Days 2 & 3:
It took two days for Pepper to return to her office at Mr. Stark's home.
Shortly after Rhodey's call, before she could collect herself, the phone rang. It was Obadiah Stane. She knew before she answered it that he knew. They spoke about Mr. Stark's abduction. She tried to remain calm and professional, but there were cracks in her armor, and Obadiah could see them like a neon sign. After a few moments, apparently making a decision, he interrupted her and said abruptly, "Miss Potts, I need you to take tomorrow off." Obadiah Stane's voice was firm, brooking no argument.
She stopped in mid-sentence. What? She thought. I need to be in the office. He continued, "I have to attend an emergency board meeting in New York; my plane leaves in an hour. We've got to figure out how we're going to handle this, and I will probably be in New York through tomorrow night." When she didn't respond, his voice softened somewhat as he said, "try to stay calm. We'll get this figured out. Tomorrow, when I talk to my secretary, I don't want to hear that you've come in to work."
It turned out to be a good thing Mr. Stane realized how affected she was by this; she was in no condition to work the next day. She spent most of her time at home either combing the networks for any kind of news (there was nothing yet, of course) or crying.
Her work with Anthony Stark was not just a job. He was not just her boss. She had been working with that insufferably brilliant and confusing man for 8 to 12 hours a day, for far too long to call it or him 'just' anything. The thought of him being hurt or gone forever was too big for her to handle.
"Hello Mr. Stane." It was evening on the day after she'd heard about Mr. Stark, and she'd regained her composure somewhat.
"Are you doing okay? Do you need another day?" Mr. Stane's voice sounded tired. Pepper could tell he was concerned about her, but she could also hear stress there. She knew she wasn't helping matters by having a breakdown. She had to get back to work.
"I'll be alright sir. What do you need me to do?"
"I'd like to meet with you to go over the board meeting results, first thing in the morning."
She spent the first half of the next day meeting with Mr. Stane. It was the decision of the board that until they had more information, the company was keeping the abduction quiet. She would have to be very circumspect in how she responded to people over the next few days.
Her meeting with Mr. Stane had been very reassuring. "Miss Potts, I'm just waiting for the ransom request. They wouldn't dare hurt him. Not if they want a damn penny. Tony has friends in high places; once they have an idea of where he is, he's as good as home. Don't you worry your little head about it." Stane's voice was so assured, so confident, she couldn't doubt. And if it came to paying a ransom, she knew the company had the resources for pretty much any demand. She just had to keep things going until her boss returned.
Even so, when she arrived to see Mr. Stark's home so dark, so still, all her fears came rushing back. She hesitantly punched in her security code and went in. The lights came on as she stepped into the foyer. It was nearly lunchtime.
She walked in to her office and found herself just sitting there, staring at the computer screen. "Miss Potts? Is everything all right?"
"Um. Jarvis. Well, no, not really. But you know that. I'm just having trouble getting started. I need a moment to get myself together."
"Yes, Miss Potts, I understand." The gentle voice fell silent.
Coffee. Yes. She needed something to focus, she had so much to do today and it was going to be really hard to keep from falling apart. As she headed towards the kitchen she passed Mr. Stark's bedroom door, closed as always, but for some reason seeing it now, really hit her hard.
He hadn't slept here last night. Not because he was partying, not because he was working, but because he was gone.
He wasn't going to be coming out of that room any minute, sniffing for the coffee she made each morning. She'd been so calm a moment ago and now, the realization that he was really gone was like an arrow in her chest. Faced with that closed door, the memory of the first time she'd seen him walk through it came flooding back.
She had only been working for Mr. Anthony Stark for a couple of weeks, and he bewildered her. She'd seen already the company he kept when he 'played' (yes, she'd been warned about that, so hadn't been surprised) but she had not expected to come in several mornings and find him still in the workroom where she'd left him the day before, completely focused on some project. For all his reputation as a hardcore playboy, he worked even harder. And that was saying something.
Another surprise (actually discovered her first day) was that the office she worked out of opened off the living room. Consequently, it was just a few doors away from his bedroom. It sure made things interesting.
'Miss Potts, how do you manage to be so impeccably dressed at such an ungodly hour every single day?' Tony inquired, stretching as he shuffled into the living room, hair a mess and in a bathrobe, apparently roused by the smell of the coffee she'd started. Raising an eyebrow, she made a mental note: coffee alarm clock.
'Mr. Stark, it's 11:30, and most normal people dress this way for work. By 8:00. In the morning.' Pepper responded. They'd had similar conversations before.
'Well, okay, I'll give you that. But, seriously, Miss Potts. I think you're overdressed.' He looked her over. 'Yes, definitely. I could help you with that.'
'Really.' She said with a small smile. 'I appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I have work to do.'
'Are you sure? I'm just trying to help, here. You look tired. You could nap in my room. That would be alright with me.'
'Thank you, Mr. Stark, I'm fine.' Pepper rolled her eyes at him and he smirked.
Sighing, Pepper continued back to her office, coffee in hand. She heard a chuckle as the door to his room closed.
Remembering that little exchange (from years ago now), Pepper smiled and shook her head. Her eyes started to burn. Angry with herself, she brushed away the tears. Keep it together, Pepper.