I wrapped my arms around my small body for warmth as I walked the cold New York streets, alone. The wind only made things worse. My stomach grumbled. The last time I'd eaten was yesterday, around lunch time. It was 7:00 now, and dark outside. I passed many homeless people, shivering and asking for money. I felt bad for them, despite the fact that I was no different from them. No home, no money, hungry. You're probably wondering why, right? An 18 year old girl fresh out of high school shouldn't be in this position. But she is. I thought about the last time I ate, which was also the last time I had seen my parents. My mouth salivated as I thought of the spaghetti my mom had made .Yesterday, my house was blown up and my parents were killed by some weird robot. So now I was on my own. I had no siblings, no family close by, and my best friend had just moved to Ohio. So last night I slept in the park. By a tree. And yes, it was freezing. I had no idea where I was sleeping tonight, considering I was miles away from that park I had shortly called home. Then I came across the rich part of town. That's also when the chaos began. I heard lots of explosions, and I think a gunshot. I turned the corner to see a huge building made entirely of glass that was almost completely shattered. Police cars were everywhere. Then I saw HIM. The one who had killed my parents. Left me with nothing. Ruined my life. He was fighting with none other than Iron Man. He had been all over the press recently. I used to think he was alright; bringing world peace and all, but now I completely hated him. He wasn't there when I needed him. He could have saved them. He saved the whole entire world, but he couldn't save my parents. Some hero. Anyway, the two were battling it out, complete with lasers and explosives. A lady who looked like she was in her mid-30s was screaming and trying to find shelter. It was utter chaos.

And I had just walked right into the middle of it.

I decided the best thing to do was get out of here. it was too late. Because the killer had shot an explosive straight at my face. Luckily, I ducked. But the impact from the explosion had blown me backward and I landed on my back. It hurt.

I got up and then felt something wet on my back. I looked back and realized I had landed on a million shards of broken glass. It was blood. Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was that screaming lady. She had to yell just to be heard clearly. "Oh my god are you ok!" I didn't say anything. "Come on, I know where to find shelter." I just nodded and followed her, knowing it was my only option if I wanted to stay alive. She put her arm around me to support me as we walked in the wind. I guess I was looking pretty bad. The explosions never stopped, and every now and then we would stumble from the impact.

Finally we made it around the building, where a helicopter was waiting for us. Wait...what? I was starting to wonder if I should even get on. I had no idea who this woman was, or why she had a helicopter.

I stopped.

"What's wrong?" she said. "Aren't you coming?"

I studied her face. Wait...I know who she is. She's Pepper Potts, assistant to freaking Tony Stark.

"Of course you are," she said while pulling me towards the helicopter. "You need medical attention."

I was about to break out and run, but then a sharp pain grew in my back and I realized I was still bleeding. I sighed in defeat and followed her in.

Normally I'd be nervous to go on a helicopter; this would be my first time. However, life was anything but normal at the moment.

I groaned in pain as the blood became more fluid and I felt the twinge in my back. Pepper, sitting next to me, put a hand on my shoulder and said, "Just hang in there, just a little bit longer..." I noticed her leg shaking in anxiety.

"I'm fine; it just hurts a little bit..."

"Oh, I know..." she said while rubbing my arm.

Why was she doing this? She didn't even know me. She was rich. She and Tony had everything. And I had nothing.

But I wasn't complaining. Just wondering.

About 5 minutes later we arrived at a hospital, where I was rushed in and cared for. It was pretty much all a blur, but I do remember taking some x-rays and being given a shot.

I woke up in the hospital bed much later, very groggy and drained. I was hooked up to some tubes. My back didn't hurt as much and I wasn't covered in blood anymore. I looked at the digital alarm clock next to me. It said 1:47. Pepper sat in a chair in the corner of the room, doing something on her smartphone. She looked up at me and saw I was awake. She smiled tiredly and got up to sit on my bed.

"Hey, how you doing?"

"Fine. Better." I noticed my voice was very weak and raspy.

"That's good." She looked around.

"The doctor said you broke some bones and lost a lot of blood. But don't worry, you're ok now. You just need some rest."

I nodded. "Am I staying here tonight?"

"It would be in your best interest. But, don't you think you should call your family? Let them know you're ok? They must be worried sick!"

I bit my lip. "Um, yeah..."

"Here," she said, handing me her phone.

