Memories Deep Within

Chapter 1

Pepper's phone was ringing off the hook but she was going to leave early. She was supposed to work remote on Wednesday's and Friday's but there were meetings she couldn't avoid so it brought her into the office and Tony was especially disappointed because Wednesday afternoons was one of the times during the week they could have sex without interruptions from the kids since they were in school half a day. And just like clockwork Tony was facetiming her cell.

"Hi honey," she said as she packed up her things.

"What was that thing you asked me to get?" he asked as he grabbed a box of candy out of his son's hands and put it back on the shelf.

"Anthony I thought you were holding the crackers for me?" Tony said as he handed him the box.

Pepper giggled through the phone.

"When is Mommy coming home?" Maria asked.

"Let me see them," Pepper said.

Tony flipped the camera to show Pepper two thirds of their children. The twins were an unexpected surprise for them. They were happy but the timing was terrible. Pepper was two months pregnant when Steve, Natasha and Scott showed up to recruit Tony to go on a mission that nearly ended his life. For the first six months of their life Pepper would nearly burst into tears every time she looked at them because she was so close to having those babies alone and raising them and Morgan by herself. She could still remember the day like it was yesterday.

Stephen Strange knocked on her door and told her about the fourteen million outcomes and how there was only one version that they would win and what it required Tony to do and urged her to join them and see Tony one last time. She immediately went into action mode. She went into the lab and had FRIDAY bring up everything there was to know about extremis. She read and re-read the risks over and over and again, but it was one she was going to have to take. She even asked FRIDAY to walk her through replicating the serum step by step and getting her suit ready for battle.

She arrived at the battle and her heart sank. She fought and fought until it was time. She saw a flash and Tony was blown away somewhere from snapping the gauntlet and she was desperate to locate him. Rhodey and Peter seemed to be saying their goodbyes but she had other plans. At first she wanted to burst into tears at the sight of him with a burned face and arm so badly damaged it was nearly blown off, gripping for life but there was no time to waste. Pepper crouched down and opened the compartment in her suit for the vile of Extremis. She lifted Tony's head up gently and injected him in the back of the head just as FRIDAY instructed her. She had to be sure it was injected into the cervical nerves so it could pass through the bloodstream and permeate the nervous system. It works by locating the body's recovery system and taking control of the brain stem in that region to overwrite the injuries and heal them. She knew it was going to be a bumpy ride from here and she asked Stephen Strange to portal her and Tony back to her house.

The next phase was the liquid carrier of the genetic code in his body being expelled along with large amounts of blood leaving him extremely pale and sick looking. Then comes the prolonged sleep. The prolonged sleep was no definite amount of time but it's usually longer the more severe the injuries. Then the most important part of the healing. He needed continuous care and intravenous nutrition every hour. Then the damaged skin would scab up and blood would leak out and the blood would dry and form a cocoon around the body for protection. For Tony the sleep lasted six months and he missed the birth of the twins by a few weeks. The cocoon began to crack and Tony reemerged good as new. He was strong and healthy and didn't have a mark on him. He opened his eyes and it took him a few minutes to realize what happened. Pepper was relieved and she grabbed for him and kissed him and hugged him to be sure it was real and then she got angry.