Be gentle with me, this is my first time. ;)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor do I profit from, the Iron Man Trilogy, the Marvel Cinematic Universe or any of the characters therein. They are simply used in the following story for my own entertainment. No copyright infringement intended.

CHAPTER ONE

The door to Tony Stark's home opened before her and closed behind her with ease familiar ease. It wasn't a cold night by any means, but it was already after sun-down and the outside air did have a little nip to it. For more reasons than one, Pepper was eager to get inside.

"Good evening, Miss. Potts."

The tall red head sighed with relief to finally be 'home' and away from the real world for at least the next ten hours, even if that 'home' wasn't exactly hers.

She turned and pressed her code into the pad on the wall, arming the perimeter as she tossed her keys on a nearby table. "Hello Jarvis," she greeted the familiar yet faceless voice.

She kicked off her heels and moved further into the home as Jarvis gently illuminated the living space before her. The intelligent home may have belonged to her boss – former boss? – but it knew her well enough to know she hated walking into a dark room.

She supposed she had Tony to thank for that.

It had been a long, hard day. Her body ached, and she yearned for a hot bubble bath to soothe her tense muscles. "Jarvis, can you run the bath in the master suite, please?" In another room Pepper could hear the water begin to run and she took a deep breath, already looking forward to sinking into the hot liquid.

"The temperature is set right where you like it, Miss. Potts."

"Thank you," she breathed and set her pocket book down on the counter.

She had spent the majority of the day sitting in a stuffy boardroom with Obadiah, the Stark Enterprise lawyers and a bunch of other company high-ups trying to figure out what they should do next.

Tony had been gone… missing for almost ninety days now. The news, media, loyal fangirls, even his own employees, were beginning to believe him dead by now.

The corporation needed a plan, needed direction, and there was just so much to consider. Obadiah even mentioned getting a hold of Tony's Will, and the thought had upset Pepper so badly she had to excuse herself from the room for a few moments to regain her composure.

Last Will and Testaments were for deceased people, and until they showed her a body she would never believe Tony was gone. She just knew in her gut that he wasn't dead. She held on to that glimmer of hope that he was alright somewhere, devising an over the top, true to Tony plan for his grand re-entrance.

Pepper rolled her neck and pulled down her ponytail, letting her locks fall around her face and on her shoulders. She needed to stop thinking about it before she drove herself to be sick.

At a leisurely pace she padded her way, barefoot, down the hall and into Tony's bedroom, stripping herself of her jewelry on the way. Carefully she set it down on his dresser next to his prized watch collection, then moved beyond the un-made bed and into the master bath. The water was still filling the large tub and she breathed in the steam it was creating in the room. There, she made quick work of her blouse and pencil skirt, discarding them in a heap on the floor as she moved closer to the bath. A few seconds later her bra and panties joined the trail of clothing on the floor and she was submerging herself into the hot water.

Pepper had let herself become familiar with Tony's giant bathtub, on more than one occasion, over the last month. With his entire house, for that matter. For reasons she refused to admit, she couldn't stay away, which was awfully ironic when she thought of all the long days and nights she spent wishing she could be in her own apartment, away from this place as she was relentlessly chasing after him to get on a plane or sign some piece of paperwork or what have you. She would drive herself so crazy trying to keep him focused on whatever task was at hand that she couldn't wait for her shift to be over so she could just go home.

And yet, now that he wasn't here for her to chase around or to drive her crazy, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

She told herself that maybe if she spent enough time in the house she would see something or learn something that could help in finding him. His home was a product of his brilliance, and she hoped that maybe, just maybe there would be a clue or… something.

Pepper closed her eyes and rested her head back against the ledge. She knew she was reaching. But the truth was, she missed him. She missed the chasing, the nagging, the banter, the laughs, his fast-talking, the innuendo…

She had been young, fresh-faced and right out of college when she accepted the job as his assistant. He himself had only just graduated from MIT and was working under Obadiah's wing to learn all he could about his father's empire. He was being primed to take over and was accelerating at a rapid pace, soon catching up to Obi and surpassing him with hands-on knowledge, innovation, design, etc. Tony wasn't afraid to get in there with his own hands and do things himself.

It had been fascinating to watch him become the man he was… is today.

Pepper remembered fondly how young they were when they met. He was clean shaven, confident, brilliant, and hot. Oh, there was no denying that she found him insanely attractive. She tried not to let him know that, of course; like he needed any more ammo to fill his ego.

