Fandom:
Iron Man (movieverse)
Rating: PG-13 (may change later)
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Summary: It
will not be long, love...
Disclaimer: Most of the characters and situations in this story belong
to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, NBC, and
other
entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. No infringement
is intended in any way, and this story is not for profit. All others
belong to me, especially Cedric, and if you want to borrow them, you
have to ask me first.
Any errors are mine, all mine, no you can't have any.
As always, many thanks to Cincoflex and Laura27md. And thank you
also to all of you who review. Your enthusiasm keeps me going.
*********
It was an odd sensation, but not an unpleasant one, to wake with a
weight on her stomach. Virginia opened her eyes to the light of
morning competing with her bedside lamp, and an arm wrapped around her
hips. Tony lay crosswise on her bed, his face pressed into her
upper abdomen just below her breasts. He was snuffling quietly,
his breath in the slow rhythm of sleep; it was leaving a damp patch on
her shirt--her robe had come undone at some point--but she
couldn’t bring herself to mind, somehow.
For a while she didn’t move, trying to process the past day and
night. She hadn’t slept deeply; every so often she’d
woken, as if her brain was trying to make sure she was actually
home.
Each time she’d found Tony there, his hand linked with hers,
sound asleep in the lamp’s low light--mouth slack and the shadows
under his eyes gradually fading.
But apparently between her last waking and now, he’d moved.
Her mind clearer with the new morning, Virginia found the situation
peculiar, because Tony Stark never actually slept with
anyone; she knew that. He exhausted his partners and then slipped
away, and she had several theories as to why but no certainties. Not that it’s any of my business,
really.
She wasn’t even sure why she’d let him into her bed the
night before, except that he’d been so upset, and she
hadn’t really wanted to be alone herself. It seemed a
decision--a night really--outside of things, beyond their usual
parameters.
And while it would be easiest to return
to those parameters now, she wasn’t sure it was possible. For
one thing, there’s got to be a huge amount of aftermath to deal
with...do the police even know I’m all right?
The thought of the work ahead of her made Virginia feel
energized. Sure, she was still tired, and sore, and her feet
hurt, but she loved her job, and it would be good to get back to
it. I need at least a day off
to collect myself, but after that...
Moving carefully, she gently lifted Tony’s arm and scooted back,
letting his head ease down to the mattress. He sighed but
didn’t wake, and she slid off the bed and went to find clean
clothes.
Dressed, she made her way to the kitchen. Coffee was a blessing--good
coffee, not the crap she’d been given while in captivity--and it
didn’t take long to brew a pot. Virginia added creamer and
sugar and sipped blissfully, contemplating breakfast. It was
almost six-thirty, and normally she’d be getting ready to head
out the door, but today was obviously not normal.
And anyway I can’t just
leave Tony asleep in my room.
As she drank, she tried to make sense of the night before.
Tony’s welcoming embrace she could understand; as much as they
almost never spoke of it, Virginia knew that she and Tony were closer
than their professional relationship required.
But that kiss--
That hadn’t been lust, or even just getting carried away by the
surprise. That had been something she’d never seen in Tony
Stark, nor really thought him capable of.
In fact, she wondered if she’d imagined it, or at least imagined
the desperation behind it.
Wishful thinking, Virginia?
“Pepper?” The
call came from the direction of her bedroom, and Tony
sounded--frantic. She pushed away from the counter she was
leaning on and opened her mouth, but before she could speak Tony
appeared, eyes wide and his hair a mess.
“Pepper--oh, there you are.” He licked his lips and
gave her a sheepish smile. “I, uh, you were
gone.”
“I woke up.” She smiled back, letting him close off
and pretend he hadn’t been upset. “There’s
coffee if you want some.”
But he didn’t close off; the mask didn’t appear. Tony
strode across the kitchen and took her cup, setting it on the counter
behind her, then wrapped her in a hug.
Considerably startled, she nevertheless hugged him back again, more out
of instinct than anything else. It felt good; he felt good, strong and more than
a little warm, and even the hard press of the arc reactor seemed to fit
somehow.
Tony sighed deeply, relaxing somewhat, his chin dropping to her
shoulder. “Pepper,” he said, dreamy and low in her
ear.
She let out an amused breath, touched by how much he seemed to be
reassured. “This new habit of yours is kind of alarming,
Tony. I mean, I like hugs, but it’s going to make it hard
to get any work done.”
He snorted at her tease. “Screw work.” Sighing
again, he lifted his head enough to meet her eyes, and without warning
kissed her again, this time a simple press of his lips on hers.
Light and quick, it was over before Virginia had quite realized it had
begun.
“I need to talk to you about this,” Tony informed her, eyes
meeting hers without flinching. “But I’ll let you
pick the time, as long as it’s soon.” His arms
tightened and then released, and he stepped back. “Do you
happen to have a spare toothbrush?”
“Linen closet,” she managed, and he nodded and left,
leaving her to stare after him in shock.
Um. That
was...unexpected.
Clearly they did have to
talk. Which would have been more reassuring if Virginia had any
idea of what the hell to actually say.
