Arthur's note: It has been awhile since I have decided to write any kind of fan fiction. This is my first Iron Man fiction by the way so be nice! This might just be a one shot or I might slowly add more chapters. Depends how much you guys enjoy it! So always please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Iron Man or the Characters, sadly.

Pepper Potts had recently taken up the habit of falling a sleep well before three in the morning and sleeping well past ten in the morning. The redhead, at the moment was curled up in her own bed fast asleep, you could say the last three months had been Hell. Minus the fact Obi Stane was breathing down her neck every second of the day and minus the endless nights. The fact that her long time friend and long time boss was missing only added to that. It had taken her three months to stop waiting for the phone call that never would come. It took three months to finally come to terms that Tony Stark was never coming home to her. Sure Stark wasn't the best boss, friend or even co-worker; he drank way too much and slept around with every girl he had his eye on.

At the moment her blackberry started to ring pulling her from the much-needed sleep, the red head let it go to voice mail. Then it started to ring again. Pepper groaned rolling over she picked up the phone. Not trying to be nice at all to whoever was on the other end. "It is four in the morning so this better be good." she said trying to fight the haze of sleep.

"Pepper..."

That was all she heard before sitting up in bed. For a moment she felt dizzy and wondered if this was a dream. "Tony?" she breathed into the phone feeling her heart beat wildly against her chest. This couldn't be happening not now, not after she had finally let him go.

"The one and only." Tony laughed into the phone. He sounded as tired as Pepper felt at the moment. "I wanted to give you a call letting you know I am safe and coming home to you..." there was a pause like he wanted to say something else but decided against it. "Rhodey is saying we will be home around nine in the morning." Tony took a sharp breath. "Can you meet us there?" Tony asked in a low voice now.

The more her former boss spoke the more she started to pick up on something. He was keeping something from her. "Tony, are you okay? Are you in one piece?" Pepper choked out feeling the tears running down her cheeks.

The thing was Tony Stark was not coming home the same man as when he left. No the glowing Arc on his chest stopped that along with a couple of other things. But no matter how much he fought it Tony wasn't the same at all. "Peps I am fine. I will see you around nine in the morning." There was more he wanted to say but couldn't seem to find those words before hanging up on his PA.

Pepper sat there in bed letting the blackberry slip from her fingers. This wasn't happening. Tony couldn't be alive and he couldn't be coming home to, "To me." those words seem to haunt her now. A year ago she would have given anything to hear those words leave his lips. But now she didn't want to hear that Tony was coming home for her or anything like that. Her dark eyes fall on the sleeping form next to her with a sigh. No Pepper Potts had given up on her boss months back or had she? She still got the sudden wave of butterflies and dizzy feeling when she heard his voice. Maybe the red head wasn't ready to give up on Tony after all.

"Happy, we better think about getting up. Tony is back." She reached over shaking the male and all she got was a soft groan from Happy Hogan.

Happy took the red head's hand kissing it softly. "I figured that much." He sighed looking up at her as he opened his eyes. "Pepper I think we can get a bit more sleep before we have to really get up." A playful smile pulled on his lips as he pulled Pepper back down on the bed. There was no complaint from Pepper at the moment as she kissed Happy. Even though deep down her mind was off thinking about someone else.

Arthur's note: That wasn't so bad was it! PLEASE Review and tell me what you think!