Pepper Potts was a woman with many secrets. So many, in fact, that the majority of the public knew only what they read in magazines—most of which was complete rubbish fabricated to sell tabloids. On occasion, she would give interviews with more legitimate magazines and newspapers: Time, Forbes, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal. But when she gave interviews, it was always about business. She had done a series of interviews about the new direction that Stark Industries was going to take after Tony had demanded massive changes in their policy concerning weapons. After Tony's infamous "I am Iron Man" announcement, she had done another series, trying to pull the focus back to the business—and away from the CEO.
Of course she got questions about her personal life, which she always managed to sidestep with grace and a humor. She found that humor was what really did it—if you could joke about it, no one would be able to take the topic seriously and then it would be dropped. It didn't always work—not when someone was determined to get an answer—but it did more often than not. If that didn't work, Pepper had several other ways to deflect: bend their own questions back on them, feigning embarrassment (that one worked well, too), among others—all designed to help her keep her secrets. It wasn't necessarily that she had something to hide; it was mostly an old expression that her mother had always told her. "Every lady has her secrets, and if you don't, you should," she had always said. It was a saying that Pepper had taken to heart.
She was a deeply private person. No, she wasn't going to be able to keep everything from the press, but she could control what they knew. If they searched, they would find that Pepper Potts graduated third in her class from St. Mary's Catholic School. Four years later, she graduated from Yale with a BA in accounting, again, third in her class. Two years later, she got a masters degree in business administration from Harvard. Thirteen years ago, she had moved to the west coast—for unknown reasons—and taken a job in the accounting department at Stark Industries. Then, ten years ago, she became PA to Tony Stark.
But that was all they were going to find. There was never any mention of family or friends. As far as anyone knew, her hobbies were filing and typing. And a scandal? The only scandals to be found were the ones in the cheap tabloids. As far as the public (the ones that had the sense not to read tabloids) or the many investigative journalists were concerned, Pepper Potts had neither hide nor hair of a scandal in her past. At least, not one that was actually hers. She had plenty of experience dealing with Tony's scandals.
So when Pepper arrived in her apartment building at seven-thirty on a Saturday morning after waiting up all night on Tony to return from a mission, she was less than thrilled to find someone waiting for her. When she opened a manila envelope and handed her several photos and papers, she turned a sickening shade of grey. Pulling her keys from her purse, she unlocked the door and said quietly, "Perhaps you would like to discuss this over a cup of coffee?" The other woman simply nodded.
After ushering the other woman into the most uncomfortable chair her apartment had to offer, Pepper made a pot of coffee and poured her a cup. She desperately tried to ignore the sense of dread that settled in her stomach as she looked at Christine Everhart's smug expression. Since becoming Tony's PA, she had been waiting for someone for someone to turn up on her doorstep with files and photos. That someone found out was bad enough, but the fact that it was Christine Everhart…well, that made it even worse.
"So what do you want from me?" Pepper asked, too tired to beat around the bush. Also, she knew that none of her time-tested methods for distracting reporters were not going to work on Christine Everhart.
"Nothing. I just wanted to let you know that I know," she replied snarkily.
"Are you waiting for me to offer you money? Because I'm not going to."
"No. I just wanted you to know that I know, and that this will be published. I just thought that you would like some advanced warning, so you didn't wake up next Sunday morning and be caught off guard."
"Oh yes, that would be most inconvenient," Pepper answered, completely deadpan.
"You know, for the longest time I believed that you were spotless. Damn near perfect. But no one is that perfect. Underneath every perfect person, there is a secret waiting to destroy them—"
"So, I suppose this means that you don't have one?"
"How funny, Miss Potts. Secrets always bite you in the ass. It's better just not to have them," the reporter said. "Does Tony know?"
"No, he doesn't, so leave him out of the article."
"How could I? He's part of your identity. You run his life. You've been together for ten years—"
"Not romantically," Pepper stated, though the clarification was unnecessary. She really just wanted to interrupt her because it was all just a little too much to handle.
"How could he not know?"
"His work takes up a large portion of his time. It wasn't hard to do."
"How would he feel if he knew that you had a history of embezz—"
"Tony doesn't know, so leave any mention of him out of your article. Now please get out of my home," she said, her voice more controlled than she was feeling. She was mostly feeling that she needed to throw up. Christine rose from her chair with a smug smile and Pepper showed her to the door.
The minute that Everhart was out the door, Pepper barely managed to make it to the bathroom before she violently threw up her breakfast onto the carpeted floor. The bathroom was only a few feet away, but it might as well have been miles. She stayed there, kneeling in the hallway, retching as she had never done before.