Shaking her head, she turned to pick up her cup and start on
breakfast. And to try to ignore the small voice in her head that
asked what kind of kiss Tony would have given her if he’d already
brushed his teeth.
He reappeared as she poured the first waffle onto the iron.
Without hesitation Tony began to set the table, and she realized that
he had memorized the layout of her kitchen the night before.
Virginia watched him out of the corner of her eye, trying to assimilate
the fact that her boss was moving around her home,
acting...domesticated.
That, too, was not something she had ever expected from him. Even
the Tony who had returned from Afghanistan, burning with a new purpose,
had shown no signs of such an alteration.
She was good at adapting to abrupt changes, but this one was going to
be tricky.
As Tony was drowning his waffles in syrup, he spoke. "I know you
need some time off, but I’m going to need you to spend it at my
place. One of your kidnappers is still at large, and
there’s a small chance he might come after you.”
“They’re not my kidnappers,”
Virginia muttered, but the mere idea of running into one of them made
her feel ill. “That’s fine. I was planning on
going back with you anyway. I’m going to take a couple of
days off, but I need to call Cedric this afternoon and start triaging,
and deal with anything that just can’t wait. You
didn’t have any emergencies while I was gone, did
you?”
Tony set down the bottle and stared at her. "A couple of days? Pepper, you should take
a month."
She shuddered at the idea. "I've been gone almost a week.
Things are probably approaching critical mass already--"
His scowl cut her off. "Pepper. You were abducted and
subjected to God knows what, and you want to come right back to work
like nothing happened?" Tony shook his head. "Forget
it."
Stung, she frowned back. "Tony, getting back to work is what I
need to do. Not to mention the fact that your life doesn't stop
just because I'm not there to handle it."
"It almost did," Tony shot back. "This isn't negotiable.
You'll take two weeks minimum, more if the doctor says so."
"I don't need a doctor," Virginia protested, but the implacable
expression on Tony's face told her that arguing was useless.
"You'll see a doctor, today. At my place if you'd rather not go
out, but today." He drove his fork into the nearest waffle with a
bit more force than it needed. "Don't argue with me, Ms.
Potts. You know I'm right."
She wanted to argue, so much
that it frightened her a little. Virginia bit her tongue and
stared down at her plate, anger warring with the sour knowledge that he
was right. She
wasn't badly hurt, but between the cuts on her feet and the river
water, a checkup was a good idea.
Still, the need to get back into her familiar routine was almost as
strong, and she drew her fork through a patch of melting butter without
really seeing it. "I'll take a week, Tony, and we'll see."
She expected him to argue again, or start sulking, but the warm fingers
wrapping around her free wrist instead were downright startling.
She looked up to meet his eyes, and was caught by the mixture of worry
and anger and something deeper than either, something she couldn't
quite name.
It was a long, breathless moment, suspended in time. Before she
could focus enough to look away, Tony lifted her hand to his face and
pressed another of those quick, light kisses to her pulse point, then
let her pull away. "Eat," he told her in a low voice.
Flustered, floored, utterly confused, she did.
Happy arrived within the hour to drive them both to the mansion.
He climbed out as usual to open the limo door, and at the sight of
him--black eye still fading but a huge grin splitting his normally dour
face--Virginia ran forward the few steps to throw her arms around
him.
His return embrace was careful, as if he thought she might break, but
she heard his heartbeat running fast, and squeezed him tightly for a
moment. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she
said.
Hogan cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,” he
managed. “I couldn’t stop--“
The words choked off, and Virginia leaned back enough to look him in
the eye; he was a lot taller when she wasn’t wearing heels.
“Don’t,” she said firmly. “I saw what
they did to you, Happy. Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
“Told you,” said Tony behind her, cheerful again. He
was carrying the small bag that held her things, enough for a night or
two.
Hogan sighed, and his arms tightened a fraction. Virginia
stretched up to kiss his cheek, and let him go.
Rhodey was waiting for them outside Tony’s house, his grin
rivaling Happy’s, and he swept her up into a much more generous
hug. “Damn, you
had us scared,” he said into her hair, and she giggled and tried
to find the ground with her sore toes.
“I was pretty scared too, Jimmy.” She savored his
hug, his uncomplicated friendship. One of the best things about
working for Tony was knowing Jim Rhodes. “It’s good
to be back.”
He set her down gently, and--much the same as Tony had the night
before--cupped her face in his hands. “Are you really all
right?”
Virginia returned his gaze calmly. “I’m fine. A
few bruises and blisters, but I’m okay.”
“And she’ll be seeing a doctor later,” Tony added,
watching them both with an expression that she couldn’t quite
decipher. “Just to make sure.”
Virginia said nothing. A clean
bill of health will make it harder for him to try to restrict me.
Rhodey nodded slowly and released her. “Did you guys even
let the Feds know?”
She glanced at Tony, who smirked. “Last night,” he
said. “I had to call them again this morning. They
should be here in about--“ He glanced at his watch.
“Twenty minutes.”
She sighed. “I’d better get ready, then.”
And frowned. “Feds?”
Rhodey gave her a shrug. “I called in a favor.”
