I published this story already under its original German title "Und sie lebten glücklich", now I'll bother you with the English version.. :-) I have to thank a lot my two betas VirginiaPepperPotts and Miss Starfire, who both helped me so that my story doesn't sound like a google translation.. Have fun!

Chapter 1

A shower of sparks dusted the night sky, illuminating it brightly, when the suits of armors exploded, one by one. It was nothing more than a fireworks display of exploding metal pieces and electrical components, but it was the most romantic thing that Tony Stark had ever done in his life. The work of countless weeks and sleepless nights, all destroyed in a matter of minutes; and yet he didn't care. Holding Pepper safely in his arms and giving their relationship a new start was definitely worth the loss of his suits. There were even greater sacrifices he was willing to make.

So they were standing there, tightly holding onto each other like two drowning people while they were surrounded by chaos. The chaos was comprised of blown up armors and the fires that followed their explosions, fueled by gas leaks and various flammable chemical available in the oil tanker. The devastation was compounded by the leftover destruction caused by Killian's super soldiers, human mutations resulting from the Extremis virus. But all that didn't matter to Tony. He just felt Pepper's arms around his neck, her warm breath on his skin and her unruly hair that tickled his cheek.

This perfect moment was suddenly ruined when the sirens of approaching rescue forces made themselves known. In just seconds, they would be surrounded by scores of firefighters and police officers.

"Hey honey," he said softly and gently letting go of Pepper's embrace. "We should get out of here, immediately. To be honest, I'm not in the mood for their questions, and you aren't dressed properly for a press conference either."

Pepper slapped his upper arm, but Tony just grinned.

"It's easy for you to say that. At least you are dressed." Pepper looked down at herself, scrunching her nose in obvious disapproval of her attire. "Where should we go now, anyway?"

"No idea; we'll think about it on our way. Let's get out of here first." Tony took Pepper's hand and softly pulled her with him. While the two of them lurked through the labyrinth of shipping containers and debris, attentively staying out of sight of the rescue forces, Jarvis spoke on Tony's headset.

"Sir, I've requested the Stark jet. As it is located in Los Angeles at the moment, the jet will be fit for service in Miami in only a couple of hours."

"Sometimes I think you can almost read my mind, J. I just don't know if I should be OK with that."

"Well, it just appeared logical to me that you and Miss Potts would like to leave the city as soon as possible after this incident. Shall I provide you with an accommodation for tonight?"

Tony glanced over at Pepper. Even though she tried not to show it, she seemed to look pale and exhausted. A little rest would be good for her before they continued their trip.

"Yeah, go for it. Our usual suite at the Hilton Bentley. I want the jet to be ready tomorrow at 9 AM at Miami Airport."

"Yes, Sir. Consider it done."

Moments later, they left the harbor area undetected and headed for the main street. Even though Pepper was only scantily dressed and walking barefooted, Tony hadn't heard any complaint from her. He just didn't know if he should feel reassured or be concerned about it. He stared surreptitiously at her, but he couldn't find any emotion on her face. She just held his hand tightly and walked stoically beside him, ignoring the glances of incoming people. When they reached the main street Tony hailed a taxi. The vehicle stopped in front of them, and as they entered the car, they were eyed suspiciously by the driver.

"To the Hilton Bentley Hotel in South Beach," Tony directed the cab driver, a dark-skinned, young man with dreadlocks.

"Yo, man! Are you sure you're not giving me the wrong address?" he asked flippantly, but when Tony waved him off with his hand, the driver just shook his mane and hit the road.

Throughout the drive Tony and Pepper sat next to each other in silence. Normally, Tony was never at a loss for some funny words or a silly comment, but he felt that this wasn't the right time for that. Pepper seemed so tensed up and buried in thought, that he really didn't know what he should say, if anything at all.

"Honey, are you cold?" he broke silence after a few minutes when he noticed Pepper shivering. She looked at him with irritation, and then nodded slightly. Tony took that as permission to lay his arm around her and to tenderly hug and squeeze her. She seemed to immediately relax a little bit before she snuggled into him, remaining silent for the rest of the drive.