Dented Iron (Hiatus)

Home

Home... what was that concept? To Alex she had gone her whole life believing home was just where Jarvis was, where her bots and Lab was. But in the past few years home was with Pepper. Even though they hadn't lived together until more recently, the house felt so much more like she remembered home being when her mother was alive.

But staring at the rubble that used to be her Malibu Mansion, Alex questioned it all. Nothing but scraps were left. Dum-E and U, gone, everything gone.

'honey I love you'

'I don't have anyone else but you'

'it's you, it's always been you'

'You look fantastic, I almost did recognize you'

'in whatever way you wish Ms. Potts'

Alex's hand flitted to her arc reactor, the thought of taking it out and never putting it back in had crossed her mind so often. But she never had the courage to do so, the same fear of death was there. Sure, flying a nuke through a wormhole...

Alex shuddered.

That was all adrenaline and desperation. At that moment her death seemed acceptable, all those people safe, Pepper safe...

"What do I do now?" she muttered quietly looking at the rubble.

"First, you go and prove to the world that you are still here," Rhodey's voice filtered through the air. Alex didn't turn but she could hear him and another set of feet, Happy maybe, get closer "and you go to the funeral."

Alex glanced up at the ocean, her fear of the water seemed so tiny in comparison to the emotions she was feeling. "then you go to therapy. You need to take care of yourself. We're not going anywhere"

"I failed... how can I keep going when it feels like my heart's been ripped to shreds?"

"Pepper would want you to be safe and happy. And I know you were happiest when you got to help people." Happy said kneeling beside the girl who he came to see as more than a best friend but a sister.

Rhodey continued "Because of you the President and all of his crew on Air Force one is saved. Because of you the Mandarin is done, the terror he inflicted across the world is gone, the people are safe."

"Pe-"

"You're right. Sometimes no matter what we do it's not good enough. Okay, but Alexandra Stark has never been a quitter. No matter how low she gets, she proves them wrong, and she saves people. Are you going to give up or do something better?"

Alex's mind raced. It was a long road, but she had to do something. She couldn't drink her life away, she owed it to all those people she failed. To all the people the Mandarin killed or injured, to all the people killed or injured in New York, to Yinsen, to Pepper...

Alex stood up and brushed her dress off, a fierce determination crossed her face. Alexandra Stark wasn't done yet. The funeral was held in one of the most beautiful places possible, Alex spared ne expense.

Happy, Rhodey and Alex would be out of place, their injuries not quite healed completely though none of them cared. Alex had been to a funeral like this once before, for her parents, but unlike back then when she couldn't muster up any tears, Alex walked down the aisle, with Happy and Rhodey, carrying the casket, all three with tear stains down their faces. Alex didn't care that the media was here, that they were filming her every reaction.

The three of them remained a united front. The funeral was packed, Bambi (Pepper's assistant), so many SI employees that Alex couldn't name but had seen before, reporters who were always at the conferences, Ross, even the President was sitting front row. If that wasn't enough in the back was camera's all recording the entire event. 

In the very back, Alex caught sight of a head of red hair. She was here now. But where was the super-secret organization when the President was at risk, when their own country was at risk. Alex shouldn't have had to do it alone, she and Rhodey shouldn't have had to do this. 

Maybe if they had help Pepper would be alive, they wouldn't be having a funeral. 

When it was time for someone to speak, many people said something about Pepper. Bambi, Rhodey, Happy... but when it was Alex's turn, not just as her girlfriend but as her boss and best friend... Alex couldn't, she stood at the podium and... she couldn't say anything.

Her throat constricted and she could feel her eyes well up... so instead of speaking she held the ring box in her hands tight and turned to the casket, setting it on top for the world to see.