Pepper crept into the lab. Bruce was in his own lab for once. It was nice having him around most of the time. She loved Tony's brilliant mind, but there was only so long she could stand listening to him rattle on about the force distribution and shear factors. When he was in his inventing moods, she could barely make out what he was talking about through the technical jargon.

It was also nice having someone else to babysit Tony. Pepper had gotten so used to having to force Tony to eat and sleep that it was a breath of fresh air to not have to worry if he was going to pass out from neglecting his body. Bruce could lead him out of the lab with the promise of an interesting conversation, JARVIS could lock them out and Tony would fall asleep on the coach. It made her feel a little less like Tony's mother and a little more like Tony's girlfriend.

So, she wasn't jealous of Bruce spending time with Tony. Tony had a hard enough time connecting with people on more than just a superficial irritating level. Bruce didn't get out much either; Pepper suspected it was a combination of him just being a little shy and the constant looming threat of the Hulk. Pepper still missed the times, though, when Tony was completely her's. There were drawbacks to loving Tony, but when he focused all that drive and all that energy on her, she knew she was his entire world. In those times, loving him was an amazing gift that she wouldn't trade for anything.

This week though she had barely seen him. First it was the Avengers, calling for him to help them save the world, again. Then it was fixing the suit that had been wrecked once again in the ensuing fight. She needed to attend meetings, set up press conferences for Tony, and generally keep the world running while Tony did his thing as superhero and inventor. She acknowledge that this was an important job and she felt much more comfortable with it now that Tony had teammates watching his back.

She felt a bit like Lois Lane at times, watching him go off to save the world while she just stayed at home and went to meetings. But then Tony would come back to her and she would see once again how helplessly clueless he could be. She wasn't sure if it was more like dealing with a child or an alien. All his brains were concentrated in completely revolutionizing the next thing that caught attention so he had none to spare to make sure he ate that day.

She spent today constantly shifting from conference room to conference room in board meetings for SI. Bruce emailed her that Tony was going to be in Malibu for the weekend and that he was all hers. The day dragged on until she finally arrived at the house and Tony was no where to be found. It had taken her an hour to realize that he was in his lab and wasn't even thinking about coming upstairs to see her. She could change that.

The AC/DC blasting from the speakers covered up the sounds she made coming into the lab. She tapped the glass window that separated the lab and the staircase and JARVIS tinted it black. Stepping into the bathroom she slipped out of her dress. She stepped out of the bathroom only wearing her 4-inch red heals, and underwear. This bra did wonderful things to her breasts: accentuating them by pushing them up ever so slightly, curving around them, and showing just the right amount of skin. It was simple and red with a little white lace on the edges with a matching thong. She looked amazing. She walked over to Tony who was curved over a circuit board lost in the mechanics of soldering. Stopping next to him she smiled as she watched him work for a moment. She loved this Tony who wasn't putting on a show for anyone. He was wearing a simple black tank top and blue jeans. The blue light of the reactor shown through his shirt. The safety goggles he was wearing looked a little ridiculous but that could easily be fixed.

She placed her hand delicately on his shoulder and leaned in to kiss his neck and nibble at his ear. As soon as she touched him JARVIS lowered the music gently. She wasn't planning on making it out of the lab for round one. For round two, she might accept moving to the bed room. Time would tell.

Tony glanced up sharply as soon as her hand touched his shoulder. His eye's widened with desire before he said, "Pepper! Holy shit." He put his hands on her waist and moved her away from the table. "What are you wearing? This is a lab! You can't – what are you wearing?"

Pepper grinned. It wasn't exactly the response she was hoping for, but it was close enough. Getting Tony speechless could be a difficult task, but she prided herself on her work ethic. "Tony –" she purred before he interrupted.

"You need to put on something a little more – more to be here. There's things. The soldering iron. Hell, any of the equipment. The chemicals! No." Tony was stuttering but instead of moving to kiss her he was running off to grab what looked like a lab coat. As he returned she saw, yes, it was in fact a lab coat. She frowned. This was not part of the plan. It was rapidly going downhill.

Tony gave her the lab coat and then rushed back to the table he was working on, "Let me just turn this stuff off and we can head upstairs."

"Tony –" she tried again before once again he cut her off.

"Pepper. Basic lab safety. We're not going to have sex in the lab. There's glass. There's heavy equipment. Not to mention any of the chemicals, some of which are corrosive." He turned around. She was still holding the lab coat in disbelief. He waved his hands at her, "Put on the lab coat. I'm going to sweep you off your feet and to the bedroom.

"We could clear off a table?" She offered still holding the coat out.

"We are not having sex in the lab," he walked over to her and pulled her into a kiss. She was still awkwardly holding the coat that she still couldn't believe he had given her, "I love you. I love you so much, but I am not ever going to have sex in a lab. Do you want to hear the story of my 2nd year at MIT because I will tell it and it will really ruin the mood. An eye wash had too be used and there was a trip to the hospital. See, there was this girl who – "

"No. Please," she pushed him away a little so she had room to put on the coat, "Go grab my dress from the bathroom. We'll go upstairs."

He smirked, "Alright."

"You are not, under any circumstances, carrying me up the stairs. I remember last time you tried. Save your theatrics for when you're in the Iron Man suit," she said as he walked to the bathroom.

He turned walking backwards and stuck his tongue out, "Spoil sport."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."