Long Lost Husband
Pepper was in a daze as she left Stark Industries barely registering that Obadiah had told her that the procedures put in place by Tony meant that in his absence she was taking over his role as both CEO and majority shareholder, or that Happy was currently driving away from Los Angeles and towards Malibu. Only when she pulled up outside the familiar mansion, a building she swore never to be in again did she start to come to her senses.
"Happy why are we here?"
"This is where I was told to bring you." Happy responded painfully aware of the fact that this was probably the last place on earth Pepper wanted to be.
"It's fine." She told him sensing that he was worried she was mad at him. "I'm tired, I'll stay here for now but in the morning I'm going to book in to a hotel."
She walked through the doors of the mansion after putting in her access code, surprised it still worked after all this time.
"Welcome home Mrs Stark." The disembodied English voice of Tony's AI JARVIS greeted.
"It's Ms Potts now JARVIS."
"My apologies Ms Potts."
Pepper didn't respond to JARVIS after that and instead took in the all too familiar surroundings. Tony, it appeared, had not bothered to redecorate since she left. Some of the art work she'd picked was still up, pieces she'd not bothered to claim as her own, pictures of the blissful 18 months they'd spent as a married couple were still displayed. She ventured down to the basement workshop and was cheerfully (how she knew what cheerful was she would never understand) by Dummy the robot. She looked over at the car he'd clearly been working on recently and the cluttered desk and was drawn by the velvet box next to the only photo's he had on his desk (of Tony and his father and them on their wedding day), she opened the box to stare at the rings inside remembering the day she returned both to him.
Flash back
Pepper stormed downstairs, she couldn't believe what she'd come home to. He was sleeping with his PA in their bed; it was the ultimate cliché, one she herself had participated in over 2 years ago.
"Pepper wait!" She heard him call as she moved towards the door. She'd walked in seen what she saw and screamed bastard at him before slamming the bedroom door on the way out.
He'd managed to at least have the decency to pull his underwear back on before chasing after her. "Pepper please, you're overreacting."
"Overreacting?" She spun around to look at him "How is this an overreaction? You cheated Tony and I'm leaving. That is how this works"
"She means nothing to me! None of them do, it's you I still come home to every night."
"There's been more than one?" She was furious now; he mentally slapped himself for revealing more than necessary.
"Yes but they mean nothing, I already said that."
"We're married Tony, there was that ceremony do you remember it at all? The one where you promised fidelity."
"What about the part that you promise to love me for better or worse? This is my worst part! I like sex Pepper and that's all it is. Harmless fun, with you I make love it's different."
"How is it different Tony? I thought you'd changed, I thought when we got together you'd be a better man."
"I never promised to change Pepper, just to love you and I do."
"I can't love you Tony, not like this!" She slipped the two rings he'd given her off her finger and placed them in his hand.
End Flash Back
The split had caused a minor scandal in the tabloids, the stocks had taken a slight hit, but when Pepper announced her move to New York and that she was staying on as CFO, a position she'd received after they announced their relationship believing it would be inappropriate for her to continue as his PA given the nature of their new relationship, they returned to their normal value.
Tony's disappearance continued for three months, Pepper remained in LA taking up residence in one of the guest rooms of his mansion given the press were following her around, desperate for any news related to the disappearance of Tony and her reappearance, conspiracy theories running rampant in this less reputable publications. Then one day she received the phone call.
"Hello?" She spoke down the phone
"Pepper is that you?" Rhodey was surprised; he'd been dealing with Obadiah mostly.
"Yeah Jim, it's me. How are you?"
"I'm fine, how have you been? We've not spoken in forever."
"I'm great, just want to get back to New York. I'm assuming this isn't a social call, not that I'm not glad to talk to you…" She trailed off.
"I've got news. Great news in fact, well possibly depending on whether you still want to kill him or not." He joked
"You found him?"
"Yeah, yeah we did. He's getting checked out by the doctors now and if everything is ok expect us on the next flight to Edwards."
"Well Jim that really is good news." They talked a little longer, he explained the arc reactor to her and some of the things that had gone on, not mentioning the armoured suit he used to fly away in. Then Pepper did something which surprised herself, she cried out of exhaustion and happiness she really didn't want him dead and she was glad he was safe and he was coming home. Soon she could return to her small corner of the world and go back to being the woman who divorced Tony Stark.
So she found herself waiting at the end of the taxi way for the aircraft to lower its ramp and when it did she noticed two distinct figures, one stood and the other in wheel chair being helped up. Pepper felt herself begin to tear up again, she bit her lip to stop it. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of crying for him anymore.
