A/N: Thanks for all the feedback! Glad people like it! Also I'll be updating Katie Stark soon! If you haven't read that go read it now!
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. Or any of their characters. Sadly.
Three weeks after Pepper left Tony sat in his office. He had actually had to go to work. She had done all the work. He still teared up when he saw little things that reminded him of Pepper. They were everywhere. Her favorite one of his cars. Her forgotten earrings on his desk at work. Her favorite coffee in his cabinet. Her empty side of the bed. Her stash of chocolate. Her favorite flowers sitting on the coffee table at home. Her favorite movie paused halfway through that Tony couldn't bring himself to take out of the DVD player. Her stack of CDs. Her barrette sitting on his dresser. But the main thing was the little box sitting inside of his sock drawer. The little box that contained a diamond ring. That he was going to propose with. He left it there. In case she came back. Because no matter what, he was still in love with Virginia 'Pepper' Potts.
Pepper looked around at her new office. She was a secretary at a little law firm in St Louis. She liked the town. It was fairly large but not nearly as big as New York City. She rented an apartment not far from where she worked. It wasn't very expensive but money wasn't really an issue. She had at least $800,000 saved up. Working for Tony Stark had its advantages. Especially when you were dating him and he bought you anything you wanted. She saw her bosses come into the office. They were brothers that were both lawyers.
"Tony Stark was on TV this morning. He looked terrible. The interviewer asked him about the sudden disappearance of his secretary. He refused to make a comment. Apparently he said that if she comes back he'll be at some café in NYC every day for the next week at 10AM. He's crazy. She isn't coming back," one of them told the other.
"Yeah I know. He's so stupid. She skipped town. She's probably just a slut he picked up on the town. He's just a rich jerk. Thinks he's got everything in the world. He's so naïve. The rest of the world has more important things to do rather than worry about his girlfriend," the other said. Pepper felt her blood boil. These guys seemed nice at first. Now Pepper hated them.
"Tony Stark has more troubles than you two will experience in your whole damn lives combined. He's kind and caring and considerate of others. And he loves his girlfriend deeply. And she's going back to see him," Pepper told him.
"Are you seriously one of his fangirls?" one snorted with amusement.
"Oh I'm more than that. In fact, my full name is Virginia Potts. And for your information I'm no slut. And Tony and I care very deeply for each other. It was nice knowing you. No wait, it wasn't," Pepper told them. She grabbed her stuff and marched out of the office leaving the brothers speechless. Then she went back to her apartment. She got on her laptop and bought a ticket back to New York. Her plane left in 6 hours. Meanwhile she packed everything up.
She was watching the evening news. There was supposed to be a snowstorm. Okay who cared. She moaned. All flights leaving the area were cancelled for the next 24 hours. She got online again. A train left for Cincinnati in an hour. She grabbed her stuff and called a cab. Fifteen minutes later she was on her way to the train station. She made it there just in time. She bought a ticket and boarded the train. A few hours later they stopped in Cincinnati. Another train left for Pittsburg in ten minutes. She bought a ticket and climbed in. Several hours later she bought a ticket to NYC from Pittsburg. She boarded the train. It was 6:30 (ET) in the morning. She made it to NYC at 9:10. She hailed a cab. The driver looked at her weird when she told him the address but he did as she said. She thanked him and paid him. Then she walked into Stark Tower for the first time in a month. Oh how she'd missed NYC. She left her bags downstairs.
"JARVIS don't tell Tony I'm back," she told the AI.
"Of course Miss Potts. It is good to have you back," JARVIS answered.
"It's good to be back," she smiled and ran out to the garage. She entered the passcode and hopped into her favorite car. It hadn't been touched since she'd left. It was a little dusty. But Pepper didn't care. She started it up and drove to the café. Sure enough Tony's car sat outside. She parked the car and walked in. She immediately spotted him in the corner booth that he'd been sitting in when they first saw each other.
She slid in across from him. He looked up. His eyes grew wide.
"I'm back. I figured you probably needed me. After all you don't know your social security number or your bank account password or-" Tony cut her off by planting his lips on hers.
"No but I managed. The only thing I couldn't manage without was you," he told her when he pulled away.
"I love you," Pepper said a little breathlessly.
"And I love you too," he told her. And he got down on one knee and took the little box out of his pocket.
And in a little café in the middle of New York City Tony Stark proposed to Pepper Potts.
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