Author Note: Hello all. Okay so this is the start of these short stories. These are I guess you could say in an AU of sorts from the original universe of the Vertical Velocity story. Also I will tell you the prompt that I either though of or that I found before each chapter just so you know what's going on in each story.

They will be in a random order unless noted with an "Episode" tag after the chapter name like this one. So this means that the "How Long" prompt will have more chapters and same thing goes for other story prompts like this.

Also pardon me if this is lacking romance or something like it. I am not really a mushy love person. If anything I forget the anniversary dates.

Last thing, on a completely random note that trailer for Iron Man 3 fucked my emotions all up. That is all.

Prompt: What if Vanessa and Tony's relationship was more than just friendship?

How long did it take before I ended up here?

Vanessa gazed up at the bedroom ceiling as the question wandered in her mind. Of course everything from beyond a hand's length became blurry due to her not wearing her glasses, but the figure lying next to her was in perfect focus. She saw the tan back move up and down with each slow rhythmic breath before she turned her attention back to the blurry ceiling.

Those last few hours of sex had really worn them both out, yet she couldn't sleep. Her mind became restless as for some reason it choose now to recount how she ended up in her current position.

Vanessa closed her eyes and thought back.

It took three months to get in the Stark Innovators internship. Then after the meeting with Pepper Potts she was hired on the spot. That next day she met her employer Tony Stark.

So far that was three months and two days.

Then it was about another four or six weeks of doing paperwork for Tony and doing PR work. Vanessa really didn't get to spend that much alone time . The only time that she spent a long amount of time alone with him was during the Stark Expo that year. Pepper had told her that her second job as an intern was to babysit Tony, as was everyone's job in the company. However that turned out to be a hard task, as with Pepper out of town and Vanessa not really knowing how to handle Tony, he went as Vanessa described it "wild and crazy" when really it was just a typical day in the life.

So now it had been about five months give or take a few days.

Now this is where things became a blur.

It took a few more months before Vanessa and Tony formed a strange employee-employer friendship. She never called him Tony but he always called her Nessa to her annoyance. Around that same time Tony and Pepper started to get serious. It was also that time when Vanessa and Happy Hogan became really good friends. Although Vanessa believes him to be around 34, the 11-year age gap was hardly there when she talked to him. Then again growing up her mother always said she was mature for her age and sometimes took things too seriously.

That's what I'm doing now. I always over think shit.

Vanessa paused her train of though to scold herself but then got back to her pervious task.

Anyway, she noticed over the year that Tony became very interested in her and Happy's relationship and that he would often times ask her embarrassing questions.

"Are you two screwing around? Because I think the company has a policy on that. Oh then that means Pep and I can't... Look up that policy and if there is one let me know because that has got to go."

She tried to count the time now most likely over two years. Give or take a month. She ran her hand over her face scolding herself for not being able to keep track of time. Just incase she was fired and had to find a job; she didn't even know how long she had been at her first one. Although she doubted it would happen she always took precaution.

Even with Tony saying "It will have to be so cold in Hell the day I fire you that the Devil will have to ask God for some ice skates."

Vanessa scolded herself again for getting off topic, which happened a lot when she thought too much.

It had to be around fall when she noticed something between Tony and Pepper. She couldn't quite place what it was but whatever happened was slowly drifting them apart and yet brought Happy and Pepper closer together. She tried to get the scoop from Happy but he wouldn't budge. Pepper was no help either as she, just like Vanessa, like to keep personal issues and work separate. Tony however was a different story. Although he never said anything he didn't have too. Vanessa read it all over his face.

One day he had called her town to his garage to ask her opinion of the paint job he should get for a vintage Thunderbird he bought just that week. As he rambled on Vanessa blocked him out and looked at his face. His body always betrayed him in her eyes.

"Look," she said interrupting him looking down at the ground.

"I don't know what happened between you and Pepper but if you want to talk about it I'm here." She looked up. "Don't give me that 'What are you talking about?' look. I may be busy but I'm not blind. Even with the little time I have to see you two, you aren't as close as you where when you where, I presume, dating. But look, if you need to talk and JARVIS can't compute a answer or Rody can't babysit you at a club I'll be right here; at the desk Mondays through Fridays, in here working your schedule, and at my apartment that for some reason you just like to show up at without calling."

That was the point I think. Vanessa thought.

The point where they became good friends. They where still good friends but she couldn't quite place the exact point when they went from friends to lovers. Maybe she just needed to stop analyzing it and just live in the moment as Tony is always telling her. It wasn't bad being with him. In fact nothing really changed between the two except they got more personal with each other, she called him Tony when out of the office, and they slept together every now and again.

She remembered that exactly though. The first time they slept together. She had been, to Tony's shock, a virgin at that point. Frankly that whole thing scared him.

"None of the guys tried anything with me." she explained the day she told him. "They all thought I was stuck up. And the few I did go out with always cheated on me. Not that I cared because they where jerks but will real sluty girls. I was afraid I might catch something."

In fact because she knew of Tony's reputation she demanded he get tested just to be safe. He told her to stop over analyzing and got tested. It came back all negative to Vanessa's shock.

"Yay let's celebrate!" he said as he scooped her up and took her to the bedroom.

She found out a week later after sleeping with him that he was nervous. He told her this was the first time he could remember sleeping with a virgin and was afraid that if he did something that she didn't like, her first time of having sex would always be seen as a horrible experience.

It wasn't. It was wonderful. She had never felt that happy before and of course Tony was ready to help keep her that happy.

It didn't take long before Pepper realized the two where some kind of strange couple but never talked about it out loud at first. But eventually she acknowledged it.

Vanessa continued to look at the blurry ceiling as the tan back turned over to reveal Tony's face and disheveled hair. His eyes cracked open as he looked at her.

"You still up?" he said mumbling.

She gave out a yawn. "I was, had a bad dream. I'm gonna go back to sleep now."

Vanessa turned her back towards him and soon felt his chest on her back and arms over her waist. He snuggled his head into the crook of her neck, his facial hair and stubble tickling her. She gave a tired giggle, felt Tony smile and received a kiss on her neck.

She realized then who cares how long it's been like this as long as there is more of this to come.