A/N: So, I've had this written for a while, but I kept holding back because I couldn't find inspiration to write from Pepper's POV here. I mean, I know it's obvious stuff, like she's scared of him dying and all that, but somehow I remain uninspired. So this last IM1 instalment is just Tony.

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The Girl

Well, if one were to want to analyse the situation, he supposed Obadiah's main mistake had been to threaten Pepper. Main mistake, mind you. Tony had no patience for his former trusted business partner, and if anyone were to ask his opinion, he would happily have listed Obadiah's many errors, from the design of his own "superior" suit right down to the cut of his beard.

But there was no denying (to himself, anyway) that there had been a point where Tony had been more or less beaten. Paralysed and without his arc reactor to prevent his heart from being shredded by angry bits of metal, things had looked decidedly dire. His strength and willpower had faded along with his nervous system and for a few moments, he had simply assumed that this was it.

And he was enraged about it. Furious. His hatred and betrayal at Obadiah's smug face had consumed him and sorely frustrated him. He had no way out. But from the point where the unfortunate bald idiot had chosen to inform Tony that he planned to kill Pepper, something else had exploded inside him: Panic.

Panic was all he needed. It gave him determination. Somehow, he had managed to half-drag his semi-paralysed limbs to the elevator as his heart had begun to fail. White from his slowly decreasing circulation, from the crushing pain in his chest, from the quivering nausea that told him he was about to die, he had focussed as entirely as possible on gathering the last stores of his energy to the task at hand. And, against all odds, his jelly-like body had managed it.

Yeah, biggest mistake by far.

You don't threaten the girl.

Which, you know, kind of pointed out to him that Pepper was the girl. Okay, so that didn't sound all that romantic or anything, so maybe to put it another way, it made him realise exactly how much he cared for her. Made him realise that he cared for her more than for himself. Made him realise that maybe this love thing inside his heart was stronger than he thought.

Not that this immediately translated into the need for a relationship. It more evolved into a kind of confused impulsivity whenever he was around her. Made him stare more, think more, say more. She didn't take him seriously, though. He wasn't sure if that was a relief or a disappointment, but it didn't matter.

The point was that he had never had a girl. Just one girl, that is. Now he did, whether it was official or not. He had just come to realise that, of everyone and everything out there in the world, she was the important one. She stood out.

She was his girl.

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A/N: Okay, so I am writing something on IM2, but it's going to be in a somewhat different format that doesn't quite fit in for this story. So I'll just publish it separately as a sort of sequel or something. So thanks to everyone for reading this, and a special thanks to my reviewers, I really appreciate it