Chapter 1: R2
Anyone as excited as I am? It's been over a YEAR since I finished Run one of my old favorite stories in my arsenal. I was randomly going through my stories, and I saw it and was like, "Wasn't there supposed to be a sequel to this?" And there was supposed to be one! So here is your early Christmas gift, with hopefully plenty more to come. I was going to do a little challenge but for now…. Here's your present.
If you have read Run you know about that little surprise I left in the end. And here I am to continue this journey with Tony, Pepper, and Janice with, hopefully, another chapter story! But if you haven't read it, please go ahead and read it before taking a gander at this. I mean… I suppose you'll know every detail you need from this story, because I'll be sure to help you guys remember, but do go ahead and read the original. Just a warning, the story is a little hard to understand (my writing style has changed over the years… hehe).
Alright… let's get this show on the road.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my story.
"I have a message."
"It's Janice. She's still alive."
Tony's heart fluttered in his chest as he remembered the chilling words he heard month ago. He lay in bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling, for the billionth time this week. Since it was summer, he rarely went outside, especially after the whole ordeal with Janice. Pepper was almost the same, but she managed to move around on her own, since really her mother wasn't looking to kill her.
He turned in bed, looking down at the wrist that was broken a month ago. It looked like brand new thanks to his new healing arc reactor. Dr. Yinsen was being sarcastic when he said his next attack would keep him from getting hurt, when in reality he was basically telling Tony to stop freaking getting into trouble that involves the one device that's keeping him alive.
There was only a phantom pain that remained from his injury (plus the other million that were scattered around his body). There was a shrill ring, which caused Tony to jump. His body fell into adrenaline mode quickly, anticipating an attack. "Calm down, Stark." He scolded, but couldn't ignore the fact that his hand was protectively covering his arc reactor.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Tony. It's Pepper. How are you?"
Tony relaxed, instantly calmed from hearing his girlfriend's voice. "I'm fine. How are you?"
He heard a shuffle and a grunt. "Fine. Just packing my room up. That is before the moving truck comes in a little bit." Tony smacked his forehead, completely forgetting the afternoon plans. "You are getting your house ready right? I mean… you said I could move in there."
A week after the message, and school, Tony had asked Pepper to move into the Stark Mansion. Her father was dead, and her mother was out there, so he felt Pepper would be safer with him at the mansion instead of her by herself at her apartment.
And he completely forgot about it.
"Oh yeah. Yeah, it's totally ready… I'm just, um… not there right now."
There was a slight pause. "Well, I just taped up my last box. And I should be over there a little after noon."
"Don't worry, Pepper. I got this in the bag. I'll see you in a bit." And he hung up the phone. Tony scrambled from his bed at the Rhodes's house and fled down the hallways, already pulling on his backpack. Once he was outside, he pushed his center, and flew off in his armored suit.
He landed on the rooftop of his mansion and asked his computer to scan the perimeter. "Is it clean of Janice Potts's signature?"
"Yes sir." The AI responded a moment after. Tony fidgeted in his suit, not being able to shake an uneasy feeling.
"Extend the search to a 25-mile radius."
"No Janice Potts's signature found. But Patricia Potts's reading is headed to this location."
At last, he retracted his suit, and headed down the stairs to the main floor. He really did clean up the house a week ago, after learning that Pepper would be moving in. He even installed a high security system in the mansion, enabling that not even an ant could enter the house without detailed reading from his AI. If a signature matched any villain, or "bad guy" on the police radar, and that signature entered his house, the mansion would electrify the windows, and get an automated Iron Man armor to attack the said villain.
He wouldn't deny that he was indeed paranoid. Not only for Pepper's safety, but for his too. He didn't want to be selfish, but he was afraid for his own health. Janice had broken him down so badly that he couldn't really work with many of his tools in the armory anymore. The inventor tried to work with them, but found that fear clamped too tightly around his heart.
Until either Janice was dead, or he found himself a good therapist, he was going to stick to his old fashioned tools to do any labor around the house or his armor.
He heard the doorbell ring, and after a satisfying subtle click from his AI's signature reading, he opened the door to welcome in his girlfriend. But instead of directly looking at her first, his eyes were scanning the outdoors, narrowing with dread.
Pepper threw herself into his arms, encircling her own around his neck. She pulled away and kissed him, making him temporarily forget his fears. "Hey!" She said happily. Tony smiled at her, and stepped aside for the moving men to place Pepper's boxes by the doorway. His ears still catching the subtle clicks, so he knew if they were not dangerous.
Tony pulled her into the kitchen and set out two mugs. "Coffee?" He knew that was the only thing that would really calm his rattled nerves. Regardless of how excited he was about the days plans with his girlfriend, the pressure of making sure they were safe was hard.
