rammed his car into an embankment. I figure that accounts for a couple of marks. Then I pulled him out and really tuned him up."
"Are you confessing to assault?"
"Yup. And I am damn proud of it too. I hope I get a jail cell next to him. I'm only half started on what I plan to do to him."
Rhodey ran up as they cuffed Happy alongside a wounded Dr. Sikko.
……………………………………………
Tony pulled his wet, salty face off her shoulder. "You're okay?"
She nodded, her eyes shining.
"I should've known that you were going to get out of that car."
Her lip quivered. "I got lucky."
He pulled her in again, breathing in her skin. "And strong and brave, Pepper. Don't forget that."
A paramedic waded up to the boat. "Can we treat you now?"
She turned her tousled head to the paramedic. "Yeah, let's do that. And do you think you could find some keys for these handcuffs? Someone's got my boss all tied up here."
………………………………………………………………………….
Tony lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling, one hand on his warm, beathing titanium heart. It was the third time he'd woke since he'd gone to bed. He was exhausted. The long, terrible day was proof of that. It was the nightmares. He was reaching for Pepper, and there was water, but he never found her, and then he would wake, breathing hard. Getting sleep was becoming a regular workout.
The only saving grace was that he woke up, he could tell himself that she was okay. He could remember the moment he turned around and found her standing there all wet and sandy; mascara trailing down her face.
When he'd finally got onto the beach, he found Rhodey arguing with police over a handcuffed Happy Hogan. Happy himself seemed bored with the conversation. He kept his eye on Sikko moaning on the sand.
Tony stood over Sikko for several minutes before Pepper pulled him away. He stopped and told Happy he was going to get the best legal team since O.J. and a huge bonus on top of it. Happy spent a grand total of 27 minutes in a cell that day.
They'd all gone to Tony's house and showered, and let Jarvis make them crème brulee French toast and champagne cocktails. They needed to be together, and since tears had long been spent, they laughed about Happy as hardened criminal. He couldn't have been more unrepentant about beating Sikko, and it had left police more than a little exasperated. Pepper started to nod off, and so Rhodey pulled her off the couch and steered her toward the front door. Tony wanted to jump up and tell them to stay, but he knew that everyone's emotions were still raw, and Pepper especially would need the space.
………………………………………………………………………………..
He woke again, and saw a figure in his doorway. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, and then he made out the shape of Pepper wearing a man's sweater. Her head had been leaning against the doorframe until she saw him shift. "Are you awake?"
He sat up, careful to make sure his pajama bottoms covered him sufficiently. "What are you doing here, Pepper?"
"Happy ruined my car."
"I'm going to buy you in a new one in the morning."
"I like the old one. Can't we just fix it?"
Tony took a deep breath. "Are you grateful to Happy?"
She nodded.
"Let him pick out a car for you. That mid-size American snooze you drive has been a thorn in his side for a long time. It'll be like Christmas for him"
"I don't want anything too fancy."
"I'll tell him to focus on models that are practical, fuel efficient, and environmentally friendly."
"It's a deal."
Tony looked at her steadily. "Tell me again why you're here."
She looked down. "I had nightmares."
"Me too."
She stepped inside the door. "And then I got confused. I've remembered so much, and it came to me that I still don't really understand why you and I feel the way we do, but we're not together. Can you help me remember?"
Tony worried his lip. "It's complicated. We're afraid that it will change us. We're afraid that we'll lose some of the magic that we have. And, frankly, we're waiting for me to become a better man."
She cocked her head. "What's wrong with who you are right now?"
He chuckled. "Books could be written on the subject."
"You're not perfect, but you love me. I feel it. And I love you very much."
Tony stiffened. "Pepper, your emotions, it's been the kind of day where you forget…We have to make thoughtful decisions about something like this."
She stepped closer. "I need you, Tony. I just want to be with you. I kind of wonder if being rational has done us that much good over the years. What happened today could happen again, and if it does, will I regret that we never risked really loving each other? How much time do we have, Tony? You fly around the skies fighting bad guys, and…I seem to have my share of traumas…"
Tony gripped the bed. "I don't want to fail you, Pepper."
She stopped at the edge of his bed and looked in his eyes. "Do you want me to go back to Rhodey's tonight?"
He shook his head slowly and extended his hand. She took it and climbed in next to him. He gave her space, afraid to get too close. He whispered. "I don't want to do this wrong."
She snaked her arms around him. "Just hold me and tell me about how, together, we're strong enough to take on any challenges."
"I can do that."
She nodded, brushing her lips along his neck. "Then can you kiss like I've always imagined you doing?"
His breath caught. "It would be my distinct pleasure."
"Okay, for right now, let's forget the first thing and just move on to the second." Eyes bright, She reached for his mouth.
The End