I took it hesitantly. I eyed her nervously. Then I just broke out crying. I never really did let it out yet; I was too mad and in shock to cry back then.

The look on Pepper's face made me feel so bad for putting her through this, but I too stressed and frazzled to hold it all in.

"Oh, honey, what's...what's the matter?" She had now moved in closer and was stroking my dark hair.

"My...it's just...they're...they're dead..."

She searched my eyes.

"You don't have anyone, do you?"

I shook my head and continued crying my eyes out.

She hugged me. And hugged me. While I sat there and cried. I had to admit it was a little weird being so emotional with someone I had just met, but I think this someone had just saved my life, in more ways than one. And for that, I was very grateful.

I slept until 11:00 the next morning. Pepper had suggested staying with me, but I insisted she go home and just come back in the morning. I had put her through enough. I tried to get up, but it hurt too much. So I fell back onto the bed and sighed. I was also starving. I still hadn't eaten for two days. My pleas were then answered as Pepper and a young nurse walked in. The nurse carried a plate of oatmeal and some toast. Pepper was busily talking on her phone, but hung up after a good 2 minutes. She came over to me as I ate.

"Morning," she said gently as she patted my arm.

"Hi," I said, chewing.

"So, listen, I was thinking, you're in no condition to be by yourself...and...Do you have anywhere to stay?"

"No. My house was blown up."

"I'm so sorry." She said while shaking her head. "Listen, I know I don't know you, and you don't know me, but, I think...I think you should stay with us."

Us? Oh God, no. She meant with her and the infamous Tony Stark.

I stayed quiet for a moment while she waited for my response.

"No, Pepper, I can't...I've already put you through so much...and what about Tony..."

"What about Tony!" she said a little bit louder. "This isn't about him!" Her face softened. "You have to; I won't let you wander the streets anymore."

I looked down. "Ok. But I'll only stay for a little while...until I can find a place."

"Take as long as you need. Really." She smiled that now familiar smile. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Scarlett Mays," I said.

"Alrighty then, Scarlett, let's get you home."

Pepper and I took a cab back to the house. Well, her cab. Driven by a guy named Happy. Pepper was talking on the phone again, so I was left to stare out the window. I'd seen the Stark house in pictures, and couldn't believe I was actually going to live in it. Then I remembered that I would have to live with one of the few people I hated in this world. I had no idea whatsoever what I was going to say to the guy when I got there, considering he was still alive.

Sure enough, when we entered the house, there he was, sipping on some expensive wine.

"Tony-" Pepper said.

"Who is that," he said blankly while eyeing me.

She went over to him, talking to him quietly. He would say something every now and then but would mostly just stare at me in shock.

I could tell he wasn't taking this well.

So I just stood there while Mr. Stark and Pepper Pots made their decision about throwing me out into the street. Or not.

PEPPER'S POV

"Tony, you're not being rational-"

"No, you're not being rational!" He whispered fiercely. "You can't just go grabbing random kids off the street and taking them in!"

"You don't understand," I said, almost ready to give up.

"Yeah, I do. And we don't need another mouth to feed. How old is she, 20? She can find her own place."

"Tony," I said coldly, while putting my hands on his shoulders. "Will you just listen to me? Obadiah blew up her house. And killed both of her parents. She's 18. She has absolutely no one left." Then I put a hand on his face, realizing I was being a bit harsh. "You can understand that, right Tony?"

His eyes got a distanced look in them as he pulled away from my touch. I could tell he was feeling guilty. He gets that look a lot.

After a few moments he shook his head and said, "Whatever. Just...tell her to stay away from my lab."

"Okay," I said as I nodded and smiled at him.

I then walked back to Scarlett, who was looking very nervous.

"Come on, I'll show you to your room."

She nodded and shot a look at Tony, who just looked away awkwardly. I pretended not to notice it.

I decided to give Scarlett one of our nicest guest rooms, one with an overlook of the water. Then I left her to rest and told her lunch would be ready in an hour.

As I walked down the stairs, I wondered what was going on between Scarlett and Tony. Did they have a history? I doubt it, but it's possible. All I knew was that there was...something. What I didn't know, though, was if it was fear, or simply pure hate.

SCARLETT'S POV

After spending some time alone in my too-fancy room, I decided to head downstairs. I passed another stairway, and was very curious as to what was down there. But I'd leave that as a challenge for later. I entered the kitchen where Tony was eating a sandwich.