Before she could think about that
one, Tony was herding them inside, and she had to pick a room and
settle her things. It was closer to thirty minutes before
Virginia settled down on the long living room couch with a federal
agent two cushions down. It wasn’t that she didn’t
want to talk to the police, but she knew the interview would be
tedious. Both Tony and Rhodey were hovering, the latter more
discreetly by the piano while Tony perched on the end of the sofa
nearest her, and she thought briefly about sending them both out.
No. The fewer times I
have to go through this, the better.
Special Agent Donovan was imposingly tall, devastatingly handsome, and
perfectly professional. Virginia found him oddly reassuring,
though it was clear that there was no love lost between him and Tony,
and she wondered wryly just what each had done to put the other’s
back up. I can ask Jimmy
later.
The agent was patient, taking in her story without much comment but
stopping her at times to ask for clarification. She gave him
every detail she could remember of One and Three, not that it was much;
the quick glance back at the men shooting at her hadn’t provided
much detail. But her own sharp memory had served her well, and
she estimated heights and ages as best she could, sketching out both
faces for the detective.
Still, the interview was draining. There was a lot of the past
several days that Virginia didn't really want
to remember, and the retelling was made no easier by the presence of
the two men nearby; neither of them said a word, but she could feel
their tension and anger, and it wore on her nerves.
Finally Donovan decided he had enough, and gathered up his notes.
"Please get in touch with us at any time if you remember something
more, Ms. Potts," he said, handing her a card. "With the
remaining man still at large, anything might help find him."
She suppressed a shiver at the thought of the malevolent Three looking
for her. The police, and the agents, had decided that he was the
one still loose when the recording on the CD didn't match the voice of
their captive; while One wasn't saying much yet, the police were fairly
certain that the dead man was in fact Two.
She might almost have felt sorry for Two, if it hadn't been pretty
clear that he'd been coming to kill her, or at the least escort her to
her own execution.
Rhodey escorted Donovan out. Virginia stood, and hugged herself,
feeling a little chilled; rather to her surprise, warm hands settled on
her shoulders and stroked down her arms, rubbing gently. "You
okay?" came Tony's voice from behind her.
"I think so." She turned, and his hands slid down to cup her
elbows, rather than falling away as she expected. Tony's
expression was so sober that it shook her, but rather than making her
nervous, his nearness brought an odd comfort. "But I
want..."
"What?" he asked, brows rising. "Anything within my power, Potts,
it's yours."
There was the familiar smirk, finally, but she couldn't shake the idea
that he was serious. Virginia smiled at him, deliberately turning
her thoughts away from the past few days. "I want to freshen up,
and then I want some tea."
Did he actually look disappointed? "Tea, right. I'm sure
we've got some of that around here somewhere," Tony began, and she cut
him gently off.
"I'll only be a few minutes. Plug the kettle in for me, would
you?"
His hands tightened, then released. "Sure thing.
Doctor’s coming soon, just so you know."
She nodded and headed for the nearest bathroom, wondering how long this
new phase of Tony’s would last, and trying not to remember the
feel of his lips on hers.
Rhodey was in the kitchen when Tony reached it, seated at the table and
nursing a cup of coffee. “How is she?” he
asked. “She looked pretty stressed.”
“Yeah, she is,” Tony said, opening cupboards at random and
looking for anything tea-shaped. “But I think she’ll
be okay.”
“You should make her see a shrink,” Rhodey pointed out.
“Yeah, how much luck do you think I’ll have with
that?” Tony reached for a top-shelf box, only to discover
that it was instant cocoa. “This is Pepper we’re
talking about.”
“True.” Rhodey snickered. “What the hell
are you doing?”
“She wants tea.” Tony opened another cupboard.
“I can’t find any.”
“It’s in the pantry.” When Tony turned to look
at him, Rhodey shrugged. “What? I was looking for the
black pepper the other day.”
He was right. Tony found several small boxes of tea varieties and
carried them all out to dump on the table, then filled the electric
kettle and plugged it in.
It was just beginning to boil when Pepper came in, her eyes a little
pink but her expression composed. She smiled at them both.
“Is it Dr. Phair who’s coming, Tony?”
“Yep.” He swung a chair away from the table and sat
in it backwards, resting his arms on the back. Pepper’s
physician worked at Queen of the Valley Hospital, and while Tony had
offered the woman a large bonus to come out and make a house call, he
suspected that it was more concern for Pepper that had motivated Phair
to agree.
She nodded and shut off the kettle, whose burble dropped abruptly to
silence. Neither man spoke as Pepper chose a box and a mug and
dropped the tea bag in, and as she poured the hot water her mouth
curved wryly. “I appreciate the concern, guys, but
I’m not going to explode.”
Tony exchanged glances with Rhodey, both of them slightly sheepish at
being caught staring. “Yeah, well, give us a break,
Pepper,” Rhodey said lightly. “We’re just
making sure you’re really here.”
Pepper set the kettle down and chose a seat, and the smell of
raspberries curled into the air from her steeping tea.
“I’m having a little trouble believing it
myself.”