"She's right, Pepper. You knew that this would come back to bite you in the ass one day," she whispered to herself as soon as she was able to speak again. Emotions flooded her: fear for her future—because she would probably never work again and could wind up in prison—but there was mostly dread. Dread because she was going to have to tell Tony. He didn't deserve to find out from a damn newspaper article—especially one written by Christine Everhart. He was going to be…angry, definitely…which meant she should probably pack her stuff beforehand…
Knowing that she had to get herself under control before she got sick again, she rose and went into the bathroom. She didn't throw up again, which was lucky. Instead, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and headed into the kitchen to get carpet cleaner, all the while trying not to picture Tony's face when he found out. Try as she might, she couldn't stop imagining the look of betrayal on his face. Because that's what this would be for him: a betrayal. They had been friends for ten years, and she had kept a secret this huge from him…if someone did the same thing to her, she would be furious, too.
But she didn't want to leave. She was happy where she was, she had friends. Tony, Rhodey, Happy, Emily in Accounting…but mostly Tony. They had been friends for years, and he knew her better than anyone else. They had an interesting relationship, and she loved his company. Just to sit with him and talk about anything and everything was enough. They talked business, they talked about personal lives…she didn't want to give that up. Damnit, she was more comfortable with Tony than she had ever been with any man. Something about him soothed her, despite the fact that she spent almost every waking moment bossing him around. There was something more to her relationship with Tony, something she hadn't had a chance to explore, and she wanted a chance to do that. A chance that now she wouldn't have.
Looking down at the carpet in front of her, she realized that she had quite a mess to clean up, and it wasn't just the vomit on the floor.
Friday morning, Pepper sat in her office and reveled in the cleanliness of it all. For the past week, she had been moving out her things, and organizing her space for the next assistant that would come in. It had been much easier to do at the office, because she could just brush it off and say that it was a massive cleaning project. Tony knew better than that. She never had to do massive cleaning projects because she kept on top of things. So at the mansion, she waited until he was immersed in his work in the garage to do anything at all. So far, he hadn't noticed, which was fine with her.
She had planned to tell him everything tomorrow, on Saturday—the day before the article was going to run. There really was no use in fighting it, because even though Christine Everhart was going to embellish a little bit, the story was essentially the truth. There was no use denying what happened, especially since she was going to lose a lot of people's support after the story broke. Their perfect Pepper Potts was about to fall from grace, and she only hoped that afterwards she could keep the wolves at bay.
Her hands were shaking as she quietly carried one last box out of her office and down to her car. When she arrived back in her office, Tony was waiting for her, sitting on her desk, leaving greasy fingerprints on everything he touched. They stood there for a moment, both of them studying each other. While Pepper was more than skilled in hiding her emotions from reporters, it was a damn sight harder with Tony, and she could only hope that she didn't look as guilty as she felt.
She must have, though, because after taking one look at her face, Tony asked, "Is there something you want to tell me, Pepper?"
His seriousness was written all over his face. She wished that it wasn't, so that she could dodge the question with some humor. But no, he knew her too well, and she couldn't hide her guilt from him a moment longer. That same overwhelming flood of emotions that she had felt after Christine Everhart's departure from her apartment came rushing back to her. Her muscles tensed, her stomach churned, her pulse was pounding her ears. Drawing another deep breath to calm her nerves, she prepared to spill the entire story.
Instead, she emptied her stomach contents onto the floor of the office.
"Jesus, Pepper, are you alright?" he asked, dropping the oily car part onto the formerly immaculate floor of her office and rushing to her side. She tried to nod, but found herself unable to. Instead, she shook her head and realized that as much as she wanted one more day with her best friend, she wasn't going to get it. "Do you need a doctor?"
"No, Tony. I don't need a doctor. Um…I need something to wipe this up—"
"The 'bots can get it. You should lie down—"
"Tony, I'm…I'm not sick," she said. Things would have been so much easier if she could just say "I'm fine," but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Not when it was the farthest thing from the truth.
"Then what is going on? Why is your office so empty?" he asked, a wary edge in his voice.
"Um…Well…I don't really know how to break this easily…I'm leaving. I'm resigning and moving back East," she answered in her calmest voice.
"And why is that?" It was hard to tell if Tony was more worried by her decision or angry about it.
"You should sit," she said, pulling up a chair for him. He ignored it and plopped down on top of her desk. "I…I got a visit from a reporter the other day—"
"Who?"
"Christine Everhart. She actually works for a legitimate paper now. Anyway, I got a visit from her on Saturday. When she came, she had some information for me, and in light of it, I've decided to resign." There, she'd said it. Wasn't she supposed to feel better now?
"Over Christine Everhart? What kind of information?"
"When I was younger…I had just gotten my master's and I decided to go into business with a guy I graduated with—Alex Stilwell. He had a good head for business, we got along well. It was a really great plan. We did well for ourselves. Very well for ourselves—"
"But…"
"But one of our secretaries—Marianne was her name—was diagnosed with cancer. We were all devastated. She was…we used to call her Den Mother, like in Girl Scouts. I remember buying fund raiser from her daughter…But, anyway, she was diagnosed with cancer and decided to fight it. The problem was, she couldn't work while she was taking chemo, and Alex wouldn't pay her. She had insurance, of course, bu that doesn't pay for everything. She ended up taking chemo, but couldn't pay for groceries. So I made an account under another name, Jennifer Bins, and started funneling money into the account.
