Chapter One

Another requested stories! I wanted to get them out, I don't like holding back anymore… any requests that people have in mind, share them with me and I am going to get them out very soon!

Anyhoo…. Here you go Haytar96!

Disclaimer: This is killing my self-esteem….

It was terribly cold outside. Freezing almost… Pepper wrapped the small cotton coat around her tighter. She breathed out a puff of air and rubbed her arms, hoping to warm them up. It was dark outside, the sun was setting making purple and blue hues across the dark sky. It may be summer, but at night New York got really cold.

Suddenly, in the dark empty sidewalk, Pepper felt a presence behind her. She turned around and scanned the empty sidewalk. The street lamps casted a ghostly glow on the sidewalk. Pepper stood right underneath one. There was not a single car, or pedestrian on the street with her.

Pepper wrapped her arms closer around her, covering up her chest. She then broke into a run. She knew where she should go, the safest place in the world.

The wind cut into her skin. The coat bared useless as she sprinted down the sidewalk. The person behind her was also running, because she could hear echoing steps behind her. Whenever she had to stop for some breath, the presence stopped too.

The cold air burned her lungs as lights of the armory caught her attention. The presence was gone, but Pepper knew better. She knew this presence. In fact, she had felt the same one before last week.

"Bye guys!" Pepper waved as she parted from school. Tony and Rhodey smiled at her, and Tony gave her his signature wink. With a smile, Pepper turned away and headed towards 35th street, her home street.

Pepper's dad had left on his mission about a week ago. Pepper was left alone at home as usual, something she was used to. Typically, Tony and Rhodey would walk her home, but Tony had an appointment for his heart, and Rhodey had to help him mom pack for trip to visit his father.

With every skip, Pepper let out a small laugh. She began humming a rhythm to herself. It was a Friday, so obviously she would be overly excited. Suddenly she stopped. There was someone behind her, she knew. There was a strange tingle sensation on her neck, the same one she got when her mother had been murdered from behind.

"Hello?" Pepper called. She noticed no one behind her. And in order to escape a heist or a random kidnap, she sprinted to her apartment.

She dug for her keys in her coat pocket. Once her fingers wrapped around the small metal, she tried sticking it into the keyhole, but with the fear in her heart, the key trembled in her hands. She finally managed to stick it into the hole. And with a desperate urge she shoved open the door and ran into her apartment. Shutting the door behind her, she locked it and ran into her room. With a small shiver she exhaled out a sigh.

The armory was thankfully still on, meaning Tony was inside. Running through the front doors she ran inside before running into Tony. He let out a grunt before grabbing her shoulders to steady her.

"Pepper? Hey… Pepper look at me. What's wrong? You look pale. You okay?" Tony held her firmly by the shoulders and shook her. Pepper looked back at the entrance of the armory, and then focused back on Tony.

"What? Oh I'm okay!" Pepper said, forcing on a smile. Tony suddenly glared at her. He lifted up his thumb and ran it on the underside of her eyes. When he removed his thumb, he showed it to her. On his thumb there was a stray tear on it.

"That doesn't make it okay. Pepper what's wrong? Is it your dad?" Tony asked suddenly serious. Her father had been gone for a long time, a couple of week's maybe. Tony knew how Pepper felt about her father. If anything happened to him, she would become something like this. Whether it was a sprained ankle, gun wound, or something, Pepper would look as though she had seen a ghost.

"No… Tony… I-I think I'm being followed." Pepper sounded dumb even to herself. It sounded as though she was reading a book, or a sentence on an article. There was no way Tony would believe her.

But Tony did. His arms fell to his sides, and he said, "Computer, put the armory in lock down mode." Instantly, the armory's entrances and exits sealed shut with a tight metal door. "Who? Who's following you? WHO PEPPER?" Tony was serious, dead serious.

"I don't know. Tony, I mean well it happened like a week ago." She responded. She had no idea what happened next. She felt a sharp sting on her cheek.

"A WEEK PEPPER? A WEEK!" Tony had slapped her. Pepper looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You slapped me. Tony, you slapped me." She said. But, Tony's face didn't go down a shade of red. It seemed to get angrier.

"WHY WOULDN'T I? WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO YOU? WHAT IF YOU-" He sucked in a breath. He took Pepper's arms and gave a sharp tug. Pepper gasped and flew into his arms. Her head landed on his chest. He secured his lean arms around her. "What if you died Pepper. I don't want anything happening to you." He pulled away.

"I don't know who it is. I think someone was following me. I don't know if someone was, but I felt it as though someone was there."

…

Tony ended up searching nearly every street and police scanners for evidence of Pepper's "follower." Everything came up negative, and there seemed to be no sign of anyone. But Tony had no doubt that Pepper had been followed. He knew that feeling, it happened to him plenty of times before, and so he wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Suddenly, there was a boom, from outside the armory. And then a sharp ring that sounded familiarly like a gunshot. "Tony…" Pepper said getting up from her coach. She carefully backtracked from her spot and moved towards Tony.

Tony, however, got up and ran to his armor. He let the familiar red and gold suit mold onto his body. "Pepper get behind me!" He yelled at her. She did what she was told and cowered behind him, hoping to stay safe. The door kept making sounds, threatening to be broken if someone didn't stop it.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Tony had to blast at it to prevent the shards from hitting them. Then someone, huge and dark walked in. He was wearing complete black except for the small circular part on his chest, it was a red circle.

"Who are you?" Tony asked him, aiming his repulsor beam at him.

"I'm here for Patricia Anne Potts."