Tony Stark was absent minded yes, but he never forgot birthdays. He had never forgotten Pepper's, he have only forgotten Rhodey's when they were 6 and he went to his Dad's grave every year on his birthday. There was however one birthday he always forgot. His own.
"Tony! I can't belive your turning 18 tomorrow." Pepper squealed as they walked home from school,
"Yeah, great."
"Well you don't seem to happy about it?"
"I'm not really."
"Why?"
"Stane could get rid of me, or if i did take it over i might not have time for Iron Man or more importanley you," Pepper's eyes widened, "And Rhodey, you and Rhodey." She smiled and pushed him,
"Tony, you will have time for everything, you'll find a way." She smiled, her deep eyes looking at him with admiration,
"Pep, look I just don't know whats going to happen." Tony sighed then suddenly an idea popped into the red head's mind.
"Well after the next minute give or take, you have two options,"
"What?"
"You go with it, or you act like it never happened."
"Well what is going to..." Pepper thrust her lips onto Tony's and wrapped her arms around his neck. He relaxed into it and put his arms around her waist. She pulled out,
"Well?"
"I'm definately liking option A." She smiled, She felt a hand on her shoulder ripping her away from Tony. She fell to the ground and whacked her head of the concrete, "Pepper!" The person who pushed Pepper looked Tony dead in the eye,
"She's only doing it for the money," Whitney growled, "She doesn't seriously like you, she's your cheerleader." Tony's eyes narrowed,
"Don't you dare speak about her like that!"
"Oh my gosh, you like her don't you? I mean everyone has know since you started hanging out with her she had a thing for you but you like her! Thats rich!"
"I am warning you Whitney," He lowered his voice, a tone niether girl had heard before, "Back. Off." Pepper stood up, Gene walked over to help her up,
"I can't leave you alone for a minute without you getting hurt."
"Thanks, Gene." They all heard a gun shot and remebering what tomorrow was looked at Tony. He was fine but the bullet narrowly missed him. "Tony run!" Pepper squealed, followed by another shot, she looked around frantically to see where it was coming from. "Whitney, It's ghost, take out the mask now!"
"Potts what are you talking..."
"I know about madame masque ok? Look I think thats whos shooting at Tony, we need to find him and stop him." Whitney nodded, Pepper turned to Gene, who had vanished.
Tony was running away from the fires, one grazing is shoulder. He ducked into an alley and was breathing heavily. He felt metal against his throat. The Ghost made himself visable,
"This time, It was Stane." He laughed, "Sorry to be so abrupt but tomorrow is my deadline." He laughed at his joke. Tony kept eye contact with him and didn't flinch, "Aren't you scared kid?"
"No, not for me." This puzzeled the assain,
"Who for then?"
"My friends, I don't know how Pepper will take it, Whitney will probably kill her Dad then I feel guilty because she'll be in jail, Rhodey will probably shut everyone out like I did and Gene...well Gene wont care."
Pepper was running in the direction of the bullet holes. She heard sirens, she had to get there before something happened, she didn't hear a shot in a while. But then a noise made her blood run cold. A laugh, like the ones villians chuckle before killing someone, followed by 3 words. She ran to get to them for he finished that last word.
"Goodbye, Tony Stark." Tony squintened his eyes shut he heard the gun load the finger pull the trigger back. He held his breath.
"No Tony!" He quickly turned his head to see Pepper running down the alley, his eyes widened and the Ghost panicked and shot in her direction,
"Pepper!" He cried as the bullet sunk into her arm, she grabbed it and fell in pain. Tony pushed past the Ghost and ran over to Pepper, "What did you think you were doing?" He heard the sirens,
"Buying you some time." She said between gasps.
"Not enough." The Ghost smiled, he pulled Tony up by his throat. "Hrm, 10, 20 million, that about what your worth?"
"Roughly."
"Great, put out a randsom then kill you, double pay day for me."
"Freaze dirtbag!" A police officer called, Tony saw it was Pepper's father,
"Agent Potts! Pepper's been hit you have to get her help!" His eyes flicked to Pepper. He saw Virgil running over to her. Another officer started talking to the ghost,
"Put Stark down, now." Ghost laughed,
"Put him down? That's not what I was hired to do!"
"Who hired you?"
"Stane," Tony choked as the Ghost hardened his grip,
"Shut up, or you know what I'll do," He aimed his gun at Pepper. Tony struggled,
"Leave them alone." A metalic voice boomed, The police turned to see the Mandarin. The ghost laughed and turned invisable, taking Tony with him. Pepper screamed.
They became visable again on a rooftop, the rooftop of Stark International. "Irony, don't you think Stark? You could fall, that would keep me out of this. But I've already been caught. The police are arresting Stane now, I could throw the body down then, Good idea Stark?" Tony was looking in the direction they came, The ghost kicked him, "Answer me."
"What ever! I don't care!"
"I'm about to kill you, don't you get it?"
"I get it I get it but hurry up. The police need to worry about Pepper, not finding me. I might as well jump and save you the hassel."
"Stark, She'll be fine. 4-6 weeks and it will heal up nicely." Tony smiled, until he felt the cold metal against his throat again. He Ghost laughed moving it down to his heart, until he heard the sound of tow metals hitting off each other, "What the..." He lifted Tony's shirt to see the tech in his heart, "So that's how you survived the plane crash?" Tony nodded, he Ghost pulled out a small ball containing nanobots, "This may hurt just a little," He poured them on to the heart tech and watched Tony squirm in agony.
"Mr. Stane, You are under the arrest for the attemped murder of Tony Stark." The agent siad, handcuffing him, Stane laughed,
"It won't be attempted for long,"
"Where is he?"
"Right under your nose." Stane laughed he laughed all the way to the station.
"Pepper your bleeding very badly stay down!"
"No Dad, I need to find Tony!"
"Pepper we will!"
"Not in time you won't! There's one way to find him and I'm sorry but I can't tell you!" She pushed past her Dad and the paramedics and ran to Rhodey's house. She ran into the armory and put on the first armour she could find. It ahuddered then fitted itself to her curved figure, the helmet even flicked out where her hair did, The Iron Man armour was clearly being worn by a girl, "Computer, locate Tony Stark."
"Locating, Stark International rooftop."
"I'm coming Tony, I promise."
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