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The One Thing
Feb. 12th, 2023 01:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
innitmarvelous_og"No! Honey, no! No! Don't do it! Don't do it!"
At hearing the plea, Rhodey throws back the blanket and rushes down the hallway, hoping that this time he would prevent—
He bites back the curse when he sees the little form huddled by the shut door, clutching her favorite stuffed dog in her arms. Her eyes are gleaming with tears in her eyes when her little head turns up in his direction, and her bottom lip is trembling.
"Uncle Rhodey, I...I..." The little girl breaks down, unable to get out any other words.
Rhodey kneels beside Morgan, and wraps his arms around her. "Shh, sweetheart, I'm going to help. I know you want to help too, but I've got it." He picks her up, and points her towards her bedroom. "You go back to bed. I'll take care of this." He watches as Morgan goes back to her room, and the little girl shuts the door behind her.
Once she's safely back in her room, Rhodey goes back to the bedroom door, and not hesitating he turns the doorknob. He doesn't announce himself in any way, neither does he seek permission to enter, he just enters the room.
Tony is still asleep, and therefore still in the clutches of his nightmare. He is jerking, flopping, and moving all over the bed he once shared with the woman whose death he can't escape even in his dreams.
Rhodey approaches the bed, does what he knows is the best way to awaken Tony when he's caught in a nightmare. He touches Tony's shoulder, and keeps his distance as much as possible since on the first night he had to do this, Tony socked had him in his sleep. He wasn't hurt too bad in that instance, but Rhodey honestly preferred to avoid sporting another shiner for a couple of weeks!
"Tony! Tony! Wake up! Come on, man, wake up!" he says, shaking the other man's shoulder.
Eventually Tony's eyes opened, he looks at Rhodey, and he states more than he asks. "I did it again."
Rhodey nods as there's no denying it.
"Sorry," Tony mumbles, sitting up. "I can't stop dreaming about her or when she..."
"I know, Tones," he says, laying a hand on Tony's shoulder. "It's only been a month. You've got to give yourself time to—"
"Get over it?! Is that what you were going to say? Hmm? Because if that's what you were about to say to me, then I'd really like for you to explain to me how I'm supposed to do that when my life is gone and she's not ever coming back!"
Rhodey didn't miss the fact he said life and not wife, and it'd been the truth since that day.
One month ago, to the very day this morning, they had all been on the destroyed grounds of the Avengers compound fighting Thanos once more. A Thanos who, as it turned out, to be from 2014. But that fact had not made him any less dangerous or less determined to remake the universe in his own image. They had all been struggling to keep the Infinity Stones out of his hands when Pepper had been the final one holding the gauntlet when the mad Titan believed he had won.
He believed he had the Stones in his possession, and had even snapped his fingers. But they were actually with Pepper as she was the closest to him, and Tony had programmed the nanites in the gauntlet to respond to her as though her suit were Tony's own.
"I am inevitable!" Thanos had gloated before he had snapped.
When nothing happened as he'd expected, he had looked over where Pepper was, holding up the Stones for him to see. She had said nothing in reply to him, just gave him a look that alone should have killed him, and she snapped her fingers.
It's symbolic that when he lands, Tony is momentarily brought to one knee — for Tony will be brought to his knees for the rest of his life by what's about to happen. He quickly is on his feet, and he rushes over to where Pepper is half sitting, half laying up again some rubble. As he approaches her, he wants to yell from the agony that engulfs him when he sees half of her beautiful face is burned beyond recognition.
No, please no!
He kneels down beside her, and places a hand on her chest. "FRIDAY, vitals!"
Pepper stirs, and looks at him, smiling as much as possible as the AI responds, "Life signs are critical."
Tony starts to speak to her when he realizes some of the others are not behind them. He looks around, not really seeing that Thor or Cap are there, keeping their distance. He doesn't even see Rhodey has arrived or even Peter because there's only one person he's looking for.
"Strange!" Tony calls out when he sees the sorcerer. "Thank God! She's dying! You've gotta help her!"