"Oh please. I was up early putting away some last minute stuff." She shrugged. "Like the usual." Tony chuckled, and poured them both a cup and handed her the mug. They sat in silence, observing the movers, while also mentally relaxing their bodies.
The last box arrived, and Pepper quickly signed some paperwork, and paid them as they set off. She sighed and took in the boxes around her. With her hands on her hip, she eyed each cardboard box carefully, trying to figure out what to do.
Tony came up behind her and rested his chin on her head. "How about I order pizza, and we get these boxes into a spare room?"
…
As they placed the last box in a room, Tony dusted his hands off on his jeans and sighed. "Not bad right?" He asked staring at their hard work. Pepper was sitting on the tallest box, her legs dangling from the edge, and her posture leaned back. She rested her head on the wall behind her and nodded, staring up at the ceiling.
"Thanks for letting me move in… again." She said, softly. Tony walked over to her and kissed her cheek. He knew she felt like she was a burden on him, much like how he felt when he moved in with Roberta and Rhodey. But like the Rhodes, he was welcoming of anyone wanting to live with him. This house was large enough to accommodate as such, so it was the least he could do to those he cared about.
"Of course, Pepper." He quickly went downstairs to grab their already cold pizza, and brought it back for the couple to fill their empty stomachs. They ate in silence, once again, not trying to think too much about the future and past. Tony's heart thumped regardless of how hard he tried to soothe it. Each bite out of his cheese pizza felt like his last, and he could see Pepper looking at him from the corner of his eye. She was still eating, but watching him carefully as though he was going to fall over and pass out any time soon.
She set down her plate and hopped off her perch. She took Tony's hands and pulled him to his feet, smiling up at him. "How about we get ready for bed?" Tony looked outside, shocked to see that the sun was gone and replaced by darkness.
"Were we really taking that long to pack up your boxes?"
Pepper scoffed. "They're not all that light. Besides, since it's dark we can watch some movies before we go to bed!" Tony nodded at the idea, pleased to have a presence other than his AI in his mansion. He actually didn't spend the night in the house, deciding to wait for his girlfriend to move in with him before he left the Rhodes's residence. Roberta was not keen on letting him live on his own, especially after his encounter with Janice. But after realizing Pepper was going to be with him, she decided it was better than nothing. Plus he needed to get a distraction, and who else was better than Pepper?
"That sounds fun." Tony responded as enthusiastically as he could. As they walked hand-in-hand towards the stairs, Tony suddenly stopped. Pepper looked back at him, her feet already touching the first step on the staircase. She looked at her hand and saw his hand tighten around her fingers, his knuckles going white.
"No." She said and quickly reached up to Tony and pulled him to her. "Tony. Tony, hey look at me. Tony!" She looked right into his blue orbs, trying to pull him from his flashback. She wasn't sure what triggered it, but whatever it was, it wasn't going to end well.
His knees buckled, but Pepper quickly caught him, lowering him to the ground. She braced his back against the pillar behind him, and held his face in her hands. "Tony! Snap out of it! She's not here!" She poured every amount of desperation she could muster into her words, to no avail.
His hand slowly came up at touched his heart monitor. Pepper removed her hands and looked with sudden understanding as he protectively laid his palm across the neon blue device. She sat back, feeling extremely exhausted. He was still terrified of what happened to him. She didn't blame him, of course, but she knew this would ride off eventually. The red-head sat with her boyfriend, waiting patiently for him to snap out of his daze as she cursed her mother over and over. She cursed her for hurting the love of her life, for hurting her, for killing her father, for endangering New York, for destroying Tony.
Suddenly, there were multiple blinks as the cloudy haze that covered Tony's eyes disappeared. There was a sudden gasp as he reoriented himself and pushed himself to his feet. "I'm sorry." He said, shaking his head. "I'm so sorry."
Pepper said nothing but quickly gave him a hug, wrapping her arms around his torso and laying her head on his chest. "Shh… Just shh… It's okay." He had these phases every so often. And honestly, his attacks were much worst at the beginning, often happening every day of the week. But after a while, it trickled down to once a week. It was an improvement, but to see him like a broken toddler hurt those who loved him.
"Where are you sleeping tonight?" Tony asked, suddenly.
Pepper looked taken aback. "Uh… The spare spare room." She was referring to the guest bedroom that was basically her own room. Anytime she visited Tony at his mansion, she would crash in the bedroom, which was coincidentally right next to his.
Tony looked uncomfortable as he shuffled his feet. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it as if reconsidering. But finally, he let out a sigh,"Would… would you mind sleeping with me? Tonight?" Just tonight… it won't have to be tomorrow or the day after…" His eyes showed no desperation or plead.
