Iron Heart

His tears and her lullaby

A faint drumming echoed in my ears. What is this place? What am I doing here? Who am I? The answers were lost the void of the darkness. The steady drum beat became a repeating lullaby. Soothing her to sleep. Again and again.

She was asleep laying in the empty tenebrosity. The sweet lullaby repeating, though the chorus was strange. Something was different. What was different? Suddenly the drumming shifted into a high pitched shriek. With every wail the song became louder and louder. The girl curled into herself. "Stop!" She begged. "STOP!"

Pepper's eyes flew open with a sharp gasp. Nothing but vacant, white, walls surrounding her. The information She had been asking came rushing back into her mind. Her name, Mira, Tony, the dance.

The dance.

Her muscles tensed. The flames burned inside her conscious. The screams echoed in her ears. Was that the sound replaying? The screams of the others who had fallen victim to the attack?

Pepper knew She had to get out, but how? Pepper's breathing quickend to a steady pant as panic seized her lungs. the screams were closer together now. She went to put her hands over her ears. Pepper just wanted to block out the sound. But She couldn't move. Something warm and rough encircled her small wrists. Flesh.

Brown eyes met blue and all the screams stopped. Pepper was almost positive she had lost all ability to breath.

"Tony?" She breathed. His lips lifted into that famous trouble maker smirk, "Hey Pep." His tone was sarcastic and upbeat but his eyes were hollow and tired. "Tony what-what happened? Where am-?" Pepper started moving into a sitting position. She gasped as her head blurred with visions of multiple Tony's and nausea settled in the pit of her stomach.

"Woah, woah pep take it easy okay? Just lay down." Tony quickly responded laying her softly back down.

"My head" Pepper groaned. "Well you hit it pretty hard." Pepper glanced around recognizing the bland walls as those of a hospital. The screams were just the sound of her heart beat being traced on a monitor. "The fire?" "The fire."

Pepper winced as another throb came to her head. "I was so worried. I was trying to find you. I thought-" Tony cut her off by grabbing her delicate sallow hand, "I know." He smiled.

"I was standing by the punch bowl talking to Rodney when we heard the screams. Once the flames were visible, I panicked. I was screaming- looking every direction for a flash of you're strawberry hair. I was trying to push through the crowd. But they were like animals, I couldn't get through. By the time I found you, you were knocked out on the ground. I picked you up and ran you to the paramedics. You had me scared to death." He finished. Pepper blushed recalling the events from the previous night. If tony knew, he'd never forgive himself. He'd never stay with me. Pepper dropped her head in guilt. A finger rested below her chin and lifted it back up. "Hey." Tony asked his brows furrowing, "You okay?"

Pepper nodded with a small smile. Tony studied her with a distressed expression.

"Pepper, what happened?" Pepper coughed once in surprise. Before regaining composure and turning to face tony. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"I mean- how did you end up on the floor last night. Did someone...did someone attack you." His eyes were worried, anticipating her response.

She was a terrible person. They weren't even officially in a relationship yet and already she was lying to him. It made her even more sick. It's the only way he'll stay with me.

"No. no it wasn't anything like that. I saw the fire and was running away from it. Well everyone was pushing and I didn't see the speakers cord and the next thing I knew I was falling towards the ground. And I guess I just fell wrong." Pepper said it with such urgency, she almost believed herself.