Tony stood by the living room window, watching as rain dotted the glass outside. Pepper had quickly left the party, and so did he, only to return to the lonely solitude of the home they'd built together. The familiar ache of her absence had greeted him promptly at the door, as it had so many times since they'd separated, and followed him as he'd made his way through the foyer into the living room. He'd yanked impatiently at the knot in his bow tie, and jerked the piece of silk from around his neck, pausing momentarily as his eye was caught by the wet bar in temptation. "Nope. Sorry. Not even now," he'd grumbled, denying the hinting urge creeping up in his brain to pour himself something to numb the pain. A promise is a promise, he reminded himself.

He'd tossed the tie onto the sofa as he passed, and exhaled sharply, shoving his hands in his pockets once he reached the window, affixing his eye on the turbulent ocean in the distance. Thunder clapped angrily in response to the streaking lightening flashes across the sky, coming every few seconds. And even though he appeared to be watching what was going on, his mind wasn't registering the display. It was still at the party, with her. He swore he could still feel her body in his arms, and taste her kiss on his lips. God, it seemed like it had been so long since the last time he'd felt this, though they'd only been apart a matter of weeks. But that didn't matter. He was positively starved for her love. He was sure of that now. He knew the hole her absence had eaten through his heart would never heal over. But he thought he'd learned at least to live with the pain. That was, until tonight. He'd shamelessly done a heaping dose of the drug, and now was jonesing for more, his body becoming desperate to keep up this intoxicating high.

And I thought booze was hard to kick, he mused. But love is a THOUSAND times harder.

"What was I thinking?" he murmured to himself.

"Sir?" FRIDAY suddenly answered. "Do you require something? Did you need my assistance?"

Tony gave a weak smile, and shook his head. "No, it's nothing, FRIDAY. I just..." he paused to reflect for a moment before continuing. "Why did I think I was strong enough to take it? One taste, and I'm instantly trying not to drown in the very thing I've been fighting to avoid."

"Not much avoidance happening when you make a point of going straight to the source in the first place, Boss," FRIDAY pointed out.

Tony chuckled regretfully.

"And I assume it went..." the AI continued.

"Not...as planned," Tony answered carefully.

"I see," Friday said simply. "Care to elaborate?"

He raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Nope. Not really into doing a recap at the moment " he replied. "Maybe tomorrow, huh? Right now I just wanna..."

Suddenly, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. Tony raised his head in alarm and froze, staring at the door. "Uh, are we expecting guests, FRIDAY?" he asked, his voice thick with apprehension and annoyance.

"I was asked not to announce this visitor, Boss," Friday answered.

Tony frowned in disapproval, and swiveled on his heels toward the door. He kept his hands in his pockets, but walked briskly to the entrance, his being perturbed at being bothered growing with each step. When he reached the door, he put his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath, before turning it to reveal his late night caller.

There, on the landing, stood a very drenched Pepper Potts, the hood of her long, beige trench coat pulled over her head. Her mascara had tracked under her eyes, and a bit down her cheeks, and she was shivering.

Tony eyed her in surprise for a moment, speechless. "P-Pepper?" he finally stammered. "What are you doing..."

"The song," she said. "I remembered what it was."

Tony just stared blankly at her, trying to comprehend the reason why she felt the need to come all the way there just to report this to him.

Pepper took a step closer to him. " 'What'll I do'," she said simply. "That was it, wasn't it? Tony?"

His expression broke into a soft smile, and he gently nodded. "Yes," he murmured. "It was, but..." he paused, swallowing hard. "Was...that the only reason why you came all the way out here? Just to tell me you remembered the name of the song we danced to?"

Pepper hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head. "No," she said softly.

Tony watched as her resolve began to crumble, first starting with the quivering of her chin, and then a quiet sob that escaped her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut, and two tears leaked out from behind her lids and rolled down her cheeks as her shoulders began to shake. He sighed, heavy-hearted at the sight of seeing her in such obvious pain, and pulled her into his arms. She let him, and laid her head on his shoulder, facing inward, as she continued to softly weep.

