Chapter Seventeen

Tony felt the missile ruffle his hair as it shot past the top of his head. He would have been killed. Hopefully the arc reactor wouldn't kill him either. He dropped from the beams and landed on the floor, right next to Pepper. He could see electric currents bursting with energy. The arc reactor was cracking. There was little time before it went up in a giant explosion of blue light.

He glanced back at Pepper, who was completely unconscious and a ghostly white color. He gathered her up in his arms and shot through the broken doors just as the building heated up to an intensity that the human body could not stand. He hovered by the building and watched as Obadiah was hit by the massive explosion that the arc reactor released. He could hear him scream, and then when the huge pillar of electric blue light disappeared from the sky, Obadiah's screams still echoed in Tony's mind. He could see him fall from the roof and hear the clanking of metal as Obadiah's body and suit fell into the arc reactor. There was a deep rumbling before a giant fireball erupted into the sky. Tony turned around, shielding Pepper from any falling debris.

When Tony heard the sirens, he realized he wasn't wearing his mask. If he didn't get out of here, people would know who Iron Man was. He took off to the hospital, Pepper wasn't doing well. He landed at the back of the hospital, where no one was and lowered Pepper to the ground, and knelt down beside her. He pressed his arc reactor slightly, making his armor contract and release from his body, packing itself into a backpack.

"Pepper?" He asked, he felt her forehead and wasn't surprised to feel how hot it was, her temperature could be deadly, and she was breaking out into a cold sweat. "Pepper, hang on. You'll be all right, I promise." He picked her back up and ran to the back door, opening it.

"Nurse! Doctor! Somebody!" He called, running into the hospital. A nurse turned around, surprised by the sudden entry of a seemingly hysterical person.

"What's wrong with her? What happened?" She asked hurriedly, signaling other nurses for a gurney and an I.V.

"She was cut across the abdomen, and I think her arm's broken, and maybe some ribs." Tony said quickly, they brought over the gurney and Tony laid her down on it. They wheeled her to a back room, and a nurse stepped into Tony's path.

"I'm sorry, sir. We can't let you go back there with her until we know how you're related to her." The nurse said as some doctors ran past them.

"I'm not related to her." Tony said, peering over her shoulder anxiously as the doors opened for a moment.

"Then how do you know her?" The nurse asked.

"I'm her...boyfriend." Tony said, he was like a deer in the headlights, his eyes wide.

"Really?" The nurse asked suspiciously.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I don't normally pull this card, but do you know who I am?" Tony asked, getting frustrated. He pointed to himself. "I'm Tony Stark, in charge of Stark Industries."

"Sir, just because you own a rather large company, doesn't mean that you can get what you want." The nurse said.

Tony took a deep breath, "I'm just trying to make sure that the person I love most will be fine. Will you please give me updates?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

The nurse bit her lip, "Yes I can do that, Mr. Stark." She turned around and stalked through the doors, leaving Tony to sit down in a nearby waiting room.

Tony pulled out his phone and dialed for Rhodey. Rhodey! He had left him there... "Oh crap." Tony said, covering his face with his hands. "He's going to kill me." He looked up when he heard doors around the corner open and some people walked into the facility.

"Sir, we need you to lie down. You have a rather large gash on the back of your head-" Someone said.

"I don't care, I need to see if my friends are here. I need to see if Pepper is okay, and I have no idea where Tony is."

Tony knew that voice. It was Rhodey. "Rhodey!" Tony got up from his seat and ran around the corner. He almost ran right into his friend.

"Tony!" Rhodey cried, a smile split his face, "Oh man. I'm so glad to see you alive. Where's Pepper?" He asked, looking around.

"She's probably in surgery." Tony looked down at his feet, "Rhodey, look-" Tony started.

"Don't say anything." Rhodey put his hand up, his voice low. He looked behind him suspiciously, the EMTs were still standing there.

Rhodey tried to look mad, like he was angry at Tony about something and there wasn't anything they were hiding. "We'll talk later. I just want to know how Pepper's doing."

Tony shook his head, "There was a nurse that was really uptight, she didn't believe me when I told her I was Pepper's friend. I mean...oh, I mean, boyfriend..." Tony stuttered.

"You told the nurse she was your girlfriend?" Rhodey started laughing, then started to tip over.

"Rhodey!" Tony rushed forward along with the two EMTs. They all caught him just before he hit the ground.

