Disclaimer: Not mine. Not mine. Not mine.

Notes: I apologize for the delay. Puppy got sick, I got a small promotion at work, have been swamped lately. But here you go! Enjoy this little update! Sorry for any mistakes.

When Into the Final Battle

So Ultron wanted to end them.

He was damned if he was going to let that happen.

With a determination never before seen on him, Tony marched straight into his quarters and began to prepare himself for battle.

Not too long ago he told Steve they were not soldiers, and he still believed that to be true. But now he knew better than to think that with everything they had help create, with the team they had built, with the resources and skills they all possessed, they could sit idly and let these issues resolve themselves.

They might have been haphazardly thrown together to mix in a pot, but Tony understood why. Because they could fight back for the people who inhabited this world. For those who could not stand up for themselves against all of the monsters they were sure to face.

Much like the people of Sokovia.

Much like his friends.

Much like Pepper.

Pepper.

For a few minutes he toyed with the idea of letting her be and simply ready the suit, but eventually his heart won out the argument it had with his brain.

"Friday send Pepper a message, please." He spoke out loud as he made his way around his workspace tinkering with the essentials.

"Certainly. What would you like for it to read?" His new AI responded.

"Just let her know we are up and running and I will call her from the suit when I get a chance." He saw the team move towards the landing out of the corner of his eye, and nodded to himself.

"Message has been sent, boss."

With one final check of the suit he commanded for it to follow him as he jogged out to join the team.

Tony knew the peace and quiet would be short-lived, but he secretly hoped it would be another while before he had to suit up and go toe to toe with his creation..

Piece by piece the armor assembled around him and he grinned at the familiar feeling. "Friday you there?" He voiced as he looked through the HUD at his surroundings.

"For you sir, always." The AI replied, and Tony could not help but smile at the memory of Jarvis.

"Great, dial Ms. Potts."

Steadily he climbed altitude before he headed off in the general direction of where the fight was surely taking place.

"Tony?" A smile graced his face as Pepper's voice filled his helmet.

"Hey baby." He was not entirely sure where or how to begin. Truth was, he was nervous, and he knew her voice would help keep him centered and grounded.

"Everything alright, Tony?" The concern in her voice rang loud and clear in his ears.

"Yeah, listen, in case…um…everything will be signed over to you. I just wanted to tell you so you won't be surprised when Happy starts coming to you for a raise." Ever the joker he tried to keep the conversation light-hearted despite its seriousness.

He heard her sigh heavily into her phone. "What are you doing, Tony?" She questioned.

"Currently?" He joked. "I'm flying."

"Cut it out. What's going on." He did not miss the change in her tone.

"Ultron is waiting for us in Sokovia. The team's already on their way. I'm headed over. We're going to finish what I started." Even though he had wanted to make another joke, he refrained from doing so, to let her know how serious he was about all of it.

"And you called to say goodbye?" Her quivering voice pierced his heart like a pair of darts at a board. Much like the one he had been toying with at Barton's place.

"I called because last time I didn't get to say goodbye." He placed special emphasis on those words, but they both knew what he was referring to. He cleared his throat. "But I still have no intention of dying. I have a social security number to memorize remember." He smiled sadly and allowed the silence to be their invisible cable of communion. "I love you, Pepper. When this is all over…when I come get you, I think we should sit down and have a long talk."

"About what?" Pepper sniffled audibly.

Breaking his gaze at the blurring scenery below, he looked up to her contact photo with new hope. "The future."

It was hard to miss the small half chuckle half sniffle that emanated from her end of the exchange. "I'm holding you to that, Tony." She cleared her own throat. "I just have one request."

"Name it, gorgeous." He smiled.

"Please try to curb any urges to carry nukes into outer space."

Tony nodded as if she could see him. "You go it." He had no intention of doing that again. Those last few moments of strangled breathing, as he looked regretfully at her fading call, had been enough torture for an entire lifetime. One he would gladly stay away from, at least until it was unavoidable. Maybe not even then, until he had her blessing, and the chance to listen to her voice one last time.

"You have my word, Pep. No nukes." He shook his head as he received an alert on his heads up display.

"What was that?" Pepper questioned.

"Friday I can take over from here. Turn the autopilot off." He commanded as he looked back up to Pepper's contact photo. "I just picked up Ultron, Pep. He's locked on to my coordinates. I have to go. Don't want to risk him finding you."

"How does he not have control of your suit?" Pepper questioned worriedly.

"Firewall." He grinned. "Took it back to high school. He won't be able to control Friday without exposing his own framework. I could take him out with the press of a key if he chose to go that route."

Silence took over the moment.

"I love you, Tony."

He nodded yet again as if his redhead could see him. "I'll see you soon, Pep."

The same feeling that always drowned him after he ended calls with her took over. A mixture of relief at having heard her voice, and a tug in his heart from accepting the possibility that that could have been the very last time he heard her voice."

Tony shook off the emotions and prepared himself for the landing as he spotted the red-lit outline of his creation.

It was time.

'Social security number...don't die.' Were the last words that swam around in his mind before chaos reared it's ugly face.

Hope you all enjoyed this small could-have-been-awesome-scene-had-Marvel-and-Joss-used-their-brains! No disrespect to them of course, but we all know they're idiots by now. Love ya, Joss. ;-) Anyway, will Pepper and Tony be reunited? I guess we will find out soon!