"I don't really know why I'm here right now," she murmured, after a moment. "Honestly. I didn't expect this to happen tonight. I thought I was strong enough to handle it, but..." she explained.

Tony smiled in understanding. "You don't owe me an explanation, Pep," he assured her softly. "But for what it's worth? I'm really glad you came."

Pepper melted further into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his middle. He began rubbing soothing circles on her back in an attempt to calm her. Several quiet moments passed like this, before a loud clap of thunder startled her, and she squeaked in surprise before quickly breaking away from him. Then she promptly blushed at her skittishness, and gave him a sheepish smile. He chuckled lovingly at her, and raised a hand to toy with a drenched tendril of her hair that had fallen down.

"Jesus, Pep. You look like you walked here," he informed her, eyeing the state of her appearance.

She sniffed, and nodded reluctantly at his observation. "Well, when I was waiting for the valet to bring my car, it started pouring rain. I guess I was so stunned by what had just happened between us that I...barely noticed," she replied. She gave him a weak smile, and a one-shouldered shrug.

Tony extended a hand. "Come on. Come with me. Let's get you out of those wet clothes, huh?" he offered, but quickly stopped himself, and winced. "Wait. That came out wrong. I just meant that..."

Pepper held up a hand in reassurance. "Don't worry. I know what you meant," she assured him. "And thank you. I'm freezing."

Tony smirked in amusement, and took her hand, leading her into the living room. "Help yourself," he said, gesturing up the stairs toward the bedroom. "Everything's still in the same place as you left it."

Pepper detected a hint of wistful sadness in his voice, which he promptly hid by clearing his throat and turning away from her to walk back over to the window. But she stood where she was for a moment longer, and then slowly turned to face him. "Tony?" she called softly.

"Hmmm? Yeah, Pep?" he replied, spinning around on his heels to face her, giving her an attentive smile.

Pepper smiled softly back, and fiddled nervously with the cuff of her coat sleeve. "Thank you, again," she said. "For...letting me..."

But Tony cut her off as he held up a hand, and waving it in dismissal. "There's no need. You're welcome here any time. You always are," he replied. "It's still your home, too. No matter what."

The sincerity of his words strummed a chord on her heart strings, and she found it hard to keep down another sob that rose in her chest. She brought a balled fist to her lips, and strode quickly to him. Tony watched as she approached, a faint frown ghosting over his brow, as he was unsure of her intentions until she cupped his cheek in her hand, and earnestly planted her lips on his in a simple, gracious kiss.

A moment later, when it broke, Pepper smiled at him, and he slowly opened his eyes to smile at her. They shared a loving gaze as Pepper moved her thumb to stroke his lips gently with its pad, to which Tony responded with an affectionate kiss to it. She smiled. "I'll, uh...just go upstairs, and..." she began.

Tony nodded and waved a hand. "Yeah, go ahead. I'll just..." he paused to clear his throat and then continued. "I'll be here. Take your time. There's, um...there's no rush," he assured her.

Pepper nodded and smiled as she turned to head upstairs. Tony watched as she walked away, barely able to keep concealed the smile that was a result from his heart thundering ecstatically in his chest from her sudden arrival.

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Tony had gone back to watching the rain outside, as he anxiously waited for Pepper to emerge from the bedroom. Minutes later, he heard her start down the stairs, and he spun around to see she'd run a comb through her wet hair, washed off her running mascara, and elected to wear not something from her own side of the closet, but his. His favorite gray MIT t-shirt, in fact. And nothing else, as it was large enough to hit her mid-thigh. He smiled at the sight, and she saw this and smiled back as she walked over to him.

"I...figured you probably wouldn't mind if I..." she began bashfully.

Tony spluttered. "Are you kidding? I would have offered it first thing if I would have know that you wanted to..." he said, pausing to gesture at her. Then he exhaled sharply, and shoved his hand back in his pants pocket. "You look...beautiful," he finished. "And it's funny. I...guess I've missed you raiding my side of the closet," he joked.