"Sir, we'll let you know how he is when we're finished. We just need to stitch him up." They carried him to a nearby out-patient room and started work on him. Tony went back around the corner and sat down. This had happened to both of his friends because of him and his carelessness.

"I'm in a crap-load of trouble tonight." He sighed. He propped up his legs on another chair and leaned back.

Tony woke up an hour or so later, he looked up to see the uptight nurse lady staring at him. "Ah!" He gasped. "Sorry, you surprised me." Tony said, pinching the bridge of his nose. The sooner he was out of here, the better. He didn't care if he had to take care of Pepper and Rhodey at his house, he would do it. As long as he got out of this place and away from that nurse.

"I didn't realize until now, that you are quite bruised and have a few cuts, Mr. Stark." The nurse said, looking closer at him.

All of a sudden, Tony became very self-conscious. "Yes...that is...very astute of you." He cleared his throat and adjusted his shirt collar, trying to hide his nerves.

"Mr. Stark...were you and Ms. Potts in an argument recently?" She asked as innocently as she could.

Tony couldn't help but smile, "Ah...no. Definitely not. I actually saved her," he paused, waiting for the woman's expression to change. It didn't. "From a psycho." He emphasized. Her expression still didn't change.

"That's how I got all of my bruises and cuts, was from the psycho..." Tony trailed off, waving a hand at his various bruises and wounds.

She nodded, but he knew she didn't believe him. "If you must know, really, Mr. Stane, the man I worked with, kidnapped Pepper Potts and held her against her will, I found out where they were and ran to the rescue, when I got there, I realized I was no match for him and called on Iron Man for help. Mr. James Rhodes arrived at the scene also, but was hit in the back of the head by flying debris. I dragged Pepper out of there while Iron Man and Stane battled, and then Pepper overloaded the Arc Reactor that powers my factory and in result, it killed Stane. I do not know where Iron Man is at the moment, but I sincerely hope that he is unharmed and okay." Tony drew in a deep breath.

The nurse's mouth hung open, "I'm not sure I believe your statement at the moment, but I'll look into it." She said quietly, and then turned and left.

Tony rolled his eyes and looked at the clock on his phone. It was well past midnight. Where was Rhodey?

He looked up just in time to see Rhodey heading down the hallway with a pair of crutches. "Hey Rhodey, are you all right?" Tony asked, getting up from his seat. He could tell he was going to have some major neck cramping.

"Ya, I'm fine. They sewed my head back up and then x-rayed my foot. It's just sprained." He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I heard them say in the hallway that Pepper would be okay, she's just resting. She's still not awake though." Rhodey said.

Tony let out a whoosh of relief. "Oh thank goodness. I was getting anxious. You would not believe the grilling I just got from that nurse." Tony whispered, making a face.

Rhodey chuckled, "I bet she asked you if you and Pepper had gotten in a fight?" He guessed.

"You are good, my friend. Genius material." Tony winked.

"Ya, I'll leave the genius stuff to you." He said, laughing a little. His smile faded, and he looked at Tony with remorse. "I'm sorry it was Stane. What happened to him?"

They sat down and Tony relayed the story to Rhodey, "I don't know what to do now. I don't know who to trust anymore."

"You know you can trust Pepper and me though, right?" Rhodey asked, putting a hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Yes, of course. I know that." Tony looked up at Rhodey and smiled.

The same nurse that had asked Tony too many questions, in his opinion, walked around the corner to them with somewhat of a scowl on her face. "Your story checks out, Mr. Stark. I just saw the News. They've found Mr. Stane's body, and your factory is in complete shambles. Way to save the day." She said, not really caring.

She turned to leave, but then looked back at them, "Oh, and I found that you are listed as one of Ms. Potts' emergency contacts. You are allowed to see her. One at a time though, please."

Tony had the feeling this nurse had been working too many hours this week. She was grumpy. "Thank you, I appreciate it." Tony said with a sincere smile.

The nurse turned with a smile on her face, she had a theory forming in her head, and it involved Mr. Stark and a certain Iron Man suit. There was no way he could have carried Pepper all the way to the hospital in such a short amount of time. She would wait and see what the future told, though.

Tony and Rhodey made their way down the corridor of the hospital and stopped just outside Pepper's room.

"I don't know if I can go in there yet." Tony said, turning away from the door and looking at Rhodey.

"All right, I'll go in first, but only for a minute. Then you can have all the time you want in there with her." Rhodey said.

Tony nodded, "Ya, ya...that's a good idea." He sat down in one of the chairs right outside the door and watched Rhodey walk in.