Strange gives a head shake, and tells Tony quietly, "I'm sorry, Tony, but there's nothing that I can do for her now."
"But you've got to! She's not supposed to die! I'm the one who's supposed to die! Please! Please, Strange, you've GOT to HELP her!"
Rhodey doesn't know WHO the oddly dressed man is or what he can do to help Pepper, and he does not care. All he cares about is what he can do to help Tony get through the next few minutes without adding more regrets than the ones he is already going to have.
He puts his hand on his friend's shoulder, and says in a firm voice, "He can't help her, Tony."
Tony's head turns towards him, "Yes, he can! You weren't there on Titan! You didn't see what he could do with all his hocus pocus! He can save her! I know he can!" he looks over at Strange. "Show him, Strange! Show him what I'm talking about!"
Strange didn't say anything or move.
"Show him!" Tony insisted, taking a step towards the sorcerer.
Rhodey grabs his arm, and stops him.
Tony tries to jerk his arm away from him. "Let me go!"
"Tony! He can't help her, and you are wasting the precious little time Pepper has left trying to make him! Time need to be spending with her!"
It's like a light goes off in Tony's head, and he realizes that Rhodey is right. He immediately tugs on his arm again, and since this time it's clear that he wants to go to Pepper, Rhodey releases his hold.
"T-Tony..." Pepper whispers as he kneels by her.
Tony takes her hand into his own, cursing the metal encasing it. "I'm here, Pep. I'm right here."
It's obvious Pepper's having a hard time focusing her eyes, or perhaps his gone blind as she does not look at him. But she smiles for him, as much as she can. "Glad."
"Oh Honey, why did you do it?"
"L-L-Love y-y-y-you."
"You did it because you love me?"
"Yeah."
"Oh Pep..." Tony says, and stops there.
It's obvious Tony is trying not to break down sobbing as his breath hitches several times.
"Ro...ro... dee?"
Rhodey hears his name, and in an instant he's on her other side of her. "I'm here, Pepper."
"T-take c-care o... ny and M-M-Mo?"
It is Rhodey's turn to fight back tears, and he nods. "I will. I promise you, Pepper. I'll take care of them both."
She smiles again. "Goo... hey... be... kay."
"Yeah, they'll be okay. I'll make sure."
Her head turns in Tony's direction again. "T-Toe... l-l-l-love you... m-much."
Tears are running down his face as Tony replies, "I love you too, Pepper. More than you'll ever know. Please stay with me. Please don't go."
"C-can't. Tired. Ssss... tired."
Tony looks at Rhodey, then back to her, "Then go to sleep. I'll be... I'll be right here, Pep."
Pepper doesn't respond to him. Instead, as they watch, her body relaxes, and her blind blank eyes become empty. Tony stares at her, as though he can't believe or accept what he's just seen. But then reality sinks in, and he screams.
It's the most primal sound of agony Rhodey has ever heard, and he's heard more than his fair share on countless battlefields.
"I told Pepper one time that she was the one thing I couldn't live without, Rhodey, and I still can't! I want to die! I want to blow my brains out so I won't have to go another day without her!"
The second he finished speaking, Rhodey's hand found its way across his cheek. In response, Tony gives him a shocked look as his own hand goes up to his cheek.
"What the actual—"
"Don't you ever say something like again, Tony Stark! Pepper died, she died so you can live, and be here for the daughter who thinks the sun raises and sets on you! I know you miss her more than I know or can imagine. But that is no excuses for what you just said and I don't want to ever hear you say those words again!"
Tony looks like he is going to fight back for a second, and then he nods. "Okay."
Rhodey nods too. "Okay."
"Okay."
"Good."
Tony starts to lay down again, then stops. "I woke Morgan up again."
He wishes he could deny it, but Rhodey sighs. "Yeah, you did."
Muttering a curse, Tony places his feet on the floor, and stands up.
"I'm not going to get any more sleep tonight so I am going to go see about Morgan. If she's still away, I'll get back to sleep. If she's sleeping, I am going to sit by her, and remember why I can't lose myself in the pain."
