For 40+ advance chapter: patreon.com/Snowing_Melody
Tony, what is wrong with you?!"
Pepper was startled awake, her heart leaping into her throat. She looked at Tony, who was rigid beside her, his body slick with cold sweat. She reached out, her hand trembling, to check on him.
Almost instantaneously, the Mark VII armor, which stood silently in the corner of the room, came violently to life. A cold, red-and-gold gauntlet shot out with a terrifying speed and clamped down hard on Pepper's wrist.
The touch of the cold, unyielding metal sent a jolt of primal fear through her. She gasped, staring at the helmet's glowing blue optics.
"JARVIS, deactivate defensive hold!" Tony roared, pushing himself upright and waving his arms frantically. He realized the trauma had triggered the armor's automated proximity defense.
With a series of clicks and groans, the gauntlet released its grip, and the Iron Man suit, designed for quick deployment, began to violently dismantle itself into scattered metal plates on the floor.
Pepper was shaking, the image of the cold, mechanical hand clamped around her wrist burned into her mind. "Tony, I swear, if you keep doing this," she whispered, her voice raw with fear and exhaustion, "I'm going down to sleep on the sofa with Hermione. I can't stand it."
Tony pulled his hands over his face, his brows furrowed in a mask of profound guilt and self-loathing. "I'm sorry, Pep, I'm so sorry… I had the dream again."
Seeing him so utterly broken, her anger dissolved, replaced by a deep, weary love. She sighed, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently stroked his hair. "The aliens? Weren't they all vaporized by little Hermione?"
Tony shook his head, his eyes haunted. "Not the aliens. I dreamed about… her."
Pepper frowned. "Hermione? What's wrong with her?"
"I dreamed the universe ended, Pep. The cities were dust, and the sky was dark. And she was standing on the ruins. Her eyes were cold, and she was radiating this black, terrible magic. She was the root of everything."
Pepper reached out and gently touched his forehead. "Tony, honey, you're exhausted. You haven't slept properly in weeks. You're talking nonsense. If the world is destroyed, Hermione is gone too. What reason could she possibly have to destroy the entire universe?"
She truly couldn't understand. She saw Hermione as her sister, a girl who, for all her terrifying power, was kind to her, loved snacks, and was currently being used as a shield against political nightmares.
Tony knew her reasoning was sound, but the terror in his gut was absolute. "There's no science to it, I know," he muttered, rubbing the sweat from his forehead. "But the feeling was real. The fear was real. Maybe it's not science at all."
The next morning, Tony dragged himself downstairs, his face pale and marked with dark circles. Hermione was already up, working on her new Wand of Winter's Ruin. She sat at a kitchen counter, wearing her pajamas, using a small, specialized hammer to methodically shape the dark, resilient Uru metal, the clanging sound echoing softly in the huge, modern space.
"Good morning," Hermione said without looking up. She pointed to a plate. "I made a sandwich. Try it."
Pepper, following closely behind Tony, picked up the sandwich. Her eyes lit up. "Oh, Tony, try this. It's delicious! You really don't taste like an English person, Hermione."
"I'm from the East, Sister Pepper," Hermione corrected her, slightly smug.
Tony took a bite, forcing a smile, then looked at Hermione. "So, the dream," he said bluntly. "I dreamed you destroyed the universe."
Hermione's hands paused on her work. She looked at him, surprised. "You mean I was right? You are seriously ill?" She rolled her eyes. "Why would I destroy the world? I'd have to live in a dark alley again. I'm not crazy."
Just then, Jarvis's voice cut in. "Sir, Dr. Maya Hansen is here to visit. She is awaiting you in the foyer."
Tony's face froze. Maya Hansen. His former flame. Pepper's expression immediately became subtle, though she maintained her generous smile.
"Let her in, Jarvis," Tony said, quickly pulling on a clean shirt.
Maya Hansen walked in, all sleek professionalism and elegant business attire. She greeted Pepper, her eyes lingering for a second, a silent acknowledgment of their shared past. Then her gaze fell on Hermione, sitting at the counter, swinging a heavy metal hammer, her pajamas covered in faint metallic dust.
"Pepper, who is this?" Maya asked, a polite, curious smile on her face.
"Oh, this is Hermione, my sister," Pepper introduced with a warm, proprietary gesture.
Maya's eyes flickered between the two of them. She knew the history. She knew the depth of Tony and Pepper's unconventional bond. Sister? she thought. No. This is Tony's daughter. Their illegitimate child. The suspicion, once planted, solidified into instant certainty.
She was about to ask a business question when her eyes widened in horror. She looked past Hermione, through the massive French windows that overlooked the ocean.
"Be careful!" Maya screamed.
Almost simultaneously, the roaring sound of jet engines filled the air, and two massive, black military helicopters appeared, hovering menacingly. They launched their payload. Two missiles streaked toward the Stark Mansion.
BOOM! BOOM!
The world disintegrated into fire and noise. The huge glass windows shattered violently, the ceiling groaned, and the entire cliffside mansion shook with the force of the explosions. Flames and smoke surged into the laboratory, filling the air with the smell of burning metal and fear.