It felt like an hour went by within the few minutes that Rhodey was in there. Maybe he should have gone in first after all. Tony was feeling sick, he was so anxious.

Rhodey opened the door and walked out with his crutches, "Go on in. She's still not awake yet, but you could still talk to her. Don't worry so much, man." Rhodey squeezed Tony's shoulder. "She's gonna be fine." He gave his friend a reassuring nod and watched him walk into the room.

Tony walked in, his eyes glued to the floor. When he got closer to the bed, he forced himself to look at her. Pepper had a breathing mask over her face and IVs stuck into her arm. She had cuts and bruises all over her arms, and one of them was in a sling. He didn't even want to imagine how bad her legs were, or her stomach, for that matter. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and took one of her hands in his, resting his forehead on the edge of the bed. "Oh Pepper, I'm so sorry." His heart went to the same beat as hers on the monitor, and it softly lulled him into a light sleep.

Tony woke to a sudden jolt. He had had a nasty nightmare, that he hadn't been able to get to Pepper in time, and that Rhodey was inside the building when it exploded. He tried to steady his breathing before he had some kind of heart attack.

"Tony?" A soft voice asked.

"Pepper!" Tony cried, standing up and looking down at her, he brought her hand up and kissed it. "I'm so glad you're awake." He smiled, his eyes shiny with tears.

Pepper smiled back, she had pulled off the face mask. "I've been awake for a little while, but I didn't want to wake you. You look tired."

Tony gave a pitiful laugh. "You should have, I had a nightmare." He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at her. "I'm so sorry, Pepper. I put you and Rhodey in danger when it didn't have to be that-"

"Stop talking." Pepper said, her voice stern. "None of this was your fault. None of it."

Tony nodded his head slightly, he didn't want to argue with Pepper, especially after everything that had happened.

"Where's Rhodey?" Pepper asked, fear laced the features of her face.

Tony patted her hand, "He's fine, don't worry about him. He's out in the foyer."

Pepper breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh good, I saw him get hit with flying debris and was worried he had lost too much blood."

Tony arched an eyebrow, "Worried that HE lost too much blood? Pepper, you were as white as a sheet, I was almost sure that you weren't going to make it." He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.

"I'm still here, don't worry." She smiled kindly. "When do I get to go home?"


After signing a bunch of medical release forms, Tony was finally able to take Pepper and Rhodey home. Rhodey only stayed with Tony for one night.

"Tony, I'm a big boy, I can handle myself." Rhodey said, smiling and gathering his things. He had a brace around his ankle and didn't need the crutches now.

"All right, buddy. Thank you, for coming to the rescue." Tony smiled, putting a hand on Rhodey's shoulder.

"Any time. It's what I do." Rhodey grinned and left a few minutes later.

Tony headed to the guest room where Pepper was staying, he knocked softly, but didn't hear a reply. He opened the door slightly and peered in. Pepper was in bed, asleep still. It was ten in the morning. She never would have allowed herself to sleep in this late as his P.A. but given the circumstances, Tony would let her sleep as much as she wanted to. She was strictly on bed rest for the first week of her recovery. Tony shut the door quietly and headed to the basement. He needed to repair the suit as soon as he could.


The next week went by smoothly, Pepper was healing quickly and she was up and about, doing what she used to do. But Tony had still demanded that she stay at the mansion with him.

Only a day later, Tony was called by the Associated Press, demanding that he make a statement about what had happened at Stark Industries.

"Tony, you don't have to." Pepper said, wincing as she picked up a chair and tried to move it across the room.

"Pepper." Tony said, quickly walking over to her and taking the chair from her. "The doctor said absolutely no lifting large and heavy items. That includes this chair." He gave her a worried look, then looked at the chair, "Where do you want this?"

"By the window. I'm fine. I just hate not being able to do anything." Her wounds were in the process of healing, and lifting anything that weighed more than five to ten pounds could make the process slower and more painful, and the fact that she kept "forgetting" to use the sling for her fractured arm.

"I feel like I owe them an explanation of what happened. It's fine. I'll figure it out." Tony said as he put down the chair by the window.

"All right...but I don't like it." She paused, "A little to the left." She said, motioning for him to move the chair.

He moved it the way she wanted and then glanced up, "I know you don't like it, but I'd rather not have some weird theories about what happened. Especially any that involve me being Iron Man." He took a step back from the chair. "Why did I move this?" He asked, eyeing Pepper.

She smiled, "I like to read by the window."