Absently Tony stood again and pulled down the box of cocoa to fix
himself a drink as well. He wasn’t sure why--he
couldn’t remember the last time he’d had hot chocolate--but
he felt the need to do something with his hands, and that would
serve.
“I was just talking to Tony,” Rhodey went on.
“You should probably see a counselor, you know,
Pepper.”
Tony, pouring hot water, barely kept in a snicker at the diffidence in
Rhodey’s voice. The big
bad Air Force colonel is scared she’ll bite his head off.
And with reason, he had to admit.
“I know,” Pepper said tiredly, and Tony felt his jaw
drop. “But at the moment it’s one too many things to
think about, Jimmy.”
He looked up. Pepper’s shoulders were bowed, and the
weariness in her face made him want to scoop her up and bundle her into
his bedroom to sleep for a week. Preferably in his arms, but
he’d settle for the sleep alone if he thought she would acquiesce.
Fat chance.
You’re lucky she’s let you do so much already.
And Tony knew there would be a reckoning soon; he figured that dealing
with his sudden advances was another thing on that “too
many” list, but closer to the top.
He wasn’t about to stop, though. Pushing the limits was
what worked for him, and he did have
the past night to base hope upon. After all, she hasn’t hit me yet.
Or told him to stop. He crossed metaphorical fingers in hopes
that she wouldn’t, because he would honor that request--he just
didn’t want to.
“You're still taking two weeks off,” he said, making a
mental note to hide her BlackBerry as soon as the police gave it
back. "At minimum."
“We’ve had this discussion.” Pepper pointed at
Rhodey, who was just opening his mouth. “No double-teaming
me. Getting back to work is what I need to do, Tony.”
Rhodey subsided, though his expression revealed that he didn’t
approve. Tony kept his expression relaxed. "We'll let the
doctor decide that."
"That does make sense, Pepper," Rhodey added anxiously.
Pepper sighed, and then smiled at Rhodes, serene again. Tony
tried to figure out why he was suddenly twitchy.
“I’ll take it easy, don’t worry.”
“Yeah, that’ll be the day.” Rhodey snorted, but
reached across the table to pat her hand, and Pepper turned her own
upwards to clasp his fingers briefly.
The sudden stab of jealousy had Tony taking a large swallow of cocoa to
mask his surprise. Oh.
That’s why.
Her smile was the same as the one she’d given Rhodey earlier
outside, when he’d held her face in his hands.
Careful. Tony
grimaced into his mug, only partly because he'd burned his
tongue. He knew for a fact that Pepper was very far from
Rhodey’s type, and judging from what little he’d seen of
Pepper’s tastes Rhodey didn’t fit hers either. His
instincts were in high gear in the aftermath of Pepper’s
abduction, and Tony knew he would have to be careful not to insult
either of his friends with an inappropriate reaction.
Jealousy wasn’t exactly a new feeling; he’d experienced it
in some form for the last several years, every time he knew Pepper was
going out on a date. At first it was just the mild regret of
knowing that some other male was escorting his extremely
attractive personal assistant; later, it had been sharper and a little
angrier, but by then Pepper was one of the few women in Tony’s
world labeled “off limits”, and it had taken Afghanistan to
change things.
He’d been dawdling, Tony realized; afraid to try again after
Pepper had turned him down flat before his first Iron Man press
conference. Well, that
wasn’t exactly one of my finer moments anyway.
He’d casually propositioned a hundred women with more grace, and
her pointed question had underlined just how clumsy his words had
been. He’d put off another attempt out of fear that she
would reject him once and for all, figuring that every day he let pass
by was one more day to show her that he really had changed.
It was cliché, but Pepper’s abduction had shown him how
little time he really had.
Pepper was sipping her tea, and Tony found his gaze drawn back to her
ragged hair. She’d combed it out that morning, and
apparently smoothed it down when she’d freshened up earlier, but
there was no disguising the jagged cuts.
“Do you want me to book you a stylist?” Tony asked.
“I can have one come here if you like--save you having to wade
through the press.”
Pepper touched her hair nervously, tucking one side behind her
ear. “I suppose that’s a good idea. That
reminds me, I need to put together a release--”
She made as if to get up, and Tony frowned at her. “Finish
your tea. The doctor will be here soon, and Cedric can handle the
press.”
Pepper hesitated, then sighed. “I guess you’re
right. Besides, if I’m going to go on
camera...” She touched her hair again, a restless
gesture.
“Weren’t you going to call your friend in Boston?”
Tony pointed out. He glanced at his watch. “You
should have enough time before Phair gets here.”
Pepper brightened. “Yes, I should. Jacquie must be
going nuts.”
This time when she stood Tony made no move to stop her, and she took
her cup and went out. Tony blew out a breath and rubbed his
forehead. “Jarvis, do me a favor and get her stylist in
here, or mine. The usual incentives.”
“Calling now,” Jarvis said. Tony sat back down,
setting his mug on the table and wishing for a shot of whiskey to add
to the cocoa.
“So what the hell happened?”
Rhodey asked, freshening his coffee. “Did Pepper call you
last night or what? And why didn’t you call me?”
He looked amused and slightly hurt at the same time, and Tony rubbed
his jaw, wondering how much he could leave out. Not much.
