Title: Light Within

Author: Shannon – shannyfish

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the "Iron Man" movies, any other Marvel movie, or its characters; Marvel and other people do. This is merely for entertainment purposes only.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: An unknown foe has managed to grab Tony Stark's attention, enough so that he calls on the Avengers for help. With the one person that he loves most in the world in jeopardy, Tony must surrender himself…and in turn be rescued himself. Tony Stark/Pepper Potts

Warning: The POV will shift. Spoilers for all Marvel movies up to and including "The Avengers". Also, using creative license with a character from the Iron Man comics and Iron Man Armored Adventures Cartoon.

Author's Note: Constructive criticism is appreciated!

. . .

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

. . .

It was as if I could feel my soul leaving my body. It wasn't what I'd imagined. The world seemed to brighten almost intensely. All of the colors just glowed. Tony's worried eyes looking down at me even seemed to glow…almost a golden color instead of their normal chocolate brown.

I hadn't imagined that it would hurt like this…

The world around flashed by. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Mouths were moving, but there was no noise. A light flashed into her vision, filling it with bright white before she found herself being hauled away.

Why couldn't I hear anything?

Cold set in and the world felt heavy. Things hadn't gone as planned. The colors had become dull and grey…and the edges were starting to darken. She tried to push the thoughts of what had happened before to the surface. What had gone wrong?

I'm dying…

The realization was sudden and saddening. Tears flooded her vision now and she tried to blink them out, but they just pooled in place.

She was supposed to save them…

. . .

Fifteen Days Earlier…

Her laughter filled the room like music. "I already told you what I thought about it," Pepper told him. The day had been long, but he appreciated how she seemed to be able to hold it together, for both of them. She was what kept him from becoming a wreck.

"I'm lucky, you know," Tony told her with a smile. She was perched on the edge of his workshop desk as he worked; occasionally she'd point out something he'd messed up on…politely, of course.

"Oh, I know," Pepper told him with a grin.

Tony looked up at her. "You know, we really deserve a vacation. The world's been saved enough… I'll call up SHIELD and tell them that Cap'n can be on call…"

"Just like that?"

"I think you're just trying to get out of it."

"No," she countered quickly.

"You, Pepper Potts, are a workaholic."

"One of us had to be all these years…"

"I worked!" Tony argued quickly. "I designed weapons for a while. I built the Mark I in a cave in the Middle East—"

"So what—"

"So what? So what?!" Tony fumed.

Pepper giggled. "Do you want to be called MacGyver or something?"

Tony just stared at her for a moment. He couldn't stay angry or irritated with her for long. "Say you'll come away with me…"

"Just you and me?"

"Absolutely," Tony answered. "Just us."

Pepper beamed. "I have to admit. That would be nice. Just us, though? You promise? I mean it, just us…Tony and Pepper…no Iron Man…"

Tony sighed. "But he'll be so lonely here without us…"

Grinning, she poked at his chest. "JARVIS will keep him company…"

"JARVIS can't come?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep her smile off her face. "How about we leave Happy behind to babysit?" she suggested.

"We're not bringing Happy either?" Tony teased and then pretended to be overly dramatic about it. "But who will feed him? Walk him? Tell him where to drive? He'll sit in the cars and just wait for instructions! He'll be lost without us!"

"Possibly…" Pepper said as she got down from her perch. "But it'll be good for all of us…" She turned him in his chair and took a seat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She stared into his face and couldn't believe that this was where they were. She knew that if someone had told her five years ago that she'd be sitting in Tony Stark's lap and about to go on vacation with him as his significant other rather than his secretary cleaning up after his one night stands that she would not have believed it. But here they were. "Where do you want to go?"

"A beach? Middle of nowhere? Snow? Cabin in the woods?"

Pepper pondered the options for a moment. "Somewhere secluded."

"Secluded?" Tony repeated and smiled wider. "I like the sound of that," he said before leaning in to kiss her.

The kiss deepened between them and Pepper had to force herself to pull away from it. They weren't going to be able to do any of this if Tony didn't finish working on what he was doing. "You think about it…"

"But the trip is for you," Tony argued.

Pepper got up from his lap and turned to him. "I'm pretty sure the trip is more for you."

"Okay, let's be truthful…it's for us."

She smiled. "You still have to get your work done before we can leave for wherever we're going to go."

"You know sometimes work can wait," he told her.

Pepper shook her head. "Not this… You promised Director Fury that you'd finish it..."

"No," Tony said and then corrected her. "You promised him that."