Tony couldn't help but smile back, "You could get me to do anything you wanted. You know that? Goodness gracious." He shook his head and laughed. "Well, I've got to head back downstairs and clean up a bit, then I'll change and go to the press conference. Did you want to come with me?"

Pepper bit her lip, thinking. "I guess. Only so that I can help you answer any questions that you're bombarded with."

Tony leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Thank you, Pepper."


Hours later, Tony and Pepper made their way to Stark Industries to give their statements. They passed the destroyed factory on their way there. Tony just looked at it with dead eyes and Pepper gave him a quick hug. "I'm sorry, Tony."

They pulled up to a hoard of reporters, and Tony took Pepper's hand to guide her through the crowd. They walked in to the building, Tony taking the mic while Pepper stayed off to the side. She spotted Rhodey a little way to her left and smiled.

Tony started to give his official statement, "It grieves me to think that Mr. Obadiah Stane was involved with the mayhem that caused the arc reactor to explode, which took his life in the explosion." Tony took a deep breath, "I had trusted him since my father came back, because I trusted whomever my father trusted. But I know now that I shouldn't have. Nothing I can do will change the past, but at least we will be able to be more wary of those we hire and put into high ranking positions."

"Mr. Stark, how did you get from Stark Industries all the way to the hospital, especially while carrying Ms. Potts, in less than five minutes?" A reporter shouted out.

It took a second for Tony to register the question. "I..." He was staring at the reporter, "I got away with her before the explosion." He stated.

Pepper grimaced. No! She yelled in her head.

"But in the official statement, you said that Pepper was the one that over loaded the arc reactor. According to an official scientific report, the arc reactor would have exploded seconds after that. She couldn't have left before the explosion, let alone get out of that building in time, especially in her condition. Unless she was picked up by someone in a shiny red suit..." The reporter smiled devilishly.

Tony blinked, his mouth agape. He couldn't think of a way out of this one.

"And if so, where were you during that entire time? How would Pepper know to over load the arc reactor? Was she somehow in contact with Iron Man? Do you think maybe..." He paused for effect, "She knows exactly who Iron Man really is?"

Tony was going to go crazy. He just wanted to run away and never come back to this infernal place, and leave these reporters to mess with someone else's life.

He bit his lip, staring down at the floor. He had to do something. Every scenario he thought of as it ran through his head would only make things more complicated and less believable. He had kept this secret for more than 20 years.

Pepper couldn't believe how fast this press conference was falling apart right before her eyes. She glanced at Rhodey and saw the fear in his eyes. She couldn't think of anything to say. She had come to help Tony, and yet...she couldn't. She had no idea what to say. She desperately thought of another scenario, something to answer the questions. Tony glanced to his left and made eye contact with Pepper, they stared at each other for what seemed like a minute, and in that moment, she knew exactly what he was going to say.

Her eyes widened, and she was about to shake her head no, but he had turned back to start addressing the public. It was either, make a scene to stop him from talking, or let him do it. She held her breath. Ultimately, it was his decision. She squeezed her eyes shut and listened.

"Well...she does. She knows exactly who Iron Man is. She's known him for most of her life, actually. Both she and Mr. Rhodes know who the true identity of Iron Man is, because...well, he's their best friend." He paused, closing his eyes for a second, "The truth is, I am Iron Man."


A few days later, Tony was in his basement on his computer, overseeing the architectural design of a new building for the factory. It was going to be a long process. He watched the News, a woman reporting his latest confession, and showing the clip. He heard his voice ring out over the speakers, "The truth is, I am Iron Man." He rolled his eyes. "Not sure that was the best idea..." He said to himself.

He glance up at the computer, on one of the screens it read, "Memory Low" Tony frowned. He looked through the files and found a mass of security tapes. "Holy cow, I haven't checked any of these since before I left for Afghanistan..." He clicked on the first one and a media player window came up and started playing the video. It was of him and Pepper in the basement talking the day he left.

Tony felt as though his heart was being tied in a knot. He watched himself walk away from Pepper, a sad look dominated her face after he turned. She hadn't wanted him to go. He knew that.

"What did she do that whole time I was gone?" He wondered aloud. He looked through the tapes, finding different days and clicking on them. He saw her collapse to the floor after hearing the news that her best friend had gone missing. He watched her cry, lying there on the floor. He didn't realize it had taken that much of a toll on her, he wished he could reach through the screen and comfort her.

