"No! No!" Pepper squirmed trying to break free from the man's grasp. "Jerry stop! Let me go!" She cried out, tears streaming down her face.

A, very drunk, Jerry McBride had his ,whom he thought, lover pinned to the floor of her apartment, after breaking through the floor. It was true, Pepper was once his lover for about three years. The first year was magical and then it started turning into a nightmare. Jerry would come back completely drunk and angry about something. And it usually involved Pepper staying late with Tony at the offices, when there was a legitimate reason for her to stay...She didnt want to go home. Jerry somewhat declared that he was allowed to just show up when he pleased, whether or not she was home.

She managed to squirm away from him and run, to where in her little apartment she had no idea. She just ran until she couldn't anymore. Ending up in her bedroom she snatched up her phone from her nightstand she called the only person she knew that could help her. "Come on Tony goddam you pick up the phone" She hissed through her tears.

"OOOOOhhhh, Come on Ginny baby. Dont be like thaat" Jerry slurred from the hallway as he stumbled over his feet, knocking into the wall.

"Come on Tony" She whimpered and ran for the door slamming it shut and putting all of her weight against it, anchoring her bare feet down on the hardwood. Jerry was a good 190 pounds of pure muscle and alcohol.

Tony heard his phone ringing and Jarvis chimed in, "Sir, Miss Potts is calling" Everything at the tower so calm and serene compared to what Tony was about to get himself into. Leaning on his R8 he picked up. Hearing a pounding on the other end. "Jeeze Pep did you but dial me again?" He mused his smile wiped right off his face when he heard a scream. "Pepper" He stood up from his car.

"Tony help me!" She cried just before the door was thrown open and she with it, sliding across the floor her phone skidding under the bed. "TONY!" She cried in fear and Tony's skin went red hot. Getting in the first thing he was near, and unfortunately it wasn't the suit, but his car. The tires screeching for traction he was speeding out onto the busy manhattan streets, less traffic now at two AM. But people on the streets still honked and their tires screeched to a halt to avoid an accident with probably the most expensive lawsuit on the road.

Pepper, thanks to her kick boxing lessons, managed to fight him off enough to try and get to her phone again but the more she fought against Jerry, the angrier and irate he got, using his size and build to his advantage against the lean redhead. By this point, Pepper was struggling to get back to her knees, her knees! Not even making an effort to get to her feet. She just wanted to crawl away, but she could barely see out of her right eye. The blood clouding her eye from a well placed sock to the face. "Come on now honey. It doesn't have to be like this." He purred and practically threw her onto the bed and she cried out in pain, her whole body aching and burning. Jerry climbed over her, straddling her and yanking her lower to make it the way he wanted.

"Jerry..please" She begged him, tears slipping from her eyes, and blood coming from her right eye tainted her tears. "Stop" She cried softly begging him still to get off her and leave her alone. Jerry pinned her wrists down, her left one in a way that pained her and she cried out trying to pull from him. But it only hurt more until finally there was a sickly pop. And she screamed out in pain, more of his weight bared down down on her broken wrist.

"Pepper!" He cried out just as he got to her door, which was swung open and tilted slightly on the hinges. Showing the forced entry. "Pepper you in here!?" He called, his chest tight with fear. He was scared to death that he wasn't going to find anything; which meant she was taken. Hearing a terrified and painful scream Tony picked his head up and ran for it, running to the back of her apartment following the screams. Seeing a huge frame over Pepper in her bed his steps became stronger as he ran at the guy like a linebacker. Leaping at him, the two muscular bodies collided like two quarterbacks on the football field with a sickly thump.

The two rolled off Pepper's bed and onto the floor. Not even knowing who this guy was, Tony assumed that he was some burglar who's motives changed the moment he saw Pepper in her silky pajama shorts and matching spaghetti strap top. Tony grabbed the guys collar and slammed him into the hardwood floor. The smell of booze hitting him told him that this guy was drunk, but Tony's fist that hovered above his face ready to strike like a cobra, sobered him up right quick. "Stark" He chuckled grinning like an idiot. "You come to join the party? Just about to tie her up" He sneered and it set Tony crazy, like a guard dog let off the leash. "You sick son of a bitch" He growled and his fist uncoiled colliding with his nose feeling it crunch under his knuckles, the guy yelling out in pain before kicking Tony in his stomach throwing him off and moving in to have a swing at him. "Pepper call the cops!" Tony called over to her holding this guy's fists back losing his grip a few times and getting hit.

After a while, Tony managed to gain control again, and gave the guy a well placed head butt knocking him off. Getting back to his feet, Tony growled and gave him a nice swift kick where he deserved it. The two hundred pounds of muscle curled into the tightest ball Tony's ever seen. "Oh yeah, I know that hurt" Tony sneered and wiped his mouth of the blood. Tony walked up to his face and kicked him square in the jaw. No one, touched Pepper like that and got away with it. He had no idea that this guy was like this, but boy did Pepper have a story to tell him. Turning back he saw Pepper grasping her wrist, and a stream of blood down the right side of her face.

"My god.." He was taken by the sight now that he could stop and see her. Her right eye was swollen shut, blood seeping through it, cuts and bruises all over her body. Pepper looked over with her one salvaged eye and without a word she rounded the bottom of the bed and walked right into Tony sobbing into his chest. Her attacker on his back and barely conscious but Tony kept his body between him and her. Slowly wrapping her up in his arms, careful not to squeeze her but she was safe now. "Sh, sh. You're alright. You're safe now. I got you" He whispered and stroked her hair gently. Leaving the scum bag to the cops before letting her go to be taken to the hospital, where he stayed by her side the entire time, bringing her change of clothes so she wasn't so exposed after taking her other clothes. Despite his hate of hospitals, he stayed by her side. He's got her