Okay I really should not have put off updating this story but the idea for the second chapter just came to me. Haha, I feel rather 'slow' at the moment. Well anyhoo I hope you all enjoy this next chapter because I'm sure I'm gonna have fun writing it. Let me shut up now and get right to that. Oh and BTW I do NOT own Iron Man Armored Adventures (but I wish I did)

MethodToMadness


Chapter Two: They Don't Call Me Pepper For Nothing


Pepper gave a rude look to one of the two guards that stood outside the doors of Stark Tower. Now that she was closer she could see that not much had changed on the outside of the tower; same look, same old potted plants which were probably fake, and same men-in-black guards that seemed to be constantly scrutinizing people behind those wanna-be spy sunglasses. Did a petit red head really look like that much of a threat?

After sizing up one of the guards just to intimidate him, she quickly strut past them both holding her head high with a rolling suitcase trailing behind her and a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. As soon as she passed those doors she couldn't help but feel like she had just walked into the twenty second century. Like she remembered there were people rushing about whether talking into headsets or scampering with stacks of paper in their hands.

What really caught Peppers attention was the robots hovering everywhere; they were definitely upgrades from the robots she remembered. They were more compact and looked like eyes and the fact that the place was so white that it could be classified as sterile environment that she just contaminated just by walking through the doors. Of course there was that long row of detectors that went across the lobby and she knew that in order to reach the front desk she would have to get past them. Now she regretted not leaving her trusty metal bat with the rest of her stuff back at the dorm.

After taking in a deep breath Pepper continued sticking out like a sore thumb in her skinny jeans, high tops, white button up short sleeve shirt and pink argyle sweater vest which wasn't much different from the dress she constantly wore throughout high school. She received strange looks from suited and professionally dressed people, but she paid them no mind. She was on a mission.

Getting past the detectors wasn't much of an issue. She lifted her duffle bag from the sensors reach to avoid getting caught with her bat that she strictly used for protection, not to mention it was a very wonderful birthday gift from Tori. However when she thought she was in the clear a robot stopped right before her face temporarily blinding her with a flash of a camera before a dim laser scanned her over. Before Pepper could reach into her bag to whack the thing it floated away towards the second level and down a hall.

"Stupid robots…" She muttered under her breath before heading to the front desk. Behind that desk were three different secretaries…the weird part was that they all look identical; same auburn hair, same fair skin and same green eyes. Pepper quickly deducted they were triplets. She approached the one in the middle who was currently on a phone call and leaned on the desk before said girl. "Excuse me…" Pepper said in her best sugar coated voice.

The woman paid her no mind and continued her conversation which was obviously not work related by the way she kept saying shut up in this aggravating valley girl accent. Pepper resisted the urge to roll her eyes and forced a smile.

"Excuse me." Pepper said more firmly while tapping on the desk. Still the she was paid no mind and this only caused her to clench a fist. She really had no time for this girl and she couldn't help but wonder how she even obtained a job here. She looked like a ditz while her other sister looked like the world was filled with rainbows and sunshine and the last sister looked like she was about to punch the man she was currently trying to ignore. "Excuse ME!" Pepper nearly yelled.

She caught the attention of people passing by, but she did not catch the attention of little miss "shut up" who was now letting the most annoying laugh ring out. Pepper let her impatience get the better of her and she snatched the phone and slammed it down on the receiver causing the secretary to gasp.

"What!? Are you, like, crazy?" The girl squealed. Pepper tried her best not to get more annoyed by her tone of voice or how thick her valley girl accent became when she was angry.

"No I'm just looking for some help. I need to speak with Tony." She said through grit teeth as she leaned her hands on the edge of the desk. The girl quirked an eyebrow before tapping her perfectly manicured nails on the desk top.

"Who?" She asked in one of those tones that said that this girl had the attention span of a fish. Three seconds and that was it…poor girl.

Pepper resisted the need to roll her eyes as her arms fell to her sides. The secretary still looked expectant for an answer and after raking her hand through her ginger hair; Pepper took another step towards the desk and gave a harshly forced smile.

"Tony Stark. You know; your boss?" Pepper said in a tone that screamed impatience but this girl wouldn't be able to detect it. Instead her mouth gaped open and her eyes widened twice their normal size.

"His name is Tony? I thought it was Anthony!" She almost cried. She turned to her moody looking sister and tapped her on the shoulder. The girl slowly turned with a scowl on her face. "Oh my gosh, Rex his name isn't Anthony! It's Tony!"

"Shut up Heather." The sister known as Rex growled before turning back to her computer screen where a game of solitaire was on. Heather pouted lightly and that was one the third sister jumped in.

"Aw Heather you silly goose! Tony is the abbreviated term for Anthony! A-duh!" The third sister sang before giving a pixie-like giggle. She was annoying but not as annoying as her sister Heather who was now fascinated with something on her hand. How they got their jobs, Pepper would never know.

"Pfft, yea right Kitty. Next you're gonna, like, tell me that Becky is short for, like, Rebecca." Heather snorted rolling her eyes. Pepper's eyes widened as she tried to fathom how one person could be so…in blunt terms, so damn stupid.

"Um, can I just see him please?" Pepper inserted. The triplets all turned their green eyes on her and she nearly jumped at the three different stares she was receiving; a glare, a blank look, and an excited gaze.