He skipped ahead, watching her pick up the phone every time Rhodey called, and then putting it back in frustration, not getting the answer that she wanted to hear. He skipped even further ahead, watching as Obadiah walked in, with no one to stop him. Tony's eyes widened as Obadiah slowly made his way around the living room, peering down into the basement, he was about to take a step down when he heard something. He was back toward the front door and turned around, making it look as though he had just arrived. Pepper entered and was surprised to see him there. He talked to her for a moment, then left abruptly. Tony watched Obadiah leave, and then glanced at Pepper, who slowly sat down on the couch and then started to cry. What had he said to her? Tony started to feel angry. He should never have trusted Obadiah.

He skipped forward, still feeling upset, when he saw Pepper standing in front of his bedroom door. "What the...?" He watched her open the door and disappear inside. He waited for a good five minutes before he fast-forwarded the video. He played it at regular speed when he saw Pepper emerge, with a frantic look on her face and...a shirt in her hand. His shirt. The one he had worn the day before he left. His mouth hung open in confusion. What did she need his shirt for?

He skipped forward and saw Pepper sitting in the living room with his shirt in her lap. He watched her take it with her when she went to bed. She took it with her where ever she went. Tony felt a warmth blooming in his chest. It was as if that shirt meant that he was with her where ever she was, even though he physically was not there. Tony took a deep breath. He had to talk to her. He turned to go upstairs, but was surprised to see Pepper standing there.

"Oh. Hello." Tony said awkwardly.

"Hey..." Pepper said shyly, blushing a little.

Tony looked her over, she was really starting to look like her old self. Her hands were behind her back, and he could tell she was holding something.

"Do you have something for me?" Tony asked innocently.

Pepper smiled, "I watched what you were watching for the last minute." She said quietly.

"Pepper, I'm sorry, I should have just asked you about what happened while I was gone." Tony felt like he had invaded her privacy in some way.

Pepper shook her head with a smile on her face, "No, it's okay. I don't know if I could have worked up the courage to tell you anyway. It's kind of embarrassing." She shrugged her shoulders and brought her hands out from behind her back, revealing Tony's shirt.

"I'm sorry I took this from your room, I just...I just needed something of yours." She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering all those lonely days.

Tony's heart plunged, he truly loved her. He couldn't imagine the pain she must have been through while he was gone. He stood from his chair and took two large steps before standing right in front of her.

He looked down at her hands, holding the rumpled button-up shirt. He reached over to her and placed his hand on it and looked up at her.

"Would it..." Tony thought for a moment, looking back at Pepper, meeting her eyes with his, and slowly taking the shirt from her hands. "Would it be all right, if you replaced this shirt, with the real thing?" He gave her a genuine smile, much like the one he had given her the day he left for Afghanistan.

Pepper choked back a laugh and a sob all at once, she smiled with tears in her eyes. "Yes. I think I would be up for that." She whispered.

Tony tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaned in closer to her, his heart was beating with the rush of adrenaline.

Tony's and Pepper's lips met, and fireworks went off. Pepper couldn't believe this was finally happening. They shared a blissful moment together before parting, and Tony wrapped her in his arms. "I won't ever leave you again like that. I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

"I know you are, but you didn't really have much control over what happened." She hugged him tighter, remembering how lonely it was when he was missing.

They stood there for a moment, taking it all in.

"I love you, Pepper." Tony whispered.

Pepper felt her breath hitch, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What?" She asked as she pulled away from him.

Tony's eyes went wide, "I guess I didn't realize it until now, but...I've loved you. For such a long time." Tony was almost pleading for Pepper to understand. Did she not like him the same way? "Did I say the wrong thing? Am I being too forward-"

Pepper crashed her lips against his, their second kiss in only five minutes.

Pepper couldn't help but smile, "I've been waiting, so long, to hear you say that to me." Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

Tony laughed a little and hugged Pepper, "So...I'm guessing you love me back, right?..."

"Maybe..." Pepper giggled.

"You're killing me, here. I need an answer." Tony faked being heart broken.

"Let's just say...I've loved you since high school. Does that answer your question?" She looked up at Tony with a huge smile on her face.

"Oh, that definitely answers my question." Tony captured her lips in one last kiss before returning to their busy schedules.


TA DA! It's FINISHED! All done. Fin. Yup. DONE. Hahaha I think I'm going to focus on one-shots for a while now, after doing all those chapters for one story, I'm feeling a one-shot coming on...Reviews would be amazing. Especially since this was the last chapter. Thanks for all the reviews, guys, you're awesome!