Well, all, I regret to inform you that this is the final chapter of this fic. (Well, I'm not SO regretful - this fic has been a pain and it's finally done.) But fear not, my muse is still obsessed with Iron Man, and there shall be plenty more fics to come. At the moment, I've started writing for the Pepperony 100 community over on livejournal (yeah, I know, finally hopped on the over-crowded bandwagon). My goal is to write a fic for all 100 themes, so I won't be posting them here on until I either reach my goal or give up. I also hope to find the time for regular fics, to be posted here.

I apologize profusely for the late post. You may blame 4persephone.

So, loyal readers, enjoy your final chapter. :)

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Divergence

Chapter Seven

"Heart"

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She threw herself back into her work, diligently and quickly sorting through Tony's e-mail - which now included messages from Agent Coulson, Obadiah, every individual member of the board of directors, Dr. Phil, Oprah and Larry King - and trying to banish any other thoughts from her troubled mind.

She actually did a good job of it, too, and managed to work through an hour and a half of rather uncomfortable hunger before she couldn't take it anymore. She reluctantly returned to the kitchen, knowing that her momentum was lost and there was virtually no hope of regaining the same unwavering focus she had had all morning. But, she reasoned, she would have lost it anyway if she passed out from hunger, and at least this way she could watch TV while she ate. She was going to have to find out what the world was saying about Tony and Stark Industries sooner or later.

Although once she sat down with her lunch and began flipping between CNN, Fox News, CNBC, and any other channel that was playing anything related to yesterday, she really wished she didn't. It seemed as though much of America shared Rhodey's sentiments. All Pepper heard, over and over and over again was words like "Post-traumatic stress" and "huge mistake," or even "insanity."

And hate it though she did, Pepper couldn't bring herself to turn off the TV when she finished eating and had to return to her work. Although she had expected and anticipated every word she heard, she still found most of it shocking, and half the time she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Everyone was against him completely. It was as if everyone was mad at him for suddenly discovering his conscience, and listening to it and trying to do some good in the world for a change. No one seemed to want that man - all they cared about was getting the old war-mongering Merchant of Death back for the sake of their stocks and "national security" and continued American dominance on the international stage. It was no wonder the old Tony Stark had ever existed - the world wanted him, and they helped create and foster him. And now that he had come to his senses and wanted out of that twisted symbiotic relationship, he was being punished for it.

She flipped over to CNBC just as Mad Money was starting, now totally resigned to the fact that she could neither multitask effectively, nor turn off the TV. So she settled for just watching, and doing work during commercials. Although once Jim Cramer started in on his usual over-the-top rant, she knew there was a fair possibility she'd be too livid during commercials to work even then (the words "Stark Raving Mad" displayed boldly in the background were enough to make her want to punch him). She had already been tempted enough as it was to call in to most of these shows and give them a piece of her mind on the air, but with the way things were going, and with her promise to Tony, she couldn't say enough to do any good. And anyway, the head of PR would kill her - she could handle him, but it still wouldn't do any good. Even though she knew this, when Cramer shattered the Stark Industries coffee mug with the bat (in her mind she could only see him shattering Tony himself) she very seriously contemplated grabbing her phone and -

"Pepper!"

She jumped, thinking she had been caught not working, and quickly turned down the volume.

"Uh," Tony began, almost hesitantly, "how big are your hands?"

"What?"

"How big are your hands?" he repeated, more surely.

What did her hands have to do with anything? "I don't understand, why -"

"Get down here, I need you."

She was grateful for the opportunity to see him again, although she tried to tell herself she just wanted to check up on him. But as she stood to go meet him, she couldn't help but feel a little fear. What if they were right? What if Rhodey and every news commentator she had seen today were right, and this new Tony really was only temporary? What if the Merchant of Death was still there, biding his time until he could emerge again?

She paused at the top of the stairs, forcing herself to take a deep, calming breath. There was no need to jump to conclusions - she knew what she had seen yesterday and last night. She knew Tony. And logically, she knew that her doubts were unreasonable and unfounded, even if that knowledge didn't prevent the thoughts from entering her mind. She would watch him closely when she went downstairs, take careful note of his every word and action, and look below the surface to see what was really there.

To start with, the way he said "Hey" when she came in was soft and vulnerable. She could hear the trust that carried through his voice as he asked to see her hands. Of course, when she got closer to his shirtless form, she had to steel herself and fight down her own fear of what she knew she was about to see. Her plan functionally went out the window when she saw the second arc reactor in his hand, and she couldn't focus on his words and actions enough to determine if he was being genuine or not, if she was seeing the true and permanent Tony Stark.

But a few things he said, and how he said them, were significant enough to break through her fearfully intent focus on the rather large hole in his chest.