"Hey, kid," he said with his mouth full.

I said nothing and kept walking.

"Pepper made you a sandwich," he said. "It's in the fridge.

"Uh huh," I said. I walked to the chrome fridge and grabbed the very appealing sandwich.

I sat on the barstool farthest from him.

"So...you like your room?"

"It's great." I said sarcastically.

He nodded.

"Well that's just dandy, isn't it?"

I shook my head in annoyance. "Can I just eat my sandwich in peace?"

"Can you just smile?" He showed me a toothy smile.

"Not right now."

"Well, uh, I'll be downstairs. You need anything, call Pepper. Her number's on the fridge."

"Yeah," I said.

Usually I wasn't this harsh. But I was mad at him. I was mad at the world.

So, after lunch, since I had nothing better to do, I decided to check out that stairway that I saw earlier. No one was around so I figured I had nothing to lose. I walked down the main stairs, down a hall, and finally stood at the top of the mysterious stairway. I looked around, then started down. It was kind of creepy, I had to admit. The lighting was really weird and I could see flashes coming from the bottom. I finally made it down and I was confronted with an all-glass wall. Through it I could see none other than Tony Stark, working hard in his famous lab. I started to turn around but then he caught my eye. He waved and got up, and started walking toward the wall. I mentally slapped myself in the forehead. So there we stood, face to face. He made number signals with his hand. 7, 9, 4, 8. Then he pointed to the little control panel in front of me. I, hesitantly, pushed in those numbers. Almost instantly the door next to me slid open. He made the "come in" signal. I would probably hate myself for doing this, but I went inside.

It was freaking amazing.

There were numerous screens, holograms, robots, and machines. I must have been beaming.

Tony held his arms out and said, "Cool, right?!"

I grinned. "Yeah, actually."

"Tony Stark, breaking new ground. Making Scarlett Mays smile."

I couldn't help but giggle. "I give you props for that," I said. "I didn't think it was humanly possible. Especially for you."

He bowed to a fake audience.

I rolled my eyes. I walked around. I studied the hologram that he had been studying.

"So, what're you working on?"

"Oh, I'm, uh, just adjusting some things in my chest piece."

I reached out my hand to touch the hologram. Then I stopped. "May I?" I asked.

"Be my guest," he said. "I was actually having trouble with fitting a piece in, so, uh, do whatever you can."

What he didn't know was, I actually loved engineering and math. And I knew exactly what he was doing wrong.

"Tony, come here," I said. He looked surprised as he walked over. "The equation you did here was wrong. That's why it isn't working. It should be..." I redid the equation. And I got the exact answer I was looking for.

"There ya go," I said, pushing the paper toward him. "Try it again."

Sure enough, the piece that he had been trying to put in, fit just perfectly.

He wiped his forehead and said, "Wow." Then he just looked at me. "That's it, you're my new partner."

"Hey, I have a say in this too, ya know."

He ruffled my hair. "Sure."

I looked around. "Um, I'm gonna go. I'll let you get back to what you were doing..."

"Okay. But don't hesitate to come back, I might need you again."

And with that, I went back upstairs. Feeling something I thought I'd never feel again...kind of...happy.

I walked up the main stairs and into the kitchen. Pepper was there sitting on a barstool, working on a laptop.

"Hey, there," she said smiling. "You look happy."

"Do I?" I asked.

"Yes, you do."

I sat down next to her.

"So how are you getting along with Tony?" she asked.

"Um, fine, I guess." I changed the subject. "What are you doing there?" I pointed to the laptop.

"Oh, I'm scheduling a hearing for Tony. He has to be in D.C. tomorrow. Well, we both do. You wanna come?"

"To the capital of the United States? With you guys?"

"Sure. I'll just say you're my niece or something."

"I'm guessing you don't want the press to know about me."

She looked sympathetic. "It's not that I don't want them to know about you...it's just...you know how they are."

"No, actually, I don't."

"Basically, if they know you were a homeless young girl, whose parents were killed by Iron Man's enemy, and is now living with a multi-millionaire, they wouldn't leave you alone. And I don't want to put you in any more danger. There are some pretty messed up people out there."

That, I knew.

She looked at me again with sympathy.

"So...will you come?"

"Um, sure. Why not." I tried a smile.

"Okay. We're taking a jet, by the way."