"I made sure that I didn't take from any of the other employees. I made sure that everyone else was paid first and then put a small percentage of the earnings in the account for Marianne so that she could buy groceries and clothes for her kids. Eventually, my partner started to notice some small errors in the bookkeeping, but I had taken enough precautions so that all the evidence didn't lead back to me. I mean, they all know it was me, but the evidence isn't enough to hold up in court. The case is a cold case now—or well, it was. They might reopen it after the article runs tomorrow. The press is going to have a field day with it. Tony Stark's PA, who got hired catching his accounting mistake, involved in an embezzlement scandal."
She stopped talking and started cleaning up the mess on the floor, too afraid to look at Tony. Any minute she was expecting him to start yelling at her, hating her for not trusting him, for her betrayal. There were several long minutes of silence, broken only by the squeaking floor as Pepper scrubbed away at the now non-existent spots on it. She only stopped when Tony's hands wrapped around her wrists.
"You embezzled money? From your own company?" She nodded. "To pay for groceries and clothes?" She nodded again, still unable to look him in the face for fear of what she might see there. "And you're worried about the press ruining you?" Again, she nodded. Instead of the yelling that she was expecting, she heard a chuckle instead.
"If anything, the press would turn you into Robin Hood…or Maid Marion…whichever. Miss Everhart obviously doesn't have a clue. Besides, the story won't make it to the papers. I'll call them and make a generous donation," Tony said, letting go of her wrists. Confused, she looked at him, unsure if he was joking. He wasn't. His face was quite serious, though there was a hint of a smile.
"I embezzled money. They could re-open the case. I could be arrested. You need to start looking for a new PA. I left everything organized like it should be, so that she won't have a mess on her hands—"
"Pepper," Tony said calmly, trying to quiet her.
"—and if there's any trouble, I left instructions with Jarvis so that he could help her out—"
"Pepper."
"—but I was thinking that maybe you should try a male PA this time, so you won't be tempted—"
Tony silence her with the only method he had available to him: his lips. His lips covered hers possessively, giving her no option but to kiss him back. His hands traveled to her waist, and he pulled her against him, desperate to have her close. She threw her arms around his neck, desperate not to let him go. When they finally separated, it was only for a minute so that she could pull Tony's shirt over his head. He picked her up and sat her down on her desk top.
Neither was sure how exactly, but in the haze of kisses and groping, Pepper's undergarments wound up on the floor along with Tony's clothing. There were probably a few of Pepper's shirt buttons down there, too. She sat on the edge of the desk and pulled him against her, grinding her hips against his, trying to get more of him. He slid a hand between them, found her center, and stroked her. When her gasps and shivers of pleasure were too much to bear, he pulled his hand away—despite her cry of protest.
He entered her slowly, feeling every bit of her. He could feel her nails digging into his back, and her nips at his shoulder. They began to move together in a rhythm that was their own. They both knew, without asking, exactly what the other needed. Touch here, more pressure, slower, I love you…He felt her tighten around him as she climaxed, and he let himself follow.
They lay on the desktop, unmoving, for several long minutes. Neither of them wanted to move, to break the embrace. Finally, Tony kissed her forehead and asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"I thought you would fire me. I thought you'd feel…betrayed. And I didn't want to see the look on your face when you fired me. I don't…I've seen that look, and I couldn't handle it if you looked at me like that. It would…it's too tough. I didn't want to give you up."
"I'm not going to give you up. Ever. But, for future reference, you know that secrets just come back to bite you in the ass, right?" he asked.
"Just secrets? Because I was really hoping that maybe later you would—"
"I'm serious," he said, studying her face.
"My mother used to tell me that every lady has her secrets, and that if you don't, you should."
"Yeah? Tell me a secret." She thought about it for a moment, trying to think of something that no one else knew. Something special so that he could be the first to know. So that he could be the first to break down her walls of secrecy.
"When you go on business trips, I take one of your shirts to sleep in, and always return it before you get back, so you wouldn't notice. You tell me a secret."
A true smile spread across his face. "When I came home from Afghanistan, I found one of your hairs on my MIT t-shirt. That's why I always wear it to bed. Because it's like going to bed with a little piece of you."
Upon hearing that, Pepper smiled as well. It was the smile of a perfectly contented woman. "I'd say you got more than a little piece." At that, they both started laughing, hopelessly happy.
"Tell me another secret."
"Quid pro quo?" she asked. He picked her up off the desk and they headed for a softer surface.
"Always."
When the paper ran on Sunday morning, the front headline was remarkably uninteresting. This suited Tony and Pepper just fine, because they were both too preoccupied with each other to care.
Author's Note: So, there's a little one-shot that has been in my head for a bit. I hope you enjoyed. Please review, because that is awesome! Critical reviews are welcome, too. =)