"Our beloved superhero, iron man...Tony Stark...is dead."

Pepper threw the television remote in anger.

He was mean, Tony was mean, horrid, the baddest of them all.

Pepper kicked an empty can across the road. It hit a man, who turned to curse but one look at Pepper's face and he promptly went away.

Pepper was livid. So was Rhodey.

"I mean, we lag behind him, miss classes for him, and then he pulls up this shit-"

"He doesn't need us Rhodey." Pepper said bitterly. The trio had a huge fight, and Tony had blown up. Ages of anger came spewing up. They say anger reveals the truth.

Pepper wouldn't talk to him. No sire.

Her phone rang. Tony.

She picked up after seven rings.

"Don't you dare!" She screamed into the phone. Rhodey watched, arms crossed.

"Pep, tell Rhodey- AHHHHH!"

Pepper's face fell.

"-That I need help! Get to the armoury!" He sounded out of breath.

"You said you didn't need us, didn't you?"

With that, she cut the call.

"What did he say?"

"I said he needed help."

"I am not helping him. Not now."

They were sitting in Rhodey's house, both Pepper and Rhodey, ignoring the calls.

Rhodey's phone rang. He sighed.

"RHODEY HELP!"

"You said you didn't-"

"There is no- AHHHH!- TIME FOR THIS!"

Rhodey bit his lip and looked at Pepper, worried.

"Fine." Said Pepper, angrily, "But we still haven't forgiven you!" She shouted into the phone.

Her computer screen was filled with notifications when she booted it up.

"Implant energy overloading!"

"Immediate medical attention needed."

"Serious damage to armour chestplate!"

"Shit." Pepper cursed. "Rhodey he needs help."

Rhodey nodded and ran towards his armour.

"Tony can you hear me?"

Nobody answered.

"We found Tony Stark in the iron man armour, without a helmet , severely electrocuted..."

Rhodey was sobbing, knees drawn to his chest. He felt empty, dead. His mother was already gone to retrieve the body.

If she suspected Rhodey knew about Tony being iron man, she didn't say.

In fact, she didn't say anything.

Pepper was crying too, eyes red and swollen by now.

Rhodey's mom wanted a quite funeral for her boy, but the authorities wouldn't have it. The people came and gave their condolences, as if they knew what she was going through.

She hadn't questioned Rhodey or Pepper, not yet, since they needed time to heal.

But they would have to face her.

Rhodey lay flowers on the grave, adding up to the thousand around Tony's grave. He gave no attempt to stop his tears.

"RHODEY HELP!" He had said.

Rhodey fell to his knees and rested his head against the gravestone.

Pepper stood behind him.

"I didn't get a chance to forgive him.." She muttered, holding her tears, voice eerily calm.

Rhodey let out a shuddery breath.

Pepper's voice broke.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye."

To be continued. Of course, it has to be, to show how pep and rhodey deal with their classmates and roberta.