"I really have to get used to your guys' lifestyle."

She laughed and went back to her laptop.

I shook my head and tried to process the fact that by this time tomorrow, I'd be in the state's capital, a place I thought I would never live to see.

TONY'S POV

I thanked God so freaking much that Scarlett knew what she was talking about. I could finally get back to working on my chest piece. I was so close to just giving up, and dying.

And I wasn't speaking figuratively.

Yeah, my chest piece was killing me. I checked my blood toxicity. 38%. It grew each day. But hopefully now I could finish my new one and get this darn one off of me. Another thing that was killing me was not telling Pepper. I thought that I should, but I know she would freak out. Majorly. She would kill me before my chest piece could.

So, my best option was just not mentioning it to her. Or anyone.

So the next three hours of my life were spent slaving away in the dim light of my lab. I was trying to save my own life, so, I didn't think too much of it.

And what did I get done in those three hours, you ask?

Nothing. Nothing with a capital N.

Yeah, Scarlett was a big help, but after that I was completely useless.

Not a damn thing would work.

Then I realized I hadn't eaten in a while. I checked my watch. It read 6:47. It was already dark outside. I took one last look at my many failed attempts, took a breath, and left my lab in hopes of finding a hot, steaming dinner waiting for me.

SCARLETT'S POV

Pepper and I had just been talking about what I was going to wear for tomorrow when Tony walked in, looking stressed.

"Hey Tony," Pepper said. "How're you-"

"JARVIS, make me a tri-tip. Medium rare." he said.

"Of course, sir," a robotic voice said.

Woah. This guy even had his own personal robot.

Tony sat down across from me and ran a hand through his hair. I shot a sideways glance at Pepper and she just shrugged.

Was it always like this? Just them two, Tony locked up in his lab, and Pepper working? They had everything, but at the same time, they had nothing. No family, no real friends. Pepper probably didn't even know how to cook. Sandwiches don't count. It was kind of sad, actually.

The only sounds I could hear now were the typing of the keys and JARVIS's huge metal arm moving about.

JARVIS then brought Tony...sure enough, a tri-tip.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Will that be all, sir?" said the robot.

"Yeah."

I tapped my fingers on the counter.

"Tony," Pepper began. "Scarlett's coming with us tomorrow, you know."

"Yeah. That's great."

"Are you okay? What's your deal?" I asked him.

"I'm fine, okay? Everybody stop worrying. Just stop, ok?"

"Whatever you say, jerk." I remarked.

"Excuse me? What the hell?!"

"Well, we're just trying to help you out here! You don't have to be a jerk about it."

"Who's the jerk?! Me?! Ha. You're funny, you know that?" He was standing now. So was I.

"No, you're the funny one!" I yelled. "Because you don't know how to take a hint! Whether it's about people trying to help you, or when people obviously hate you!"

"Today's just not a day I want to be messed with, okay? And I thought we were cool now! Why did you even hate me so much in the first place! Tell me! I wanna know!"

"I didn't used to hate you. Because I still do."

Pepper had stayed quiet this whole time, just watching.

"Well? Tell me why you hate me so much! What did I do?!"

Then, in the coldest and quietest voice I could, I said, "It's not what you did, Tony, it's what you didn't do."

He was still breathing very hard but didn't make another comeback. "You weren't there for me. Iron Man wasn't there for me. You could have saved my parents. You could have saved my house. But no. You left me there, to watch them die. And for that I will never forgive you." His breathing calmed down a bit. "Maybe if you saved them I wouldn't have to be here with you guys and ruin your perfect little life. After all, I'm just another mouth to feed, aren't I?" I shot a hard look at Tony. "And you, Pepper. You probably only did this because you didn't want to look bad for the press. Cause that's what it's all about for you guys. You don't care about me. You only care about yourselves. And your money. Your precious little money."

And with that I ran downstairs to my room.

I threw myself on my bed, hot, angry tears running down my face. I desperately hoped no one would bother me. Not right now. They couldn't see me crying; they'd think I was a baby. And that, I was not. At least, I don't think so.

But, as fate would have it, Pepper Potts, being the amazing person she is, knocked lightly on my door and let herself in. I glanced at her but turned back around on my bed so that my back was to her.

She sat down on the edge of my bed, not making any attempts to look at me.

"You know," she said after a while, "we can't all be perfect people. We gotta let it out sometimes. And just be assholes."

