Sorry dudes. I already uploaded this but I noticed I'd gone from saying 'he' to 'I', so I changed that, and I added more to the chapter. Thanks for the reviews.

After minutes of begging, she finally caved and invited him inside. Once he'd taken off his shoes, he proceeded to move further into the house, walking into the lounge before turning back to her, checking she was still behind him. She told him to make himself comfortable, which he did by sitting on her couch as she stood opposite him, leaning against the wall for support. An awkward silence hung in the air as the two looked around the room, avoiding eye contact as best as they could. As they waited for the other to speak, he carefully took in his surroundings. He'd never been to her house before and he immediately wondered why she'd bought such a big house if she was living on her own. Her lounge was typical 'Pepper style'. It was blue and white, her favourite colours. Lord knows why white was her favourite colour, considering most people didn't even think of it as a colour. Everything in the room was so neat and tidy, which was all that could be expected from her. She'd always been efficient. She had a large bookshelf leaning up against one wall and he could see from where he was sitting that she had at least a hundred books. After scanning the room, his eyes fell back onto the figure standing in front of him, and she quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't seen her staring at him. But he had. And he couldn't help but smirk. She opened her mouth as if ready to say something, but he quickly interrupted before her words had a chance to form.

"Did it not mean anything to you?" He asked, earning a shocked look from her. She bit her lip and looked away from him, sighing and wrapping her arms around herself. He stood from the couch and moved to stand in front of her, hooking a finger under her chin and turning her head so she'd look at him.

"Talk to me, Pepper. Please." He whispered with a pleading voice. She looked straight into his eyes and he instantly noticed the tears welling up in hers. Suddenly, the thought of her running from him on the roof came flooding back into his mind. He absent-mindedly reached for one of her hands so she couldn't pull the same stunt. She looked down at their hands and sighed.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. He looked at her, frowning slightly as he tried to work out if she'd actually said it or if he was just hearing things. She looked up at him again as a tear fell down her cheek. He used his free hand to wipe it away before pulling her to sit on the couch. Without letting go of her hand, he wrapped his free arm around her slowly, as if a fast motion would have scared her off. He was shocked when she rested her head on his shoulder and began to cry softly. He sat back slightly, still holding her with one arm. He pulled her back with him before holding onto her tighter as she continued to cry.

Around 30 minutes later, her cries had turned into short breaths and sniffles. He moved his head slightly to look at her before standing up and moving her to rest back against the couch. He went into the kitchen and hunted the cupboards for a few minutes before finding a glass. He filled it with water and quickly made his back into the lounge, handing her the glass. She took the glass from his hand and mumbled a thank you as he sat down beside her again and watched her take a sip. He eyed her cautiously before sighing. She looked so small and vulnerable at that moment. She looked far from the strong Pepper he knew and loved. After a few more minutes of silence, she finally spoke.

"I meant it, you know." She said, her voice quiet, barely louder than a whisper. He looked at her, slightly confused.

"Meant what?" He asked.

"I quit, Tony. I can't be there anymore, especially now." She replied, her voice becoming shaky. He sat looking at her, shocked. She couldn't actually be thinking of leaving, could she?

"But, Pepper-" He didn't know what to say. He couldn't form a coherent sentence, still in shock from the fact that she actually wanted to leave him.

"I need you." He said quietly. She turned and looked at him, tears running down her cheeks again.

"No you don't, Tony." She replied. "You've got Natalie, Rhodey and Happy. You don't need me." He stood up and threw his hands in the air, turning to face her.

"Do the words 'You're all I have' not mean a thing to you?" He yelled, not meaning to get angry with her. She looked so scared as she sat staring at me, her eyes wide and filled with fear. He instantly felt like an ass.

"I'm sorry, Pepper. I didn't-" She quickly interrupted him.

"Get out, Tony." She said bitterly. "I never want to see you again." He didn't even try and argue. If he was in her shoes right now, he'd do exactly the same thing. He turned round and headed for the door. He put his hand on the handle and went to push it down, but he quickly stopped himself. He turned around again and called back to her.

"I love you, Pepper." He said before leaving and heading back home.

Well, thoughts? Please review

-Leanne xx