Pepper giggled, and toyed with the bottom hem playfully. "Well, it always was one of my favorites," she replied.

They smiled at each other, and Tony nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Mine, too. It's even better on you, though," he teased.

Pepper giggled again. Tony smiled, and then slowly extended an arm out to her, pulling her to him from around the waist. Pepper let him, and he then wrapped his other arm around her protectively. They rested their foreheads on one another, and smiled lovingly at each other.

After a moment, Pepper spoke. "I'm sure you still want to know why I suddenly showed up here," she asked.

Tony closed his eyes, and exhaled softly. "A small part of me does, I guess, yeah," he admitted. He then raised his head, and opened his eyes to look at her. "But I meant what I said. You don't owe me an explanation. Honestly, Pep. I'm just glad you're here. That's all I want right now. I don't care about all of the other stuff. I just need you."

Pepper smiled softly. "All the same, I can't just show up on your doorstep after walking out on you at a party, and not expect you to ask any questions, Tony."

"A party I crashed, Pepper. Can't forget that part," he reasoned.

She chuckled. "Fair enough," she agreed. "But none the less, there's so much that needs to be said. And I guess I just got tired of not saying it."

Tony frowned, not sure of her meaning. But he kept quiet, and waiting patiently for her to start speaking again. "No matter how hard I try, I can't get out of my mind the fact that I still wake up every morning reaching to your side of the bed, thinking you'll be there, sleeping next to me. I still can't wait to tell you about my day when I get home, and then I remember that I'll be alone, and not here. With you," she began.

Tony shrugged. "It was part of our routine, Pep. And it just means you have to get used to it going back to the way it was before," he offered.

Pepper looked at him glumly.

He nodded in understanding. "I know. Easier said than done," he replied. "But if I'm being honest, I catch myself doing the same thing all the time."

She gave him a hopeful look. "You do?" she asked.

"Mmm hmm," he affirmed. "Every day, at 6:00, I...keep thinking you'll walk through that door any minute, home from work. That I'll come up the stairs from the shop just in time for you to pad over to me to kiss me hello, and I'll..." Tony suddenly stopped, his expression falling.

"You'll what? What were you going to say?" Pepper urged.

But he just shrugged. "I really miss that, Pep. The drudgery of the day would instantly slough off the second I saw you, and I could just..." He took a deep breath. "Relax," he stated. "Because that meant it was our time to spend together every day. To let go, and do what we wanted, you know?"

Pepper smiled, and nodded. "I know very well," she replied. "It's like our evenings were sacred."

Tony smiled at her description, and nodded. "Yeah, they were. Not to mention weekends," he told her. "God, we lived for the weekends, didn't we?"

Pepper chuckled, and blushed, knowing fully his meaning. Even after being a couple for the last few years, the fiery passion they'd had for each other had never let up. Not once. And it had become a source of pride between them- if they were both being honest- that their desire was still as wild and untamed as it was during the first time they'd made love. They'd remained crazy about each other, even right up to the end.

Tony gazed at her in silence for a moment, a fond, reminiscent smile ghosting over his lips. But this was quickly replaced by a look of forlorn regret, and he took a step back from her. Still, however, he kept his hands on her sides. "You, uh...you said you came over here because you have things you wanted to say?" he asked.

Pepper smiled awkwardly, and let out a sharp exhale. "Uh, yeah. Yes. I...wow, okay," she stammered. Tony frowned but remained silent.

She chewed her lip in thought for a moment, and furrowed her brows. "It's funny," she began. "I've thought about how this would go a million times, and was sure I could get through it, but..."

Tony frowned. "Get through...what, Pep?" he asked apprehensively. "We're just talking, right? What is there to get through?"

Pepper gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's...a bit more complicated than that, I'm afraid," she replied sadly.