“She woke me up,” he said truthfully. “And at
first I couldn’t believe it was her.”
He’d honestly thought he was dreaming. Not until he felt her, solid and far more real
than any imagining, had he realized that she was in fact there, beyond all hope and
expectation. He’d had to
touch her then, hold on tightly, convince himself that she was safe and
back with him.
“And?” The gleam in Rhodey’s eyes meant that he
knew there was more to the story, and Tony sighed.
“I was in her apartment at the time.” He watched his
friend sort through a number of possible responses, but instead of the
raillery he was expecting, Rhodey’s gaze softened.
“Huh.” He sipped from his mug. “And she
hasn’t killed you yet? I’m impressed.”
Tony rolled his eyes, and Rhodey chuckled. “You always did
have great timing. But if you keep hovering like you have been,
she’s going to clock you with her BlackBerry.”
“I’ll take the risk.” Tony swirled the last
inch of his cocoa in its mug, wondering idly if the pantry held any
marshmallows. “It’s not like I have anything going
that can’t be put on hold for a bit.”
Rhodey chuckled again. “That’ll last until she gets
control of your schedule again.”
Tony rose, trying to remember what he’d seen on the pantry
shelves. “Yeah, yeah.” He stepped into the
storage closet, and grinned at the bag of tiny white cylinders stored
at eye level. “Hey, turn the kettle back on,
platypus.”
When he came out, Rhodey was complying, looking sour.
“Don’t call me that,” he said automatically, then
raised his brows. “What have you got there?”
Tony tossed the bag on the table. “Processed sugar,
mostly.”
Rhodey eyed it, then grinned. “Hey, got any
toothpicks?”
When Jarvis told her that Dr. Phair was entering the gates, Virginia
told Jacquie goodbye and hung up the phone, feeling better for the talk
with her friend, if still stressed. Jacquie was a sensible woman
and hadn’t pressed her to say anything she didn’t want to,
but Virginia could sense the other woman’s concern, and knew that
sooner or later she would have to go into more detail.
She sighed. The day’s not
half over and I’m already so tired.
Part of it was psychological, she knew; her emotional reserves were
extremely low, and being the focus of everyone’s attention was
draining. But it was seriously annoying to be feeling so worn
when she normally handled ten times the stress without flinching.
She rose and stretched her sore muscles, then headed out of her office
to let her doctor in, figuring that the men had gone down to the
garage. But male laughter caught her ear as she passed the
kitchen, and she stopped to look in.
The scene was carnage. The table was scattered with empty cocoa
packets and covered in what Virginia devoutly hoped was
flour; on either side of it sat two men whose silly grins and hands
full of marshmallows indicated a sugar high of massive
proportions. All across the table were sculptures made of
marshmallows strung on toothpicks, various stylized animals and people,
and she took a deep breath and tried to be grateful that they
hadn’t thought to decorate their creations with anything
sticky.
“Let me guess--winter in Candyland?” she asked.
“See, told you she’d know,” Tony said, his grin on
the other side of manic.
Rhodey giggled, a sound downright unnerving in someone of his size and
age. “Hey, I voted for the North Pole, but we
couldn’t find any cherries.”
Virginia thought about that for a moment, and then decided that she
didn’t want to follow where it led, assuming it led anywhere at
all. “I’m going to go let Dr. Phair in now. I
suggest you two have some protein to balance that out, because
I’m not going to be sympathetic when you crash.”
That got both of them
giggling, and she left them to it, trying to decide whether to make
them clean up the kitchen later or save hassle and do it herself. It could be worse--they haven’t
thrown anything.
Yet.
Dr. Phair had been Virginia’s primary care physician for as long
as she’d worked for Tony, and Virginia smiled at the woman, glad
to see her. “This way, and ignore the noise,” she
said, gesturing towards the bedroom wing.
Phair didn’t flinch at the amiable shouting coming from the
kitchen. Barely coming up to Virginia’s shoulder, she
exuded a strong air of serenity and never seemed to be surprised by
anything. “I’m glad to see you’re doing
well,” she said, following Virginia into one of the guest
bedrooms.
“Pretty much,” Virginia agreed, sitting down on the
bedspread. Phair closed the door behind them and set down the bag
she carried. She wore a stethoscope around her neck and her hair
tucked away under a khimar, and Virginia had seen haughty surgeons give
way before her quiet force of personality.
“Well, clearly you’re not in need of emergency
treatment,” Phair went on, turning her gaze on Virginia.
“But I’ve been instructed to check you over thoroughly
nonetheless.”
Virginia refrained from rolling her eyes. “I’m
sure.”
The doctor laughed, and sat down in one of the room’s cozy
armchairs. “First off, though, why don’t you tell me
a little of what you’ve been doing?”
Unlike the special agent, Phair didn’t probe, and Virginia
wasn’t very surprised to find herself more willing to speak of
her abduction than she had been to anyone so far. Part of it was
Phair’s lack of emotional involvement; part of it was her
complete lack of judgment. As Virginia gave an abbreviated
version of the last several days, she got the feeling that the only
interest Phair had was in how the events might have impacted
Virginia’s health.
