Since the start of their relationship, Tony had always assumed the he would be the one to die first. Flying around the world shooting at people, and getting shot at, it was in the job description. Add that to his reckless nature, and he was certain that one day his metal suit would become his coffin. Meanwhile, Pepper sat in her office, running the company. The biggest danger for her was getting a paper cut.

But now, standing over her hospital bed, their positions seemed reversed. He still couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. It should have been him.

But who could have seen a car crash coming?

Four days ago, Tony should have gone to Washington DC to speak at some conference thing that he couldn't be bothered to even remember what it was about. Instead, he'd zoomed off to the other side of the world to do something worthwhile, like saving people's lives. But he'd saved the wrong ones.

So Pepper had turned up at the conference without him. And on her way back, her car had been hit by some idiot in a lorry. Her car, that Tony should have been in too. That way, at least, they would have been together. But no. He stood next to her, as her internal organs shut down one by one. And she wasn't even awake for him to say goodbye.