"Of course." There was no hesitation as the words spilled from her lips. And seeing his relieved face made her happy she didn't listen to her skeptical subconscious that felt a little uncomfortable with sleeping with the genius in the same bed.
…
Tony was already settled in bed, the sheets covering his bare legs. He had his laptop out, surveying the police security lineup. His eyes scanned over the faces and names of the inmates, and the wanted, making sure his brain stored every information possible.
He heard Pepper changing in the bathroom, and getting ready for bed. He hadn't actually expected her to say yes, because it wasn't the easiest decision. Tony blinked, recalling his memory once again. He remembered so vividly how he grabbed Janice's wrist and shoved into his own heart. The pain he felt was unbelievable, and for a moment he actually believed that his heart was getting fried and he was gonna die. Well, technically he did until Dr. Yinsen got him back.
The genius felt anxiety wrapping around his chest, squeezing, and before it got the best of him, he heard the bathroom door open. Pepper walked out with her oversized shirt on, brushing her hair on the side. Tony immediately closed the laptop lid and set it beside him on the nightstand.
"Hey." He said, crossing his hands on his lap. Pepper set the brush on her nightstand, and pulled back the covers, jumping into bed.
She brushed a few strands that came undone and smiled at him. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Better."
She frowned. "That's all I'm going to get? A 'better'. No, 'Spectacular Pepper! Just like you, because you're the best girlfriend ever!'?"
Tony and Pepper stared at each other, before they started to laugh. Tony shook his head, adjusting himself in the sheets. "Well then… spectacular Pepper. Just like you, because you truly are the best girlfriend in the whole wide world." He saw her blush a bright red as she grinned and bit her lip.
"Well, I didn't say all that."
"Yeah well I did." Tony leaned across to her and placed a warm kiss on her lips. "Thank you. Thank you really."
She breathed in deeply, keeping her face close to his, "You'd do the same for me."
"Yes I would. In a heart beat." Tony sat back up, stretching his arms. He let out a yawn and heard his girlfriend do the same. "Wanna call it a night?"
He saw her nod, yawning again. "I think so. I thought about a movie, but I'm too tired. Moving takes a lot out of ya, doesn't it?"
Tony smiled, shrugging. "I had fun." He pulled up the covers and lowered himself onto the mattress. The bed shifted as Pepper did the same after pulling on the lamp cord to submit the room into darkness. She inched her way towards Tony, and thought for only a second before wrapping her arm around his waist.
They fell asleep, peaceful and happy.
…..
The sound of a high pitched alarmed aroused the two teens. Tony's eyes widened in panic as the house's alarm screamed at him. Pepper was up beside him, her hands covering her ears and her eyes wide in panic. "What's going on?" She screamed.
Tony didn't say anything, but threw off his sheets and ran into the living room. His heart hammered as he could only think of the worst. Janice. Janice. Janice.
He surveyed the living room and stood frozen in shock at the broken glass that scattered along the floor by the backyard window. "Turn off the alarm." He said, loud enough for his AI to hear. Almost instantly the shriek disappeared and left the house in an uncomfortable silence.
Pepper ran up next to him, wrapping her arm around his. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"Someone broke the glass." Tony said, pointing at the window. "And these can't be broken, not with…" He walked closer to the damage and scanned around the debris. Pepper walked beside him but kept a watchful eye around the area as well, picking up some clues if she could.
"A rock?" Pepper said at last. She bent down and picked up a rock the size of her palm. Tony took it from her grasps and turned it over in his hands. There was white paint on the other side with words scribbled across the uneven surface. Pepper say and looked up at him. "What does it say?"
Tony's hand quivered as his heart plummeted. "It— It says…"
"Tony… what does it say?"
He looked out the broken window, finally realizing that no amount of protective measure he took would protect him or Pepper. That no matter what he did, it could be undone. He was going to die, and that woman or person or whatever, would make sure he did.
"It said… 'I'm back.'"
Here's your little preview! ;) Hope you liked it! It does set the scene a little, and reiterate some stuff that we already know. It has been a year, so gotta make sure my readers know what happened! I am so excited to do a sequel, as I've never done one before! At least, not a full blown second story!
I know I have other stories to update, but what better time than now to put up a BRAND NEW idea! I'm still now sure how it will all pan out with this, but I do hope it will be long and just as exciting as the first story. Plus hopefully… HOPEFULLY, Janice will be out of the picture.
Anyway… it's the BEST TIME OF THE YEAR! Who loves December?! I love Christmas time, because to me it's more about giving, family, and joy. So hope you guys have a fantastic break, day, week, month, and I'll catch y'all on the next update.
As always… REVIEW!
Love PercyJacksonLover14.