Warning! Character death!

Now that that's out of the way...

I don't own anything except this depressing idea. I really am horrible. Sorry.

Still

As soon as she sees his lean figure, coursing through the night sky, she knows something is wrong. His flight pattern is irregular, unstable. She hurries down the stairs to the basement, her strawberry blond hair flying out behind her.

By the time she reaches the basement, he is already there, collapsed on the floor, helmet removed. There is blood matted in his beautiful dark brown hair. Pepper rushes to his fallen figure, shakes him gently. "Tony, you need to get up so I can get you out of the suit."

He doesn't respond, so Pepper tries to move him, but is stopped by the heaviness of the metal suit. Tony groans at the slight movement. His suit is barely holding itself together, the metal now just a ruined collection of scraps. Pepper feels the rugged metal with her fingertips, and Tony whimpers in pain.

She knows that she has to get him out of the suit, and fast. She tries again to get him to roll over, and this time, she succeeds. But as she flips him over, her eyes are immediately drawn to his chest.

The arc reactor is flickering dangerously, its blue light barely visible. Tony's eyes are closed, his forehead scrunched up in distress. It is then that Pepper realizes that Tony isn't just a little hurt.

She does a more thorough examination of his wounds, and what she finds is not assuring. His leg, although encased in the metal of the suit, is turned an abnormal way. Pepper gently runs her fingers through his hair, feeling for the source of the blood loss. She finds it: a slight, unnatural indentation in his skull. There are gashes cut deep into his skin, bleeding profusely. She tries to staunch some of the bleeding, but it is in vain. She watches in horror as Tony's skin pales and his breathing becomes labored.

All of it, everything they have been through together, comes down to this. As she watches the light of the arc reactor grow dimmer and begin to flicker, she knows he doesn't have much time left. And there isn't anything she can do about it.

She doesn't know what she will do without him. She has changed because of him, built her life around his. A life without him doesn't seem worth living. He is the one who brightens up her day. He is the one who often brings her flowers for absolutely no reason, the one who looks for an excuse to stay home from work just to simply be with her.

"Pepper," Tony calls, his deep eyes open but not seeing. "Pepper?"

She is at his side. "Yes, Tony?" She is fighting against the sobs that threaten to consume her. Pepper reaches for his still-armored hand, raising it to rest on her cheek. Tony's thumb weakly strokes the skin of her face.

He sighs. "I love you."

And with his words, her heart is ripped from her chest to die on the ground beside him. She hasn't felt like this since her father died, and the crushing grief fills her, paralyzing her in its wake. The man she loves, his many flaws included, lies before her, helpless in the fate that awaits him. The tears spill over her eyelids, dampening his hand, but he doesn't notice. "I love you too, Tony."

Tony smiles contentedly, closing his eyes. The light of the arc reactor in his chest fades until it is no longer visible. His hand drops heavily back to the hard ground.

And then he is still.

Yes, I did it! I killed Tony Stark! I'm horrible. I can't believe I actually wrote this... I never thought I would write something so angsty, but there it is.

Sorry there's no happy ending, but don't worry, there are some happier additions coming up!