She just smiled sweetly. "Someone's gotta keep you on task." He made a face at her and she just smiled all the more. "Plus, I've given you incentives…"

"This…is…true," Tony said as he stared at her. Silence passed between them for a moment before he spoke up again. "Geneva… Let's go to Geneva…"

"Not one of your usual picks," she said. Pepper smiled a little brighter. "Okay… Geneva… I'll make the reservations."

"No, let me make the arrangements," he said quickly.

"Are you sure you're not using this as just another distraction?"

Tony shook his head and spoke sincerely. "Not this time. This trip is for relaxation… I just…let me do it this time… You've always had to make all the trip arrangements before…"

"Which probably has been for the best," she said. "But…okay… You make the reservations, but let me know if you need any help."

"I will," he said. "I promise."

Geneva, she thought as she turned and headed away from Tony. She needed to go as far away as she could in the house. She couldn't be a distraction if they really were going to go on this trip. Pepper really hoped they'd make it that far. There were museums that she'd love to explore, though she knew that they'd do other things as well… It would be refreshing, though.

. . .

"You're sure we have clearance to go?" Pepper asked for about the fiftieth time. She wouldn't be surprised if Tony had tried to get out of the SHIELD project, but she was sure that Director Fury wouldn't have allowed that to happen. They'd had a good amount of involvement with SHIELD since New York…she didn't think Tony was happy with it, but at least SHIELD and Fury hadn't seemed upset with her assistance in any of it. Maybe it was because Coulson had mentioned her…or maybe it was just because they knew that they needed her help in order to get Tony to do most of the things they wanted done.

"Do I need to call up Fury and have him give you the magic password so that we may depart?" Tony asked sarcastically. "We don't want to miss our plane, do we?"

Pepper eyed him. "It's your jet. I thought it leaves on your time?"

"It does… I just was trying to figure out if you were paying attention."

She noticed that he was staring and she suddenly became self conscious. She checked herself over quickly and then turned her gaze back to him. "What?"

"What?"

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Like what?" Tony asked as he took a step towards her.

Pepper tilted her head a bit. He still had the look. "Like that."

"Like, I'm looking at the most beautiful woman on Earth?" Tony asked.

She could feel heat in her cheeks from blushing. "I didn't know that was the look…" she admitted and ducked her head down.

He lifted her head back up with his finger under her chin. Their eyes locked and time passed around them slowly. "You, Pepper Potts, are the most beautiful, patient, kind, intelligent woman that I know…inside and out…and so much more."

It still caught her off guard when he said things like that. They'd been dating for some time now, but sometimes…he got really intense. He'd been more and more like that since New York and she'd tried to talk to him about it, but their conversation never got that far. "You know we really need to at least get to the jet," she finally said in a whisper. At this rate, they wouldn't be leaving…

"I love you," he added a moment later.

"I love you too," she told him. Pepper stared at him, her hand coming up to cup his cheek as she stared into his eyes. She wasn't sure of what all had happened in New York, but maybe he just saw life as shorter than how he used to view things. Either way, this still scared her and took her aback.

"Let's just run away and get married."

She had heard it, but her brain was having a really hard processing his proposal. He was dead serious too. "Elope?" she finally got out. It wasn't that she was against it, it just was so sudden and she really had hoped to know more about New York. She didn't want him to decide that he wasn't ready for their relationship to take such a big step in a few months.

"I know this isn't a romantic proposal…" Tony said after a moment. He grabbed her hands and held them in his. "I don't have a ring… You can have any ring in this world that you want, Pepper… Just say yes," he pleaded.

"Tony—"

"Say yes, Pepper," Tony pleaded. "I don't want to be alone anymore. I've seen how truly short life can be…and how lonely it can be…and I don't want that… Not anymore."

Pepper watched him for a moment before responding. "I've been here all along, Tony… And I'm not leaving now…" She could see it in his eyes that he wanted an answer. Pepper just couldn't bring herself to say 'yes', not just like that. Not after everything. "I'm not saying 'no'…I just want to think about it for a day or two… We're going to be in Geneva for at least a week, right?" Tony nodded and Pepper could see his eyes darken a bit more. He turned away and she felt so horrible inside. "Tony—" she whispered.

"Happy's waiting," he said as he picked up his suitcase and then picked up hers as well.

She bowed her head for a moment and pulled in a deep breath. This was going to be a long ride if this was how Tony was going to be the whole time. Pepper just hoped that maybe the two of them could talk. If Happy was staying behind, then maybe just the two of them would have the ride to themselves and really get to speak to each other. Pepper just tried to breathe as she headed out of the house and towards where the car was parked.

. . .

TBC…