I laughed at this, never thinking I'd hear Pepper Potts say a cuss word.

"Well, it's true! Just ask Tony. He knows a lot about that."

My laughter stopped at the mention of his name.

"I bet," I said, sniffling.

"You wanna talk about it?" she said, moving closer, now with a hand on my back. That was something my mother did a lot. I pulled away and sat up.

"Not really," I said. I wiped a few tears from my face, trying not to make eye contact.

"Why not? Talking helps."

"I don't want to get into it."

Again, she searched my eyes. "Scarlett, you don't have to be ashamed. Cry if you want to. Hell, go punch a wall or something."

I laughed again. "Scarlett," she said, grabbing my shoulder, "you're 18 years old! You're still a kid! But you're a strong kid, you know that? You've been through so much. You lost everyone you have, but you're still here. And yet you still have the nerve to strike up an argument with Tony Stark. That's pretty damn brave."

I shook my head. "How the hell do you know me so well, Pepper?"

"I guess it's just a trait I have."

"Fine, you want me to talk? What do you wanna know?"

She made herself comfortable. "Tell me about yourself. Any interests? Boys?" She raised her eyebrows while nudging my arm with her elbow.

"No boys," I said. "Not yet." I smiled.

"What about college?" she asked. "Were you thinking of going?"

"I actually was. In engineering. But, um, shit happened, and...Yeah."

"Really. You like engineering?"

"Love it."

"Tony could really use you in the lab then. If only he'd let you in..."

"Oh, I've been in there. I helped him out the other day."

She looked at me wide-eyed. "You've gotta be kidding me! He never lets anyone in!"

"Not even you?" I asked.

"Well, yeah he lets me in. But only cause I work for him."

"Hmm." I pondered this. Then I sighed. "I wasn't too hard on him back there, was I?"

She thought about it. "Normally I'd be all for anyone telling Tony off, but, he's not heartless, you know. You guys have a lot more in common than you think. And I think he was just having a bad day."

I nodded. "You're gonna make me go talk to him, aren't you."

"I actually wasn't...but now that you say that...yes," she said, pulling me up.

I rolled my eyes. We walked out of my room and then to the stairs.

However, before we parted ways, I turned around.

"I'm sorry. For um, lashing out on you earlier."

"Don't sweat it, girl." She smiled at me. I began my walk down the stairs to the lab. "And I do care about you, ok? A lot."

"I know," I said.

Then I heard from behind me, "Remember, be an asshole!"

I cautiously made my way down the stairs, having second thoughts about coming down here. Tony was bent over a table, writing something down, his back to me. Then, he threw the pencil across the room, blew it up with the Iron Man hand he was wearing, and put his head in his hands. (He took off the hand, of course.)

He then kicked the desk and stood up. Then he saw me. He waved again, without a smile this time. He motioned for me to come in.

I punched in the code and let myself in.

"How's it been going?"

He sighed. "All rainbows and sunshine down here."

"Sure seems like it," I said.

Well this was awkward. I think we both knew we needed to talk but were both avoiding it. Maybe Pepper was right about us having things in common.

"Yeah," he said.

"I, uh, liked how you blew up that pencil." I said while shifting my feet.

"Huh. That little sucker deserved it." He looked at me. "I admire your taste in explosives."

"Thanks," I said chuckling. Then I shook my head and walked over to him. "Okay, let's just get the awkward part over with. I'm, so, terribly, sorry for being a bitch back there, and I shouldn't have-"

"Hey," he interrupted. "You...you don't have to apologize. I hate it, and I know you hate it. I...I get it. You're mad at me and you're mad at everyone. You miss your parents. I get that."

Relieved, I said, "Really?"

"Yeah. And I'm sorry for that," he said while eyeing me. I nodded. "Both of my parents died young, too. And...I was never really close with them."

"Oh. That sucks."

"Don't worry about it. After all, they left me this." He put his arms out to show the lab. "And not to mention this," he motioned to his face.

"Of course, Tony, of course."

"So, you up for some equations?"

"You know it."

TONY'S POV

Scarlett was a boss at mathematical equations. Unlike me. And not to mention engineering. She could make any piece fit into anything else just by doing an equation. I don't know how she does it, I'm just glad she does.

I was also glad that we were cool now...I mean at least I hoped we were. You never can tell with a hormonal teenager who's mad at the world.