“Hmm. Very clever, your river idea,” was her comment
when Virginia finished, and Phair lifted her eyes to meet
Virginia’s, calm and clear. “No sexual
assault?”
Virginia swallowed, because it had been one of her fears all along, and
she had gotten the distinct feeling that at least one of her captors
might have gone that route if things had been just a little
different. “No.”
Phair nodded. “Good.” She rose.
“Let’s start with your chest, then, though if you were
going to have problems from the sedative you would know it
already.”
She listened to Virginia’s heart and lungs, checked her eyes and
ears, and inspected her battered feet, sitting without
self-consciousness on the carpet to examine Virginia’s
toes. “I don’t think you have anything to fear from
the river water,” she said in response to Virginia’s
question. “Again, you’d know by now. It was
probably wise to keep consumption to a minimum, but many of those
mountain streams are surprisingly clean. Pollution is really more
of a problem.”
Virginia breathed out in relief, and Phair smiled up at her
briefly. “You do, however, have a small infection going on
your second toe here. I’ll clean it up for you, and leave
you some antibiotic ointment, and as long as you keep an eye on things
it should heal up in a few days.”
Virginia grinned down at her. “I figured I was good, but
it’s always nice to have it confirmed.”
Phair smiled back and reached for her bag, which she’d taken to
the floor with her. “See if you’re smiling in a few
minutes. This is going to hurt.”
It did, but not unbearably. Virginia set her teeth and endured
the alcohol and the bandaging, feeling some of the old air of pride
when Phair was done that she had when holding still as a child so her
mother could remove a splinter. Her mother’s reward had
been a hug and a Hershey’s Kiss; Phair provided neither, but gave
Virginia another warm smile when she was finished. “There,
good for you.”
Phair stood and packed her supplies away, and Virginia let the sting
fade and inserted her feet gingerly into her slippers once more.
“Seeing a mental health specialist would probably be a good
idea,” Phair said gently as she closed the bag. “I
can give you the names of some victim aid services.”
Virginia bit back a surge of annoyance at the term victim.
“It’s been discussed,” she said instead.
“Let’s say, I’m keeping it in mind.”
Phair nodded, again without judgment. “Very well.
It's your choice. But you can probably expect mood swings and
some irritability over the next few days.” She sat down on
the edge of the chair. “You’re a little underweight,
more so than usual, so I want you eating properly this
week.”
Virginia nodded, her temper evening out; being lightly scolded by Phair
was a normal occurrence. The doctor went on. “You may
have escaped serious injury, but you had a traumatic experience all the
same, and it is taking its toll on your body. Treat yourself
gently and give your body time to recover.”
Virginia sighed. There would be so much to do-- “I hear
you,” she said, knowing that Phair would see right through her
evasion.
The doctor raised her brows. “See that you remember,
then.” Rising, she picked up her case. “Right
now, I prescribe a nap. Don’t get up; I remember the
way.”
Smiling serenely, she let herself out, closing the door behind
her. Virginia had to laugh; but the advice was good, and the bed
did look enticing.
Well, Tony did tell me to
take some time off.
In the end, she wasn’t sure if it was weariness that had her
lying down, or the desire to avoid two grown men gone silly with sugar,
but either way she stretched out and closed her eyes.
A warm hand stroking her hair back from her face woke her slowly.
For a moment she just lay still and enjoyed the sensation, a simple
innocent pleasure that didn’t require a response from her
sleep-heavy limbs. Then Tony spoke, and Virginia became aware of
the dip in the mattress from his seated weight. “Pepper, I
hate to wake you, but the stylist just got here, and you need to eat
something.”
She opened her eyes to the sight of a denim-clad leg, and rolled slowly
onto her back. Tony’s hand fell away, and she blinked at
the ceiling, still half-drowned in sleep. “All
right,” she muttered, not quite sure what she was
acknowledging.
Tony chuckled. “Are you actually awake, or just
faking?” He reached over and tapped her gently on the nose,
and she blinked again, swatting at him and missing by a mile.
“A little bit of both, I think.”
“Shut up.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to pull her
brain together, then glanced over at him suspiciously. “Are
you over your sugar high?”
“Yep.” Tony smirked at her. She finally took in
the angle of the light from the windows beyond him, and sat up
straight.
“How long have I been asleep?”
Tony cocked his head. “Almost three hours. Relax,
Potts, it was doctor’s orders.”
“Ugh, I’m never going to get to sleep tonight.” Virginia
clutched at her hair and was reminded yet again of its damage.
“I could help with that,” Tony offered teasingly, an
innuendo so familiar that she could let it slide past without
comment. “Here.”
He picked up a plate from the bedside table and held it out. The
pita sandwich looked like something she’d have created herself,
sprouts and turkey and the light mayonnaise she favored, along with
some tomato slices. Virginia took the plate automatically; she
could smell the turkey, and it made her mouth water. “You
made me a sandwich?”
Tony shrugged. “Phair said I should feed you up.
I’m not sure if that means I should give you regular soda instead
of diet, but believe it or not I don’t seem to have any regular
mayonnaise...”