She had impressed him with her ability to remember things without having to write them down and bringing him things he needed without having to be asked. They meshed well from the beginning and so he'd never questioned whether or not she would get the job. She walked in and he trusted her immediately and so the job was just hers. No questions were asked.

He came to value her opinion and would often turn to her for advice on things like clothing, accessories, décor and artwork, investments, etc.; that's when she began to see that he also saw her as a friend and not just an employee.

She would be with him so frequently and so late in the evenings that sometimes their conversation would turn to non-work related things and the playful banter would begin and her mind would wander…

She'd imagined, on more than one occasion, scenarios in which she would just walk right up to him and slap him for saying something inappropriate, then kiss him madly until he was begging her for more. Or where he would call her into his workshop to help him with something and then he would just bend her over one of the tables down there and-

Down girl.

The fun and games were spared only for her imagination. She had a personal rule, to never get involved with any man she works with, and that rule has suited her well all these years. She'd seen too many working relationships get ruined by 'office' romances. She didn't want that to happen to her and Tony.

Didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the banter, and the view.

As they matured Tony would still splash a little innuendo her way once in a while but, either he knew of her personal rule and he respected it, or he just wasn't in to her enough to peruse her. And even though it was her rule, the idea that he probably just wasn't attracted to her that way left her feeling mostly disappointed.

Clearly her mind and her body were on different wavelengths when it came to one Anthony Stark.

With a deep breath Pepper closed her eyes and leaned back, submerging herself completely in the water, willing herself to think of something else, anything else, at least for a few moments.

oOo oOo oOo

Pepper emerged from the master bathroom more than an hour later. Clad in her most comfortable tee and yoga shorts, she flipped the light off on her way out. Her hair was dried, teeth brushed, skin moisturized, and she was fighting to keep her eyes open. The hot bath had certainly done its job in relaxing the tensions away in her body, and she let out an audible sigh of relief as she climbed under the covers of the plush king bed, sinking instantly absorbing the warmth it offered.

The second her eyes were closed her mind drifted back to him, and what he might be doing at that same moment, wherever he was. She turned herself over so that she could stare out the large panoramic window into the night sky. All the lights in the room were off and the stars shone brightly, casting a glitter out over the dark waters.

The space before her eyes seemed so vast and never ending; the thought of not knowing where Tony was in the entire world, let alone the vast openness in front of her, loomed over her.

As if it had waited for her to be watching, a perfect shooting star cast itself through her line of sight, leaving its twinkling tail to fade slowly in its wake. She thought back on how she would wish on shooting stars when she was a child. To the best of her knowledge, her wishes never came true, but as she lay there contemplating the ridiculousness of such fairy tales, she couldn't help but wonder.

She snuggled into the sheets and inhaled deeply, her heart fluttering as his familiar scent, buried deep within the pillow, filled her senses despite his sheets having been washed after his departure.

She missed him.

So much more than she ever thought possible, she missed him.

Pepper squeezed her eyes shut as a single tear rolled down her cheek, took a deep breath to calm herself, and made her wish

oOo oOo oOo

A shrill ringing pulled her from her peaceful sleep. It took her several moments, but she became consciously aware that it was her cell phone that was making the rude noise.

Sitting up she focused on the alarm clock that read 3:14 AM, and growled. Whoever was calling her at this hour of the night better have the best damn reason in the world or she was going to rip them a new one for disturbing her like this.

Pepper reached over to the bedside table and felt around in the darkness, her fingers finally finding the deice face down and turning it over so she could see.

She squinted at the harsh blue light that filled the room as she tried to focus on the screen.

Her heart dropped to her stomach. It was Rhodey.

"Hello?" she answered quickly. She knew he would not be calling her at this hour unless it was direly important.

"Pepper," he said breathlessly. Her throat clenched.

No, no, no…

"Yes?"

The pause was so long Pepper was certain she'd stopped breathing, afraid to hear the words she was sure she was about to hear. She was suddenly wide awake and felt her body begin to shake. "Rhodey," she pleaded, her voice cracking as sheer panic began to arise within her. "Tell me…"

"Pepper…"

A burst of some indescribable feeling washed through her chest, making her stand up on the bed and clutch her phone to her ear. "Yeah?" The smile that she could hear in his voice told her why he was calling her at this hour, but she needed to hear him say it anyway.

"We've got him."

TBC

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