When she couldn't bring herself to reach into his chest - why was he asking her to do this? - and insisted she wasn't qualified, he smiled up at her. "You are the most capable, qualified, trustworthy person I have ever met. You're gonna do great." She knew he only said it to give her a confidence boost, and calm her down enough to do what he needed, but it didn't make the words any less genuine. He wasn't bullying or teasing her into doing this, he was trying to help her do it. And when she met his eyes, she could see that he really did trust her completely. The old Tony never would have spoken those words.

And then when he was going into cardiac arrest - and God only knows why she didn't, too - some part of her managed to process the fact that he had put his trust in her to do this, and she had gone and screwed it up. She promised him that she would make everything okay. It wasn't until his heart was beating regularly again that she realized that she was referring to more than the immediate situation - much more.

"Are you okay?" she pleaded, desperate for a confirmation of what the monitors were telling her.

"Yeah, I feel great," he replied, looking up at her casually. "Are you okay?"

Pepper could only stare incredulously at him. And then he was laughing - laughing at her, technically, but she didn't much care, because even through her still-racing heart and fading adrenaline, she knew that it wasn't mocking or pompous, as it would have been three months ago. This was only a genuine, relaxed response to her expression. Part of her brain, though, was still too freaked out to let him get away with it. "Don't ever…" Through a steadying breath, she couldn't help but laugh a little herself. "…ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again!"

He was shaking his head even as she said the words. "I - I don't have anyone but you."

On instinct and years of conditioning, she thought it was a line. But then as she looked into his eyes, she felt her own widen slightly in absolute shock when she saw that he really meant it. She stood there dumbly for several seconds, struggling to wrap her head around what were quite possibly the most startling words she had ever heard come out of his mouth. This honest man in front of her, open and vulnerable and caring, was absolutely the real Tony Stark.

But then she saw a quick flash of fear and uncertainty cross his face, as if he hadn't intended to say the words, and he was suddenly too vulnerable. As he made a face and started plucking the sensors off of his chest, he struggled to retrieve his old mask. He was hiding, running from his own words.

He stood, and she wiped her hands and the original reactor with the towel he had lying nearby. She took it in her hands and turned to him just as he was setting a clear cover over the reactor in his chest. It felt strange, to hold the thing that had been preserving his life in her hands. She wasn't sure if she liked the feeling, or hated it. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"That?" He stared at the device, considering. "Destroy it. Incinerate it."

Pepper was surprised by how much those words hurt her. She stared up at him incredulously. "You don't want to keep it?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

"Pepper, I've been called many things, but nostalgic is not one of them."

What remained of his mask, what he wore now was more obvious than the full one had ever been. She wanted to scream, to tell him to knock it off, something, but instead she hung her head, just a little. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

"That'll be all, Miss Potts." The confidence in those words was not genuine. It was the kind that came along with the mask. So she left him, holding the reactor delicately between her fingers, feeling it's warmth. She didn't focus on his voice as he began talking to Butterfingers, just slowly made her way upstairs.

She wished that damn mask would just go away forever, and let the real Tony thrive. She could protect him from the world and everyone who was against him, the way the mask used to. She could help him learn to be strong without it… if he'd let her.

When she returned to the living room, she sat back down on the ottoman she had been using before. She sighed, turning the reactor in her hands. Some part of her mind was still whispering that Rhodey was right, even though deep down she knew that he wasn't, and she was scared of that. His heart was there, it always had been, buried beneath the surface. She could see it clearly yesterday, last night, and just now in the shop, and she didn't want it to be hidden anymore. She wondered, what if he was scared, too? What if he was afraid to let his heart and his true self show to the world, or even to her?

She sighed, and forced her mind to focus on the fact that this didn't mean that the man that existed now wasn't the real Tony, that she was wrong or that the mask would return. She reminded herself that even before he had been captured - even way back when she had first started working for him - his heart had been there, and she had always been able to see it, even when no one else could. He had a heart, she knew it, and she was holding the proof in her hands. Maybe… maybe he just needed some encouragement. Maybe he just needed to know that it was okay to stay this way, to let his heart show and to listen to it. That she wanted it to show. That she would be there for him, to help him learn to live without the façade, and protect him until he did.

She stared at the reactor a little more closely. He had built this thing to preserve his own life, so that he could come back home and do some good with that life. It kept his heart alive, and she wanted it to stay that way.

She felt a little superstitious for the thought, but a part of her couldn't help but believe that as long as the little device in her hands was intact, his heart would be, too.

Pepper stood slowly, and headed into her office. She opened one of her desk drawers, and pushed a few items aside. Giving the reactor one last, long look, she set it down, and closed the drawer.

Destroy it, she thought with a smile. Yeah right.