He made his way down the ramp, waving off the paramedics and stopped in front of her. "Your eyes are red. Tears for your long lost husband?" He asked staring at her, he wasn't expecting her there. She'd been quite adamant that she never wanted to see him again.
"Tears of joy, I hate board meetings."
"Yeah, vacations over." She looked at him, a vacation? That's what he thought this was, she resisted the urge to argue with him and instead followed him around to the car.
"Where to?" Happy asked, wishing he was anywhere but the car with a divorced couple.
"The hospital please Happy."
"No." Tony cut her off. "I've been in captivity for three months, there are two things I want."
"Can you at least wait until I'm back in New York before you…"
"No, not that. First I want an American cheeseburger and the second I want to call a press conference"
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
So Pepper set about calling the necessary people to make it happen, declining his offer of a burger when they stopped at the drive-thru. Obadiah led the welcome committee of SI staff who waited at the entrance to Stark Industries main office building. Pepper noticed when Rhodes stepped up next to her and whispered "What's with the love in?" Tony had the press sitting on floor.
"I have no idea." She responded, further conversation was cut off as Tony announced the Stark Industries weapons division was shut down. Pepper took a few deep calming breaths imagining the phone in her (Tony's) office ringing along with her blackberry which had already begun to buzz incessantly in her purse.
"What the hell are you thinking?" She yelled as soon as they were in the car
"I was thinking that it's my company and I can do whatever the hell I want." Tony countered
"No you can't! You've got shareholders and the board and investments, do you know how much our DOD contracts are worth?"
"Contrary to what you believe Mrs Stark…" He said in his usual arrogant tone
"It's Ms Potts." She hissed
"…I am in fact well aware of exactly what stopping the weapons production will do."
"What about our liability? We've got current contracts, we're legally obligated to finish them."
"Pepper, I'll deal with it." Tony's tone indicated he was ready for this conversation to end.
"No you won't! The board voted you're on leave for another 2 weeks after that there will be a board meeting that I will not attend but Obadiah will to see if you're ready to come back to work." Apparently Pepper wasn't finished.
"You're not on the board, you made sure of that when you left me." Tony snapped, he was mad at her for leaving, although he'd grown to understand it and to hate himself a little for doing this to them..
"The directive you left in case this very situation happened, states that I'll take over as CEO and your seat on the board until you return."
"So why aren't you going to the meeting?"
"Obadiah is going in my place, I was staying to deal with the press until you're healed or whatever but now I'm dealing with you doing a 180 degree flip on our primary business area."
"So you're staying." He said, staring out the window as they drove along the PCH when he was struck by a thought "Where are you staying?"
"The mansion." She said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world, Tony tried not to smirk. "It was the safest place. Press have been hounding me since I arrived here."
"When did you get here?" He asked curious as to what was going through her mind.
"A week after you left." She told him, there was no more conversation until they arrived back at the mansion. Pepper went to the home office to deal with the fallout from the press conference and Tony went to his workshop.
"JARVIS pull up the video of Pepper entering the mansion, audio too if you can." He asked the AI as he started sketching out designs to replace his Arc Reactor.
"It would be my pleasure sir." The AI complied with his request and Tony found himself drawn in to the images of Pepper walking through the doors of their home for the first time since the day she walked out.
He watched as she seemed taken by the fact that very little had changed since she left, some art work had been replaced and some of the homier features had been taken away. It was when she walked in to their…his he had to remind himself, bedroom that he really understood how much she hurt. He watched as she cautiously pushed open the door and just looked inside running her hands along the bedcovers before snapping her hand back like she'd been burnt, clearly remembering that afternoon, the door was slammed and Tony zoomed in on her face, there were tears.
"JARVIS were there anymore times during my…absence that Ms Potts cried?" He asked
"Sir my surveillance records show Ms Potts crying herself to sleep most nights."
"Was it anything in particular that made her cry?" He hated it when Pepper cried
"Usually reminders of your marriage sir. Although some days when she came home stressed or angry after a day at the office would also cause a similar reaction." He hated himself right now, he hated it more when he was the reason Pepper cried, but he couldn't help but chuckle when JARVIS told him about her crying after work. Not many people knew but Pepper was an angry crier, she'd get a little frustrated people and she had the patience of a saint but if you could set her off (something Tony excelled at) she'd soon calm down and cry.
"Sir, Ms Potts also cried when she heard you were safe." JARVIS added and warmth spread through Tony, maybe there was hope after all.
TBC…
Pepperony will come! Don't worry I promise.
Angry crying, seriously it's weird. I do it I'll go from blind fury (there's a joke in there but I have too much dignity to point it out) to crying my eyes out when I get mad.
I'm super nervous about how this story is going to play out and what people think so please, feedback is appreciated.