His eyes widened. "What's wrong?" he asked, ducking his head to look intently into her eyes in concern. "Is it something with the company?" he guessed. "Wait. Are you...trying to tell me you're..." His chest started to heave. "You're not quitting, are you? Seriously? Over the stuff between us?" he said, gesturing back and forth between them, with a look of disbelief. "Come on. We can work this out. Come to some kind of agreement, right? It doesn't have to interfere. We'll be strictly professional, from here on in. I swear. I mean...you can't do this. I need you. I mean the company! The company needs you! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. To it, I mean!" He paused to huff in frustration. "Damn it! What do I keep doing that?! You know what I mean, though, right? Just give it a chance! It hasn't been that long, Pep! They say time can heal all wounds. So if that's what it takes, then..."

Pepper exhaled sharply and pursed her lips, staring at him, waiting for him to stop talking. Tony saw this, and took the cue, stopping mid sentence. He pursed his lips as well, and frowned, dejected. "Come on, Pep. Tell me you're not quitting," he begged, his voice a low, pleading rasp.

She slowly shook her head. "I'm not quitting," she replied simply.

Slowly a smile spread over Tony's lips, and he sighed heavily in relief. He reached out for her again, pulling him to her in a hug, wrapping her tightly in his arms. Pepper wrapped her arms around him, too.

"Thank God," he said. "I'm not sure I could take it."

Pepper chuckled. "Apparently," she teased, pulling back to give him a sympathetic smile. "But that's good. That makes things a little easier for me, I'll admit."

Tony worked his jaw for a moment, narrowing his eyes at her in thought. "Mmmm-kay. So you're not leaving, which automatically rules out my next guess."

Pepper quirked an eyebrow at him. "Which is?" she asked.

"Joining the circus," he said, matter-of-fact, making Pepper splutter and giggle. "Al-though," he went on, giving her a flirty smirk. "During some of our steamier sessions, one could easily mistake you for a contortionist," he purred.

Pepper giggled again and averted her eyes, her reddening cheeks becoming more and more crimson by the millisecond. He chuckled at her in response, but quickly feigned trying to get serious again in order to continue his inquiry, clearing his throat loudly in an attempt to get things back on track.

"Any-who," he began again. "So you're not leaving, especially not to join the circus," he teased, and Pepper laughed. He smiled, and then reached for her left hand. "And there's no ring, so you've not come to tell me you're getting married."

Pepper chuckled and shook her head. "Nope. It's not that," she agreed.

Tony shrugged. "So, I don't know, Pep. I'm coming up empty. What else is there to tell me?"

Pepper's smiled faded, and she swallowed hard. She raised her eyes to his, looking into them deeply. Tony was smiling jovially at her until she did this. Then his face fell in concern, seeing the obvious stress that whatever she had to tell him was putting her under. "Pep?" he said softly, simultaneously bracing himself. "What is it?"

He could see tears start to fill her eyes, which made his heart plummet into his shoes. All of this joking around like an insensitive jackass, and it's actually something serious! he thought. Then panic struck him with an icy cold stab. My GOD! What if it's something like...like...

His mind quickly flickered back to 2010, when the biggest secret he could keep from her- that he was dying- was also the one thing he just couldn't manage to form the words for, and actually say to her. She's braver than I ever was! At least she's here, standing in front of me to say it!, he thought.

He reached for her hand, and brought to his chest. "Pepper, whatever it is, we'll get through it, baby," he assured her. "We'll beat this. I promise. I'll do whatever it takes. We'll get the best doctors. I'll develop whatever tech we've got to develop. We'll beef up the medical research department! Dedicate it strictly to finding a cure! I swear! I'm not gonna let you..."

Pepper huffed again, and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before looking back up at him. "Can you please stop babbling for one second? This is hard enough as it is!" she cried.

Tony winced. "Right. Sorry," he replied.

Pepper exhaled and redoubled her resolve. "I'm not dying," she told him.

Tony exhaled in relief. "You're not," he said, his eyes searching hers for added confirmation.

Pepper tearfully shook her head. "No," she murmured, her voice giving out from the emotional strain. "I'm pregnant."

Quick note: "What'll I do" (the version sung by Nat King Cole) is the song Pepper was talking about. Check it out, if you feel so inclined. It's LOVELY.