His gentle rambling was reassuring, though because it represented
normality or because it meant he
was a little nervous, she didn’t know. She gave him a
smile. “Thank you, Tony.”
He let out a breath, and the corner of his mouth curled up, that
personal, devastating look. “Eat up.”
She was hungry, now that she
thought about it. Virginia nibbled on the corner of the pocket,
then took a proper bite. It tasted just fine.
Tony rose, hands in his pockets again, and wandered across the
room. “Rhodey had to take off,” he informed her,
hitching one hip up onto the little desk placed against the wall.
“Some kind of emergency meeting. He’s been burning
leave the past few days to help out with the search.”
She swallowed her mouthful, feeling slightly guilty even though she
knew it wasn’t her fault. “He’s not in trouble,
is he?”
Tony shook his head. “Nah, the Air Force was all about the
good publicity in fact. Which pissed him off, but oh
well.”
Virginia took another bite, thinking about the effort that must have
been mounted to find her. It was a reassuring thought even after
the fact. When she was finished chewing, she spoke.
“I had no idea. I mean, I knew you’d be worried about
me, but I didn’t know you had an entire search
going.”
“Worried?”
Tony’s brows snapped together, his stormy look.
“Pepper, I was a lot more than worried.
I was fucking terrified.”
She put down the plate, unprepared for his sudden intensity.
“Tony, I...”
He was back across the room with that unsettling speed, hands on the
bedspread on either side of her as he leaned down towards her.
“You were gone,
Potts,” he growled into her ear as Pepper sat frozen. His
breath was raising goosebumps all along that side of her neck.
“I couldn’t find
you.”
It wasn’t his fierceness that held her in place; it was the
devastation in his words, the faint tremble in his voice.
Virginia wanted to reach up and hug him,
and the desire was so confusing that she held very still, fingers
twisting together in her lap.
“You smell so good,” Tony said in an entirely different
tone, this one dazed and soft. His face pressed into her hair,
and she shivered at the feel of his cheek rubbing against the crown of
her head.
“Tony--” she tried, and he straightened.
“Sorry.” His cheeks held a hint of pink.
“I’ll--uh--you finish your sandwich. The stylist is
setting up in your office.”
He was out the door before she could muster words. Virginia
stared after him, not sure whether she was more annoyed at the way he
kept touching her, or...or...flattered
wasn’t the word, nor was pleased, but it was a positive
emotion.
She closed her eyes, exhaled sharply, told her hormones to behave
themselves, and reached for the sandwich.
Two hours later her hair was smooth and even again, a glossy cap that
felt strange after so many years of wearing it past her shoulders, but
Virginia was satisfied. It would do until she could grow it out
again, and in the meantime she felt more in control with the ragged cut
gone. She wasn't as happy about the speculation that would no
doubt arise from her changed appearance, but-- There's no helping that.
Tony met her as she came back from seeing the stylist out, and when she
halted he raised a hand to touch. "It looks good," he told her,
his fingers gentle as they brushed past her ear but his eyes strangely
intense.
She swallowed; it felt like every inch of her skin was aware of his
touch. "Thank you," she managed, holding still until he'd let his
hand drop. "Tony--I really need to call Cedric."
"You can tell him you're okay," Tony answered, standing aside to let
her pass. "But I'm cutting you off after three minutes,
Potts."
He sounded amused, but she could tell by the set of his jaw that he was
probably going to follow through on his threat. She sighed
silently, and wondered if it was possible to distract him first.
When he handed her the phone and wandered off, Virginia hoped, but a
couple of minutes into her conversation with her very relieved
assistant Jarvis' voice came on the line. "My apologies, Ms.
Potts, Mr. Toffle, but I have been instructed to terminate this
connection in another thirty seconds."
She sighed again. "E-mail me, Ceddie, my laptop’s in my
office here. You can always come by, too."
A nervous gulp reached her ear, and she had to smile a little--Cedric
was completely awed by Tony. "I will," her assistant said,
clearly lying through his teeth, and she rolled her eyes.
"Good. Keep me posted." She hung up before Jarvis could cut
them off, contemplated explaining to Tony in tedious detail just how
much his restrictions were damaging his own interests, and as usual
decided to pass.
Too much effort, and neither
of us is drunk enough.
He’d been trying to give her space like Rhodey had recommended,
but when Pepper let herself into his workshop Tony felt his spine
relax. He could keep an eye on her almost anywhere in his house,
but it wasn’t the same as seeing her in the flesh and knowing she
was all right.
Still, he let her come to him where he was working idly on an old
coding project. She looked very informal in her loose pants and
sweatshirt and actual fuzzy slippers, and her shorter hair was still a
slight shock; he watched out of the corner of his eye as she grimaced
and hitched herself up onto a clear space on one of his
workbenches.
“Feet hurt?” Tony asked casually, and Pepper stretched out
her ankles and looked down at the limbs in question.
“Some, yes. Not too bad, though.”
He held his tongue. Dr. Phair had refused to violate patient
confidentiality, but she’d relented enough to tell Tony that his
PA didn’t need further medical attention, and he knew that Pepper
knew just what was in the medicine cabinet if she needed it. The
fact that he wanted to devise some kind of wheelchair so she
wouldn’t have to walk until her feet healed
was...irrelevant.
