Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with Iron Man…unless you count a name plaque (thanks scifi girl 08), the soundtrack, novel adaptation of the movie and The Futurist (have you people listened to Robert Downey Jr sing? It's awesome!!) But the story line and all that are so not mine. Oh well.
A/N: Okay, wow, I feel loved right about now. 107 people have hit this so far and I've gotten 5 reviews. Thank you all to Jadak7ac (if you like Pepperony, might I suggest Woman vs. Machine by Jadak7ac, and no, they didn't ask me to promote it), tamasit1, sarafina89, giuselul, and scifi girl 08 (how's the Doctor doing my friend? I haven't heard!) Okay, getting on with it, I hope that the rest of you who are reading will review this time around, it would make me really happy and give me incentive to write faster. Just letting you know. Alright, here we go!
61. Weather
Pepper Potts used to hate the rain. It made the ground muddy which would make it nearly impossible to cut through grassy areas in heels and it always brought clouds with it, blocking out the sun. That's why she was living in Malibu for crying out loud! California equals sun, so a rainy day was like a broken promise from her real estate agent.
Her feelings changed one day however. Her boss, Tony Stark, was out on another one of his superhero "missions" while she was sitting at his mansion, sending e-mails and scheduling meetings, the same as always.
Eventually Pepper heard the sounds of heavy machinery and knew that Tony was back. She looked up form her laptop and saw that it was getting dark outside, big gray clouds coming in from the ocean. "Great," she muttered to herself.
"Ms. Potts?"
"Yes Jarvis?"
"Mr. Stark requires your assistance in the workshop."
"Is he stuck in the suit again?"
"No Ms. Potts, his need is of a more medical nature."
She swore under her breath and hurried down the stairs as fast as the heels would allow. She punched the access code into the keypad and entered Tony's sanctuary. He was on the examining table, grinning at her. "Hey Pepper!" he said happily, waving at her until he winced in pain and lay his arm back down at his side.
"Tony, what happened this time?" she asked, grabbing the first aid kit from his desk.
"Oh, you know, lots of terrorists, lots of my weapons," he emphasized the "my" as she looked him over, "and they got in a few lucky shots before I got a chance to take them out."
"Yeah, I'd say those were some lucky shots. Are those burns?!" she exclaimed as she moved to check his back, making him sit up.
"Yes. They might have had one or two of my missiles, no big."
"Say that to your back," Pepper murmured, grabbing the ointment out of the first aid kit and rubbing it on the angry red marks. He hissed in pain and she had to smile in satisfaction. "Maybe that will teach you a lesson."
"Sure does. Next time I need to make sure I'm carrying bigger sticks than the other guys."
Pepper shook her head in disbelief as she started bandaging the burns. When she was done she looked him over and saw the bruises that were making their presence known on his chest and arms. "How many ice packs?" she asked, wiping off her hands on a towel as she headed for the freezer.
"I'm thinking three."
She grabbed three ice packs and wrapped them in towels. "Where?" Tony pointed to a point on both arms and one on his side and she used some wraps to secure them there.
"Thanks Pepper," he said, hopping down and heading for the computer.
"What are you going to do now?" she asked as he sat down with his back to her.
"I'm going to build a better suit."
She nodded silently to herself, knowing he wouldn't see. "Will that be all Mr. Stark?"
"That'll be all Ms. Potts."
She turned and headed back upstairs, not looking back. Instead of returning to her laptop she went straight out onto the balcony and stood at the railing looking out at the ocean. Pepper could see the rain coming closer to land as it pounded the ocean. She could see the waves getting bigger as the continued to beat the shore. It was like her emotional turmoil could be seen in the weather.
You're gonna kill yourself Tony. I'm not going to be a part of it.
She laughed bitterly, remembering her words as tears started to fall. Oh, but she was part of it and she knew it. Every time she agreed to help him, she made herself a part of it. But if she didn't help him and he was forced to do everything on his own, he might die that much sooner. So Pepper did the only thing she could think of at that point…she cried.
And as the tears fell, the rain reached land and in a matter of seconds she was soaked to the bone, but she didn't care. Pepper Potts used to hate the rainy weather, but now she craved it, because the raindrops masked her tears.
A/N: Okay, now it's time to push the pretty button. Come on, you know you want to!! And I couldn't help using that line from the movie, or the bigger sticks line, or the whole "Will that be all Mr. Stark?" "That'll be all Ms. Potts." Those are just classics!!