"Do you have a, like, appointment?" Heather asked quirking an eyebrow. Pepper opened her mouth only to close it again. She could easily lie but that wouldn't help because they probably kept a record of all appointments that are made.

"No, but I'm a close personal friend. I'm sure if you told him Pepper Potts was here…"

"Nobody, like, get's to see Mr. Stark without a, like, appointment." Heather said simply before reaching for her phone once again. Pepper narrowed her eyes as her hand shot out to grab Heather's. The middle triplet gasped and looked up at Pepper wide eyed.

"Listen sweetheart I'm really not in the mood so can you, like, let me see him or do I have to, like, call some people to take care of things for me?" Pepper said mocking the girl's accent. Heather swallowed nervously and she glanced at Rex who was smiling lightly. She then glanced at Kitty who looked panicked.

"Like, security!" Heather screeched. Pepper lowered her head for a moment as she heard the shuffling of foot steps behind her. Maybe she shouldn't have nearly threatened the poor girl. She was obviously easily spooked considering she was one of those.

"Excuse me Miss, but I'm afraid you have to leave." A security guard said as he reached out towards Pepper. The ginger head girl responded with a rude snort and jerked away from him.

"I'm not leaving until I speak to Tony!" She exclaimed in a matter-of-fact tone. Two other security guards joined the first and they crowded around her.

"Nobody see's Mr. Stark without an appointment. You are going to have to leave." The second guard said as he took hold of her wrist. Pepper shot a glare at him that would have killed him on the spot if looks could kill.

"Don't touch me! I have pepper spray! They don't call me Pepper for nothing!" She yelled. The guard furrowed his brow and she pried herself from his grip.

On the second level watching all of this transpire was a brunette who had her brown eyes locked on the ginger haired girl. She was dressed in a pants suit and was chewing roughly on a piece of pink gum. She smiled inwardly as she whistled. A small round robot came to her and she muttered a command.


"You're fired." He said simply as he leaned back in his chair. The blue eyed blonde's mouth dropped open as her arms went limp at her sides. He was used to the initial shock but she obviously wouldn't be.

"But I…How could you…where the hell am I going to live!? I thought after last night we…"

"You can leave now. You're stuff will be returned to you later on" He cut off, offering her a fake smile. The young woman shook her head muttering something under her breath about conceited rich people and how completely inconsiderate they were as she made the "walk of shame" towards the door.

Once the door slammed shut he let out a small sigh of relief. That had gone much better than he predicted considering how he fired his last personal assistant last week. She had been so upset that she resorted to dropping on her knees and begging claiming that he was the love of her life. You tell a girl you love her and buy her a few nice things and they automatically think that the two of you are engaged…crazy people in this world…

He's dealt with criers, screamers, even women who hold personal vendettas because they all thought that "they had something" or "he was the first man they truly loved". Why they were so clingy, he would never understand. He just cut them off before they got attached enough to go crazy like that last girl who he had to call the police on…damn crazy people.

"Mr. Stark?"

Tony nearly jumped as the image of the head of the security and secretary department appeared as a holographic image from his desk. She had an amused smile on her face as she continued to chew on her gum in a rather unflattering fashion.

"Reggie can you buzz before randomly doing that?" He scorned as he narrowed his blue eyes at her. Reggie rolled her brown eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Listen kid we got some rogue girl in the lobby." She said ignoring his last comment. Her heavy Flushing, Queens, nasal accent cut the sound barrier but Tony was used to it so he didn't cringe like everybody else. Since she was a solid ten years older than him she had gotten around to calling him kid, not in a demeaning manner but as a term of endearment.

"It's probably Megan. I just fired her." Tony said, almost proudly. Reggie offered a fake laugh. Her laugh was just as loud and nasally as her voice and Tony winced at the pitch, not to mention how sarcastic it sounded as it faded. "Since you are head of security I believe you should be handling this accordingly." He added smartly.

"I'm surprised you remember Megan's name." She muttered rolling her eyes. "But I'm sorry to say that this girl isn't one of your bed warmers…" Reggie retorted sharply. Tony narrowed his eyes at her and the corner of her mouth curved up into a crooked smile.

"What do you want Reggie?" He deadpanned crossing his arms over his chest. Reggie laughed again.

"Well I just wanted to know if you knew who Pepper Potts was." Reggie said with less enthusiasm. Tony's brow furrowed as he sat up straight in his chair. Reggie could easily read the body language and nodded to herself. "Yea this girl is basically harassing my poor secretaries and she just threatened to hit one of the security guards over the head with a metal bat."

"That's Pepper…" Tony muttered more to himself than Reggie. An amused smile came to his face. He couldn't even remember the last time he had come in contact with the hazel eyed red head and the fact that she was threatening people in his lobby made him smile. He could never deny the fact that he missed her because she was one of his best friends. He also couldn't help but wonder how much she had changed mentally and physically.

"Should I call the police?" Reggie asked nonchalant before popping her gum. Tony slowly shook his head as he leaned back in his chair.

"No, bring her to me. I want you to escort her personally." Tony said. Reggie grinned knowingly before nodding. Her image disappeared and Tony smirked to himself.


All done. Wow that was fun to write and most of the OC's have been introduced already. I enjoyed writing Pepper's interaction with the secretaries. I could just expect that from her considering her fiery attitude when it comes to matters such as that. Well I hope you all enjoyed this enough to press that gray and green button. Go ahead and review. It won't hurt ya know.

MethodToMadness