"So Tony," she asked me while screwing something on. "Why're you making a new chest piece anyway? The one you have on now looks fine to me."

Whoop, there it is. The question I really, really hoped she would not ask.

"Oh, uh, I just think it could be better, you know? Make it look cooler."

"No one sees it anyways."

"I do. And it just has to look cool. Is that a sin? To want to look cool?"

"No. I just don't know why you're putting yourself through so much."

I just shrugged. We'd been working for some time now, so I said, "Hey, why don't you go off to bed. It's late."

She looked at me, annoyed. "I'm not an 8 year old, Tony."

"Well neither am I, and I'm tired."

Scarlett sighed. "Fine."

She got up and started walking out. "Thanks a lot, kid."

She looked back and grinned at me then continued walking.

When she was gone and out of sight, I checked my blood toxicity. 45%. Damn. I needed to start working faster.

Just then I heard the door slide open. I quickly put away my little checker. Thingy.

"Hey," Pepper said as she walked in, carrying a clipboard like always. "You all set for tomorrow? You should get some rest."

"Shit!" I murmured under my breath while rubbing forehead.

"You didn't forget, did you? You forgot. You are possibly going to meet the president tomorrow, and you forgot. Oh, Tony, I can't do everything for you!"

"Calm down. I did not forget. You didn't even let me-"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. You in your precious lab, forgetting everything, forgetting that it's 12:30 in the morning! Keeping Scarlett up! She needs more sleep than you!"

I walked away but she followed me. Also like always.

"Pepper, it's fine. We were having fun down here. What do you think we were doing for four hours?"

"I don't know! I was too busy making arrangements for tomorrow."

"We're taking a jet, right?"

"Yes, Tony, we're taking a...shoot! The jet!"

She walked away quickly, heels clicking.

"Have fun!" I yelled.

She flipped me off.

I think that was the best moment of my entire life.

SCARLETT'S POV

I awoke to a loud knock at the door and Tony yelling at me.

"Wake up, sunshine! We're late!"

I dragged myself out of the insanely comfortable bed and got ready as fast as I could. I guess Pepper had laid out an outfit for me, as it was waiting for me outside my door. It was a crisp, white, button up shirt, some tight dark blue pants, and black heels.

Sweet.

After about half an hour, I emerged out of my bedroom and made my way to the kitchen. Pepper, in her navy blue skirt and jacket, was seriously freaking out; frantically running around and talking on her Bluetooth. Tony then ran into the kitchen, buttoning up his suit. Then he saw me.

"You cleaned up nicely," he said.

"I know," I said, grinning.

Pepper then passed me, muttering to herself. "We are supposed to be halfway across the country right now..."

I checked the time. "Pepper," I said.

"What?" she said, looking irritated.

"We'll make it in time. We have to be there at 12, right?"

"Yes, but with the time it takes to get on the jet, and..."

"We'll make it. Now come on." Then I yelled, "Tony, come on! We're leaving!"

"Coming..." he said, jogging over to us.

Just as we were about to leave, Pepper stopped and turned to face the house.

"Just...stay." Then she hurriedly walked to the jet that was waiting for us. She seriously needed to take a chill pill.

The jet was the fanciest thing I'd seen so far. And I'd seen a lot of fancy things. Anyway, Pepper was still having a panic attack. And I couldn't stand seeing her like this. It wasn't good for her and honestly it was kind of annoying.

"Do we have like, a massager person?" I said out of the blue.

Tony pointed at me. "We can get one." Then he looked at Pepper as if to say, "for her?" He looked back at me and I nodded yes. "You and I," he said. "We think alike. She needs one."

"Who needs what?" Pepper asked.

"The one time I think you're not listening..." Tony muttered.

Pepper looked confused. "Nothing," I said.

Then it was only the sound of the jet engine. Which, in fact, was very relaxing? I leaned my head back on the leather seat and closed my eyes.

Before I knew it, a hand was on my shoulder and I was being shook. And I wasn't being shook very gently.

Tony.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

"I'm up, I'm up," I said, while opening my eyes. I stretched and said, "How long was I out?"

"Pretty long." Then he looked at my face. "Is that drool?"

I slapped a hand to my mouth.

Pepper then appeared behind Tony and slapped the back of his head. He turned around.

"OW." he said, sounding very offended. Pepper looked at me and shook her head.

"If anyone's a drooler, it's him," she said.

