Summary: SEQUEL TO THE LAST SUMMER. Tony and Pepper move on with their busy lives as superheroes, business partners, roommates, friends and confidants – everything but lovers. But when you're destined to be together, you're destined to be together, and nothing you can do – including altering someone's memory of you – will change that.

Standard disclaimer for all my stories: My stories are graphic, angsty, frustrating, filled with cliffhangers, drama and foul language. Read at your own risk – medical issues and subsequent bills are not covered by yours truly ;) If you don't like, please don't read. I appreciate reviews and constructive feedback but if you cannot stand the plot, save yourself and me some time and walk away. You don't have to love all IMAA stories :) I don't own IMAA. My stories are better viewed by using the "half screen" option of

THIS IS A SEQUEL TO THE LAST SUMMER. READ THAT FIRST OR BE FOREVER CONFUSED!

The First Year

Prologue

In the blink of an eye September had ended, the month of October had begun, and with it had come the anniversary of he and Maya's dating time. Today was their two-month anniversary and, at her request, Tony had done all of the expected tasks: breakfast, lunch, gift exchange, movie and dinner; a day together like one they rarely had, be it damned that it was in the middle of the week. It had been fun, he had to admit, but regardless of how much fun he had, the ginger was always in the back of his mind. She had been present when Maya had held his hand in hers and whenever her lips brushed his skin. She had been present whenever he had heard Maya's laugh and whenever silence befell them in between.

Tony had done everything a loving boyfriend was expected to do on anniversary day. He had said the right name when addressing the girl and had written the correct name on the greeting card he had bought. He had opened the door for her and had paid for all she had asked. He had even gone as far as dressing in uncomfortable formal clothes that he had always despised, but every time his eyes had seemed lost and confused and his mind had wandered off, Pepper had been at the forefront of it all

Pepper: who did not see him as anything more than a friend because that had been his request. Pepper: who was happy with someone else, someone who was not Tony Stark; someone who had not broken her heart and then had made her forget he ever had. Pepper: the spunky redhead that had meddled her way into his life and who he now could not push away, no matter how hard he tried. Pepper: the only one woman he ever wanted to be with, but the one woman he could not have.

Maya Hansen was no Pepper, but she was not bad. She was kind, funny, smart and ambitious, and she also did not put up with his antics and flaws just as Pepper did not. But in the end, Tony could not find it in his heart to care for her as more than just a friend, even when he saw Pepper living it large with her boyfriend, Scott.

At first, the inventor had not worried too much about the random stranger that had taken his seat at the ESU orientation. But when his one-time appearance became common in their apartment, he knew Pepper was falling in love. How could she not? The young man was smart, polite, educated, kind and truly cared for Pepper, and while Tony knew he himself could be all those things for her and more, he also knew that none of that mattered if he was still Iron Man.

He had thought about it many times: quitting being who he was, but it was too late to do so now. He was way too into it. Iron Man was ingrained in his life, part of his skin, and not until the day he was no longer able to put on the suit because his decrepit, rotting body could not sustain the hits, would he be able to let it go. Iron Man was who he was; he had even told her that much at some point himself, but the true weight of his words had not hit him until recently, until today, until just now.

He had not planned to catch them like this; he had just wanted to go home after a long day in which he had pretended to love a woman he could never possibly love. He had just wanted to walk away from Maya's disappointed face when she had invited him back into her lonely home since her father was out, and he had declined. Tony had known what Maya had planned for them for the rest of the evening, but he could not bring himself to do that for her, to her, with her. He had already survived the day. He doubted he would have been able to survive the night.

Now, however, he wished he would have gone somewhere else; somewhere where Pepper and Scott had not been making out on his couch when he had walked inside his own home.

"Sorry," Tony said and looked away from them, but in the brief moment his eyes had landed on them, he had seen more of Pepper than he wanted Scott to see of her. They had only been dating for little over a month: were they not going a little bit too fast? If they kept it up, Pepper would end up pregnant in no time.

Too fast? Says the guy who wanted to sleep with her the day you asked Gene to make her forget about you two ever being together, his consciousness told him. Yeah, you're one to talk, Stark.

"I didn't expect you to be back so soon," Pepper said and buttoned up her blouse. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Tony lied. "Maya's dad caught some stomach bug and she wanted to take care of him," he lied again. Maya's stepfather hardly ever stayed at home. He was always working, always out, always putting his inventions before his own family and personal life. Just like Tony once did, himself.

"Oh, well, that's untimely," Pepper responded with an honest frown. "You two just can't catch a break, huh?"

"So it would seem," Tony shrugged. "Anyway, I'll be out of your hair, Pepper. Summers."

"Stark."

Tony nodded to the man who never removed his sunglasses, claiming that he had an eye condition that prevented him from seeing without them on. Personally, Tony thought he just liked the mysterious aura the sunglasses gave him, which of course had been the first thing that had caught Pepper's eyes. Then again, he was not one to talk – again.

"Goodnight, Tony," Pepper called as he began walking down the hall and away from them.

"Goodnight, Pep," Tony responded and finally made it to his room. He put on his earbuds and tried his best to tune out their laughter and other random sounds he did not want to venture into guessing the nature of, and for the millionth time he cursed himself for not asking Gene to make him forget about Pepper, too.

Who am I kidding? Tony thought. I'd never forget about her, even if I tried.

The saddest part of that fact, however, was that he knew he was too much of a coward to attempt the feat at all.

A/N: So, who do you think Pepper is dating? I didn't make him up. I just… borrowed him from another show.