Day 10-Tony's Workshop

Rhodey's POV

When Pepper had cried herself out, and had fallen asleep, I covered her with the bedspread. I sat in the chair from Tony's desk, watching her. She looked so tortured… I looked at her more closely as she slept. Her face was not peaceful; I could see the lines of worry and pain etched on her forehead and around her lips.

I was just dozing off when I was jerked awake by Pepper's screams. I sat bolt upright.

"Tony! No, don't leave me! Don't leave me!"

She cried out in her sleep, then started thrashing around on the couch. Afraid she might fall and hurt herself, I shook her shoulder to wake her up.

"Pepper, Pepper….it's okay. I'm here. Wake up, it's just a dream."

She opened her eyes. When before her eyes were dull, they were now bright, fear in their depths. She breathed heavily for a moment, and then started crying. I gathered her in my arms, and she sobbed on my shoulder. When her eyes were dry, for the most part, she sat up and looked at me.

"Rhodey? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Afghanistan helping with the search?"

Her voice was still hoarse, and she only spoke in a whisper. Her eyes glimmered faintly with hope.

"Have- have they made any progress? Have they found-"

Her voice faltered for a moment. She winced slightly, then said,

"Have they found T- Tony?"

The simple name caused her to grasp at her middle, gasping. Her eyes were dull again, but the faint spark still lingered.

I hated to extinguish it, but she would hate me if I lied.

"We have narrowed down the mountains. We're pretty sure we know which one has the right cave in it, but there has been no sign of him yet."

The spark died, and a part of my heart died with it.

"What was your dream about? You were screaming."

She looked away, but answered.

"We are on the beach, just Tony and I. We are having a race. We are teasing each other, laughing, having fun. I pass him. I don't notice it for a second, but he isn't behind me anymore. I look back. He got caught in something, and is getting dragged out to sea. He calls out to me, calling me to come and help him…but I am frozen. I can only look back helpless, as he is pulled out to sea, screaming my name, and gets pulled under the waves. I try to scream, to tell him that he can't leave me; he can't leave me-alone…. But he is gone."

She trembled, crying and clutching her pillow to her, the one she curled up with in her sleep.

"I've had that dream almost every night since I came here."

Pepper's POV

I looked at Rhodey as he stared at me. What had I said, to make him look like that? Like he was about to go and punch someone, then fly to pieces, like I was – well, almost all the time now, since- whimper-Tony - gasp- left. His name caused me to grab at the pillow, the pillow with Tony's scent. I rubbed my face against it, taking deep breaths, inhaling the still lingering scent of sandalwood, vanilla, and leather. Trying to hold off the agony.

He looked at me as I suffered through the pain of remembering…..him.

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I watched impassively as Rhodey paced the workshop, muttering to himself. As I scrutinized him, I noticed that though he was muttering angrily to himself, he had little crinkles around his eyes and forehead. When I looked at his eyes, though they had sparks of anger in them, beneath, were glimmers of pain. He was worried too. His eyes had black rings underneath them. He looked exhausted.

"Rhodey, what happened to you?"

He turned to face me, the anger in his eyes dying. He sighed. He went and sat back down in his chair, and rubbed his eyes.

"I haven't been getting much sleep. The search is coming along, but still- I worry."

"I know how you feel."

He smirked at me.

"You probably feel worse than I do."

"You have no idea."

He smiled sadly at me.

"No, I probably don't."

But he looked determined.

"I promise you Pepper, we will find him. It's just taking some time, that's all. They've hidden him well."

"Now, do you want to go upstairs?"

I looked around the workshop; this is where most of my good memories resided. Where he was most of the time. I would stay down here, remembering. Enduring, until he came back.

"No."

"Pepper, you can't stay down here till he comes back-"

"I said no."

He looked resigned.

"All right. I'll stay down here with you for the night, okay?"

"Okay."

I settled down for the night, pulling Tony's bedcover around me, comforting myself. I drifted to sleep with Tony's fragrance around me and Rhodey as my guardian.

Day 10-Tony's Workshop

I woke up gradually. The first thing I saw was a slip of paper where Rhodey had slept.

Dear Pepper,

I'm sorry I had to leave. They need me back in the Middle East. Unfortunately, what I told you last night was a false lead. We are back to square one. Please don't try to dwell on it too much, please. Tony wouldn't want you to lock yourself away. You're right that I have no idea how you feel, but please just try. For Tony.

Love,

Rhodey

I looked over the letter multiple times. Well he was right that Tony wouldn't want me to lock myself away, but what could I do? Everything reminded me of him, everything! Maybe it's this house. Maybe I should go back to my apartment…the waves of agony threatened to pull me under. I gasped and fell to my knees, crying silently.

No.

Running away from this house wouldn't solve anything. If anything, it would make it worse. My apartment was so empty. No memories to keep the grief at bay, no hint of Tony's scent to comfort me in the night. Just loneliness.

I would do what I planned to do all along. I would Endure and Live. Live so I could see Tony get off the plane, alive. Live so I could tell him I loved him. Live so I could see if he loved me back. But he needed to get home first.

The anguish I had been holding back by the tips of my fingers overwhelmed me again. The act of thinking his name so many times; the pain, it nearly tore me in two. I felt like I was breaking into pieces. I grabbed for my pillow desperately. The scent of Tony did little to help. I sobbed into the pillow loudly. Curling back up in the red bedspread, I looked at Rhodey's letter again through a film of tears. Where are you, where are you; I think I may be dying without you. Why did you leave me alone? Where are you, Tony?

A/N- okay this one was hard to write. Any suggestions? It can involve hallucinations, but no reality, unless it's Rhodey. I have some brilliant ending Chapters written up in my head, it the middle Im running out on. I wanted to cover all 90 days so…yeah. R&R, reviews are love. I need more reviews guys! It motivates me! -K