I checked my mouth one more time and then started off the jet. I was literally blinded by the light outside. Tony, reluctantly, gave me his sunglasses.

"Thanks," I yelled over the sound of the jet engine.

He nodded. "Don't break em! That's three hundred dollars right there!"

I gaped at him, mouth hung open in shock.

"Okay, two hundred."

This guy.

Later, after quickly taking many elevators, stairways, hallways, and cabs, we finally reached the courtroom.

Sure enough, we were late.

People were everywhere. All waiting for Tony Stark. As we entered the double doors, Tony swiped the sunglasses off of me.

"Gotta look good for the pictures," he said while straightening his suit. I rolled my eyes and walked in.

Pepper and I walked through the isle slid in at the end of a row while Tony made his way up to the front. And the stupid paparazzi would not leave him alone! They were asking questions, taking millions of pictures, recording...

The worst part was, Tony liked it. I could tell he did. This was what Pepper was trying to keep me from. And God, was I thankful for that. By some miracle, the courtroom hushed down. While we were being sworn in, I whispered to Pepper, "So what is this even about? Is Tony getting arrested?"

"I wish," she said, giving me a look. "Kidding. The government wants to take the suit away from Tony."

"Why?"

"How should I know?" she said, still whispering.

We sat down, and then the hearing began.

The first thing the judge said was, "Our priority is to get the Iron Man suited turned over to the United States of America."

What?

The jury erupted in hushed conversation.

"Order, order," he said.

He and Tony talked, no, argued, about some more things, and I kind of zoned out. All I remember was many smart, slightly offensive remarks from Tony.

Then it was the other guy's turn to speak. Hammer? Was that his name?

I don't remember exactly what he said, but I do remember that he was arrogant, rude, snobbish, and just plain annoying. I instantly added him to the list of people I hate, which I had a feeling would be growing very soon.

Hammer and Tony also exchanged some words, and then someone said something that drove the crowd crazy.

Then, out of all the chaos, Tony simply said, "I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one."

Then he just got up and left.

The jury went crazy. No, mad. The judge was pretty pissed off. He kept cussing Tony out, which I thought was pretty hilarious.

Tony dragged Pepper and I out of the courtroom. And yes, I mean dragged. It was hard to even walk down the aisle because of all the people. I was starting to get slightly claustrophobic.

Note to self: next time Pepper invites you to a hearing, decline.

We finally got back to the jet and were headed home.

As soon as we were all settled in, Tony said, "And that is how you do it. Right there. Did you see the look on the judge's face?!"

"Tony," Pepper said. "I...can't believe you just did that. Do you know what you just did? They're not gonna leave you alone for weeks! Months!"

"Babe, I had to-"

"Don't call me babe." Pepper said sharply.

He sighed. "Fine. Ms. Potts. I had to do that. I wasn't gonna give up the suit! And Hammer-"

"I know you're weren't gonna give up the suit. I know that. But did you really have to go and make a scene out of it? Who...who does that?!"

"Tony Stark does! Like it or not. The point is, is done. It's over with. Ok?" He sat down.

Pepper rolled her eyes, and then closed them. After a while, she fell asleep.

"You agree with me, right?" Tony asked me.

"I mean, I guess. It was a madhouse in there. You did have to do something if we wanted to get out of there alive."

"Thank you," he said, exasperated.

"But..."

"But?"

"You could've been a little more low-key. You freaked Pepper out. Do you want her to explode?" I nervously looked at a sleeping Pepper, realizing she was close enough to hear me. I walked over and sat next to Tony. "So," I continued. "My advice to you, Mr. Stark, is to just...chill. Pepper is an amazing woman, but she's also a perfectionist. She just wants what's best for you. Just...be nice to her. Tell her she looks nice. Make her an omelet." I put a hand on his. "Just don't go too crazy."

He chuckled and put his other hand on top of mine. "You're something, kid. You know that?" Then he looked at Pepper with a dreamy look in his eyes. "She is pretty amazing huh."

Oh?

"Is that...a bit of...admiration I see? In the eyes of Tony Stark?"

"Shut up," he said. I smiled. Pepper would so be good for him.

"So," he said, "what I said back there, the whole, 'the suit and I are one' thing. Too cheesy?"

I laughed. "Nah. You could've been way cheesier."

I looked over at Pepper and I swear I saw her smiling.

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