Pepper sighed. “I’m going to order dinner in a little
while. And I need you to get Jarvis to unlock my
laptop.”
Tony swiveled his chair around to face her, tilting it back.
“Uh-uh, nothing doing, Potts. I talked to Phair and she
agrees with me. Two weeks, at least.”
Pepper closed her eyes briefly in clear annoyance. “This
isn’t for work, Tony. It’s personal. I want to
track down the people who drove me home so I can thank
them.”
Two taps cleared the screen he was working on and brought up the data
he’d retrieved earlier. “Michael and Patricia
Franklin, daughters Dinah and Helena. Santa Monica.” At her
raised brow, he shrugged. “The security camera outside your
place caught their plate. Jarvis did the rest.”
Pepper huffed a laugh. “I should have known.”
Tony leaned back again, lacing his fingers behind his head.
“You know, I offered a pretty hefty reward for any information
about your abduction. Seems to me they deserve it for bringing
you home.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Pepper’s face
was grave. “But I’d like to see them again...say
thank you in person. They didn’t know who I was, you
know. They just drove me home because they were
nice.”
“Absolutely.” Tony already planned on inviting
himself along; Pepper’s safety aside, he wanted to offer his
personal thanks as well. Without the Franklins, Pepper would have
taken hours longer to get home...or might even still be wandering in
the park, trying to find a way out. “We could do it
tomorrow, if you want.”
“That would be good.” She swung her feet a little,
suddenly appearing ten years younger than her actual age.
“But I still need my laptop. The Franklins...they
aren’t the only people I owe.”
“Your missing camper?” Tony asked gently, and Pepper
nodded.
“I don’t think I would have made it out of the forest
otherwise. I’d like to see if I can find out what happened
to him.”
“Get Jarvis to help.” Tony keyed in a few quick
commands, instructing the AI to release Pepper’s laptop but to
maintain a block on anything related to Stark Industries.
“He can probably hack the National Forest Service if you need
to.”
Pepper nodded, mouth twisting wryly, and then drew in a breath.
The laugh she let out was was sour. “You know...I still
don’t even know where I was.”
Tony stared at her, and she shrugged. “I forgot to ask the
Franklins.”
Despite her attempt at humor, Pepper looked more fragile than ever,
huddling into her sweatshirt, and Tony’s throat ached a little at
the renewed realization of just how isolated she’d been.
The urge to go gather her up into another hug was strong, but he
resisted. “Angeles National Forest,” he said,
clearing his throat. “Right on the edge.”
Pepper’s brows flew up. “Wow. Good thing I
didn’t go uphill,
then.” Without explaining her dry
words, she eased herself off the workbench and headed back towards the
stairs, moving at an amble rather than her usual brisker pace.
“My laptop had better be running by the time I get back to it,
Tony,” she said over her shoulder, the casual statement just like
her usual mock-threatening asides, and Tony made a face at her back,
somewhat relieved.
“Take the elevator,” he called after her, and when she
waved him off without turning he keyed in the stairwell lock remotely,
the clunk of the bolts
clearly audible to them both.
Pepper halted, the line of her back eloquent of annoyance, then changed
course for the little alcove that housed the lift. “Just
for that I’m not ordering dessert,” she said, still not
turning, and let the little door swing shut behind her.
Satisfied, Tony returned to his programming.
When he came upstairs a few hours later, he found sunset staining the
sea outside the windows, and no supper delivered. Pepper lay
curled up on the long couch, her laptop sitting on the low table and
cycling patiently through its screensaver, oblivious to her long slow
breaths. Tony stood and watched, almost holding his own breath
for fear of waking her, but she never moved.
So much for not being able to
sleep tonight, sweetheart.
He debated between the merits of food and sleep, and finally decided
that she needed unconsciousness more. Tony poured himself a
whiskey at the bar and sat down next to Pepper, using the table console
to bring up the latest news about himself on the window. The
light faded as he sipped his drink, one arm stretched along the back of
the couch; the images flashed silently at double-speed and their
subtitles flickered in and out. Pepper’s recovery was the
most common subject, of course, with mentions of the Sespe rescue, his
mission in Farkar, and Stark Industries’ stock price duking it
out for second place.
No mention was made of the escaped kidnapper. Tony hoped the man
was running for his life.
If he comes anywhere near
Pepper again, I’ll kill him.
Suit or no suit.
Eventually the stories began to repeat themselves. The sun and
his drink were both long gone, and Pepper still slept. Tony shut
off the display, rose, and carefully lifted her into his arms.
When she didn’t move, he carried her into the guest suite
she’d chosen, and without hesitation laid them both down on the
mattress.
It was easy to settle her in the curve of his body, her warm weight
slight and limp. She’s
going to be pissed drifted past, but
Tony paid no attention. He let his arm find its place along her
waist, the position as natural as if they’d been doing it for
years, and rubbed his cheek against her hair, luxuriating in her scent,
her very existence.
Pepper, he thought
contentedly.
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