Pepper Potts stands speechless wondering if what's she's looking at right now is real, or just a figment of her imagination. She thinks 'oh my god' then seriously reconsiders that thought because she doesn't want this to be real, but nonetheless she still accepts the fact that what she sees right now is in fact, completely and utterly real. She's quiet for about two more minuets before the person she's looking at turns around, and when he does, she swear that she nearly blacked out.

"Pepper?" He speaks. He has a quizzical look on his face. She's pissed now because without even realizing it, SHIELD has just given her a contract to assassinate him. And she'd taken it without even knowing. And now she want to cry because she feels incredibly stupid. She's wearing a fake military costume as a disguise, and it isn't untill now that she's realized that, she's still aiming the eotech machine gun in her hands at him, and that she just can't put it down.

"Gene" his name is only a whisper on her lips. Unable to fully cope with what she has to do, she has an internal battle with herself about whether she should do it or not. In the end, then she's made up her mind.

"What are you doing?" He asks slowly lifting his hands. Behind him, the living laser hesitates, then does the same, and lastly she woman behind him follows.

Pepper can't help but stare at the woman. She looks so familiar, yet like a complete stranger. She's got the feeling that she knows this woman, but brushes it off for the time being.

"What am I doing?" She asks incredulously. Though the question is more for herself, she looks at him mouth frowned in a grimace. She tightens her grip on the gun. "What am I doing? What are YOU doing!?"

"Pepper I..."

"Stop talking!" She's pissed. She's beyond pissed. She want to shoot all three of them, it wouldn't be the first time she's killed someone, but she holds back on that thought. "Can you believe.." She's choking on her own words now, tears on the verge of spilling.

"Can you believe... I've just taken a contract to kill you... Without even knowing I did!" She couldn't hold it back any longer, and she lets the tears spill. "I.. I.. I can't even believe myself right now. But never mind me! What the Fuck are YOU doing?!"

"Pepper let me explain."

"I trusted you with my life, you saved me, you betrayed me, and yet you still cared for me! I still loved you even after you tried to kill us, how do you think we felt afterwards. Tony and Rhodey hated you, they hated your guts, but I never did. I've always thought you were a good guy Gene, I really did, but now I see the truth. I see right through you."

"PEPPER!" That shut her up for a moment. In all of her years she'd known Gene, he'd never raised his voice at her, sure he'd get mad at her sometime, but he'd always managed to have a calm demeanor.

The room is eerily quiet, and she's still holding the gun. Gene lowers his hands. Slowly, he takes a step forward.

"Pepper" his voice is much softer now, sweeter that honey even. "Remember that park we used to see everyday when I'd walk you home?" He's recalling a memory from eight years ago, when she was just seventeen and he eighteen. They'd just got out of school, and it was the first actually day they'd really spent time together. Pepper doesn't want to remember anything, so before he decides to go into detail, she nods solidly. "That was the first time I found out that I loved you." She knows this. They'd gotten to her house only to find out that her father wasn't home, but instead, out on a mission in only god known. Eventually she'd wound up asking him to stay for dinner, and dinner indeed up with them kissing and her leading him up to her room. That night they'd made love for the first time, and even though he'd stopped attending the Tomorrow Academy he'd never ceased to call her every night. They'd talked for two years, then he'd just stopped calling to tell her goodnight, and asking how her day was. He'd stopped altogether.

"Why did you stop?" She's whispering, not trusting her voice. And he's taking two more steps.

"Pepper... I never stopped." He takes two more steps, his hands are in his pockets now. "Even thought I haven't been calling, I've been watching you everyday." Two more steps. "I know that every night you stare at the ceiling thinking about the what if's. Thinking about what if I hadn't betrayed you. About what if I hadn't left." Another step. "About what if I had stayed with you." Now he's right in front of her. "About what if you'd told me you loved me before I left."

He's staring at her now. She feels vulnerable, because it's eyes are the windows into the soul, and she know that he's gazing into her soul right now. She knows, and she doesn't wan him to, but she can't look away. And now she's noticed that she's lowered her gun. She has no protection now.

She wants to speak. To tell him she love him again. His face is so close to hers, so close that she wants to drop the gun altogether and kiss him. But instead she lowers her head to the ground as if she's searching for answers upon it. She finds none though.

She listens. Listens to the sounds of the metal safe room they're in. Listens to the sounds of her heart beat. Listens to the sounds of his breathing. And now that he gently lifts her chin, she remembers there are two other people in the room.

"I love you pepper." His lips are mere millimeters away from her own. "I don't want you to get hurt. I need you to leave." She doesn't want to go, but if she leaves she'll fail her mission, and pepper pots isn't one to fail, let alone let her emotions get the best of her. But in this case, she does anyway.

"Will I see you again?" They're whispers are so soft to one another that they can barely hear then theirselves, but he does.

"Yes." That's one word undoes her, and so does the feel of his warm breath fanning over her lips. She kisses him. Hard. It's a mixture of passion, love, and her tears. And she knows she shouldn't give in, but when her lips press against his, the feeling is extremely intense. When they finally let go of each other what feels like ages later, her ears sure ringing and he's whispering things to her. She doesn't know what he's saying, but she knows that his mouth is moving and she can't stop starring at his lips. Her brain comes back online to catch the last of what he's saying, and what she hears excites her.

"... I'll find you." That's all she needs to hear and remember before he's ushering her out of the door.

She leaves thinking about him. Her mission. And she remembers that, shit, She never found out who that woman was, or what Gene was doing in there with the living laser. But the most important this was that, she didn't kill him.

'Oh well.' She thinks. 'I could always tell HQ i lost him'