FrostIron Short Stories

97 Feet Below: Welcome Back

"Tony...... Tony. You need to wake up." Called a sweet voice. But he didn't move. "I know you can hear me, I learned that trick from you." It said. So Tony looked in the direction it was coming from.

Pepper stood there, a smile on her familiar face in the tiny house they had shared. Standing by the doorway. "You need to get up."

"But I just woke up."

"No Tony. You just died."

"Nah."

"Yes, Tony, you did. You're bleeding out still."

"I am not Pepper. Can I get a hug? Maybe a kiss?"

"If you get up yes." She had lost her smile, and he knew something was wrong. He got up and slowly walked to her, hurting for some reason.

"I must have slept wrong. Good morning," As Tony made to wrap his arms around her, they went straight through her body, "alright what just happened? Pepper what the Hell is wrong with you?"

"I died Tony, I'm already gone. I welcomed you into my personal little haven to break this to you."

"Am I dead?"

"No. You're still alive, you have a lot longer on Earth than you credit yourself to have. But, you're hurt. Gravely hurt. In fact you're still bleeding out, you need to wake up and go back to earth."

"I thought I was laying on my back?"

"You were, but still there are smaller cuts, deeper cuts that are bleeding too. Tony, you need to live." Pepper urged, breaking Tony's heart.

"Well I may not have enough blood in my body to do that." Tony said, pleading in his voice, he didn't want to leave her.

"Loki can help." She stated.

"He's gone." Tony argued.

"No. Again, you have to wake up to see something, I know he's returned to your side. I don't think he'll leave it again so quickly." Pepper said with another light smile.

"Then how do I wake up?" Tony asked, defeated.

"Except that I've gone." Blunt. Always blunt or out of focus with her.

"So move on from my first love, the first woman I ever loved, the only one I ever will love."

"You have another person, a more perfect one for you. Tony, I was never meant for you, I died because I was an obstacle for you. Loki is someone who will, in time, be a jewel to people. Let yourself move on, and let him do what he can to save you?"

"I can." His voice cracked.

"Then are you fine with the fact I'm gone?"

"Yes, I'm over it."

"Then one day, you'll see me again. But not anytime soon."

"OK."

"And you won't remember this, besides that you're over it."

"OK." From there, the soft smiling face melted into one of shock, disgust, and horror. Loki again replaced Pepper, and this time, he was screaming with tears in his eyes too.