Pepper Potts strawberry blond head peaked into her office, only to find a very handsome man with coal black hair and chocolate brown eye sitting behind her desk his hands speeding across her key board every few seconds his eyes darting from the computer screen to a pad sitting next to his right elbow. "Mr. Starke what are you doing?" peppers demanded, her arms crossing over her chest. Tony Starke typed for a few more seconds before looking up at her, he leaned back away from the computer one sturdy hand remaining on the desk drumming away, "tell me about this e-mail" he said in a baritone voice send chills down her spine "which e-mail sir?" she asked a nervous crack to her voice, she swore one of his eyebrows raised when she spoke. In response he leaned forward and turned her computer screen around to face her. She glanced at it and her face fell "oh" she said, "that one". He nodded turning around, she could feel the tension thickening, "and tell me why did you delete it instead of sending it to me" he asked still in that utter calm deep voice. "Because I don't want you to do it sir," she said simply, her small hands wring each other in nervous anticipation. "Sorry to disappoint Miss Potts but I'm going to do it, I'm going to go back there," he said a tired edge creeping into his voice; the chair creaked as he turned back around.

She looked up to find him looking at her, a worn expression etched into his eyes. Before she new it her face was in his rough hands, his eyes staring into hers, he leaned forward their lips met her eyes widened for a moment then closed, her hands wrapped in his hair. His arms pulled her in close to him. The kiss was deep and gentle longing and insecurity seeped from each other until nothing was left but pure bliss. He pulled away, breaking the kiss, and Pepper looked up at him, she knew it was wrong to be in his arms but it felt so right to her. "It's good to know that somebody's at home waiting, makes sure that I come home too," he stated a smile creeping onto his face, "god your beautiful" he said quietly to her, she was taken by surprise by the comment, there was no hint of any come on or flirting, he truly meant what he said. She began to smile, and stood on her toes placing a soft kiss on his cheek then broke from his grasp and turned around so he couldn't see the blush rising on her face. His hand found hers and he squeezed it once before pulling the door open and walking out, into the secretarial office. Pepper looked properly worried, she looked back to the computer screen and sighed turning it back around on its swivel neck.

The next few days if anyone at the office noticed the growing tension between them, almost no one commented on it, not even behind their backs. It was clear Pepper Potts was off her game, and Tony was being extremely professional his eyes almost cold when he looked in her direction, and her expression clearly hurt no matter how impassive she tried to be about it. One day an older secretary came up to Pepper "honey what's going on between you two?" she asked. "Nothing" Pepper answered her voice cracked. The older women heard it, and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Did you sleep with him?" she asked. Pepper's head turned toward the elder woman, "no I did not!" she snapped.

"Then why the tension around you two?" the other woman asked. Pepper sighed and leaned back "I check all of his e-mails and I read one that requested him to do a live interview in the place where he was held captive… I didn't think he should do it so I deleted it," she said. The elder secretary smiled at her "men are difficult honey, but they know how for they can go, at least that man does" she said referring to Tony. Pepper smiled at the woman "thank you but I still don't feel right about this." "You may not want him to do this and I know your worried, hell we all are, but I think he feels that its time to adjust and move on, and the only way he'd be able to do that is go back, see it again and realize that what happened is in the past that things and people are constantly changing. Speaking of which have you ever wondered why he keeps you so close?" with that the woman left, Pepper confused and unsure sighed and put her head in her hands fighting back tears of frustration, she had never felt so confused before.

He stood in front of the mirror straitening his black tie for the ump tenth time, he growled and pulls it off throwing it at the mirror. It landed in the sink draped over the faucet, Tony sighed and slumped over, head bent. Pepper had left earlier in the evening a sad look on her face. He looked back up at him self his face was pail brown eyes looked haunted, on a spur of the moment he unbuttons his top two buttons and takes off his jacket leaving rumpled on the bathroom floor. He checked his watch and sighed 30 minutes before he had to be at the airport to meet Rhodey, pepper already said she was not going. He looked at his bags he reached over and dumped the one with clothing out, if he was going to go back to his hellhole, damn it he was going to do it in comfort. He repack throwing in torn jeans, grease stained t-shirts, old sneakers, cotton pajamas, and an old M.I.T sweater. Smiling at his bag he looked at his watch again and notice he was late, "damn," he muttered grabbing his bags and running out to meet happy who was on the phone with someone "no I wont… never mind here he is." "Who was it?" Tony asked. "Pepper, sir, she wanted me to make you reconsider." Happy said snapping the phone shut. "She's not happy about this is she?" Tony asked, sliding into the back of the car.

"No she isn't sir."

"What about you, Happy?"

"Not my place, sir"

"Oh common."

"Fine, I think it's stupid, holding the interview back there" happy said thrusting his thumb over his shoulder.

" I know, but I … I want to make sure that it was real, you know, make sure it wont come back."

" I understand, sir, just want to make sure this isn't a publicity stunt."

"Maybe it is, I'm not really sure myself, Harold."

"Right…you gonna be okay?"

"I hope so, I really hope so." The rest of the car ride was in relatively comfortable silence.

The car pulled up along side the plane Rhodey stood in the hatchway of the plane his cell phone to his ear eyebrows nit together. When Tony waved at him from the car side he snapped the phone shut looking like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Tony smiled and greeted his friend as he ascended the steps to the plane. "Pepper?" he asked. Colonel James Rhodes nodded sheepishly a blush creeping up his dark cheeks, Tony chuckled ducking his head as he stepped into the plane, and was met with cool air. Instead of being comforted he shivered his nerves where wearing thin and it hadn't even started. He sighed and dropped down into the double length davenport, laying back eyes closed. Oh god what was he doing? He needed a drink, he stood in front of the bar, hands around the scotch bottle, shaking. He promised himself no drinking, but what was one little drink? He spun around scotch in hand he stepped back out of the cabin on to the stairs "Heads up!" he called launch the bottle into the air and watch in satisfaction as it soared through the air to crash into the concrete a good hundred yards away. Satisfied he turned away and went back into the plain.

Rhodey came up to him as the plain was taking off, "what was in the bottle you threw?" he asked. "oh, nothing really just scotch" Tony said with mock boredom shrugging his shoulders.

"Why?"

"To keep a promise."

"What kind of promise?"

"An important one," Tony replied shrugging of the question.

"Tony why are you avoiding my questions?'

"Because you ask to many." Tony said standing up and walking to the back of the plain. Rhodey sighed watching his friend leave. He understood why Tony was doing, going back, facing his nightmares, he just hoped that Tony could handle it, and that the weather would hold out long enough.