"Excuse me." I say as I lightly tap up to Pepper and Happy's somewhat heated conversation,
"Yes Val?" Pepper asks turning to me.
"Your four o'clock is here." I respond glancing at Happy.
"Did you clear this four o'clock with me?" Happy asks and I raise my eyebrows.
"Happy we'll talk later, right now I have to deal with this really annoying thing." Pepper responds as she starts off towards her office. I follow close behind for my desk.
"How so?" Happy asks trailing after us.
"I used to work with him, he used to ask me out all the time. So it's a little awkward." She responds and I stifle a chuckle as happy opens the glass door to her office. We step into her office to find a very handsome man in a very nice business suit.
"Pepper." He almost breathes when he sees her, meanwhile Pepper is entirely shocked by his appearance.
"You look great, you look really great." He says and I tap Happy on the arm and nod towards the door.
"They need their privacy." I whisper as Pepper says "God, you look...you look great. I... I...I can't... What on earth have you been doing?"
I practically drag Happy from Pepper's office whilst giving Aldrich a small wave.
"Hello?" I hear Happy ask as he answers his tablet.
"Is this the forehead of security?" Tony asks and I roll y eyes and step across the long hallway and push Happy's arms down so his face can be seen.
"What? You know, look, I got a real job. What do you want? I'm working, I got something going on here." Happy responds and I walk back and settle into my desk.
"What? Harassing interns?" Tony asks and I purse my lips, "What's going on? Fill me in." he follows up.
"What really?" Happy asks.
"Yeah." Tony responds as I sigh loudly and shake my head.
"Alright, so she's meeting up with this scientist. Rich guy, handsome."
" Right." Tony responds.
"I couldn't make his face at first, right? You know I'm good with faces." Happy states.
" Oh, Yeah, yeah. You're the best." Tony responds with the slightest hint of sarcasm.
"Yeah. Well, so I run his credentials, I make him Aldrich Killian. We actually met the guy back in... where were we in '99? The science conference?"
"Um...Switzerland." Tony responds.
"Right, right, exactly."
"Killian? No, I don't remember that guy." Tony responds
"Of course you don't. He's not a blond with a big rack. At first it was fine, they were talking business, but now it's like getting weird. He's showing her a big brain." Happy says and I can't help but to look through the glass and see what he's talking about. Pepper and this Aldrich guy are on the coffee table looking at this projection of a brain.
"His what?"
"Big brain, and she likes it. Here, let me show you. Hold on. See?" Happy says and holds his tablet higher. I get up and walk over.
"Do you mind?" I ask, holding out my hand for the tablet as Happy hands it over.
"Hey." I say as I briefly come into frame and flip the camera around. Tony sees the same thing that I did.
"You're looking him up, aren't you?" I ask as I glance at Happy.
"Why don't you ask the guy that came with Aldrich if he wants to get a drink or anything?" I ask Happy. " I can't leave in case Pepper needs me." I say as Happy walks off.
"I don't think I like that look, Tony." I say as I flip the camera back around.
"Don't you have something you need to be organizing?" Tony asks as he shoves his tablet into a wine cooler with me still online.
"Well screw you too then Tony." I mutter as I hang up and return to my desk. I shuffle the various pieces of paper and memos into piles on my desk and begin to sketch out next week's calendar for Pepper. A few minutes later Aldrich comes out of Pepper's office and stops at my desk.
"I'll leave my card in case she changes her mind, or if you need a change of scenery." He says, dropping a business card on my desk and I stare as he walks away.
"What the hell?" I ask as I plop his card into the drawer with the others. Pepper nods at me to follow her.
"The car is ready." Happy tells Pepper as we step outside.
"Do you need a ride Val?" Pepper asks and I shake my head.
"I can get a cab." I respond, "Go to Tony." I say and wave her off. The car pulls away.
"I don't know if I like the idea of you alone in a cab. You're a pretty young thing anything could happen." Happy says.
"I'm also the kind of young thing that could drop a man twice my size. I'll be fine Happy." I say as I dial the number for a cab service.
I kick off my black pumps by the door of my much nicer apartment in Malibu and pad into the kitchen. I grab a glass and fill it with water before pressing play on my answering machine.
"Valeriya? This is Alexei, your grandmother gave me this number. I don't know if you remember me. We used to play together when you would visit from America. Would you want to meet up sometime? She said you were in Malibu now." The male voice says and I roll my eyes and press delete.
"Valeriya? Did Alexei call you? He's grown into a very nice young man. You could do well with a man like him in your life." Gram's voice wafts from the speaker as I chuckle. "Give him a chance my sweet. You can't sit waiting for a man to come to you."
"I'm not ready for someone yet Grams." I mutter before pressing delete again and padding into my living room.
I stare blankly at the television as I see Tony and Pepper's house reduced to rubble. I stay stationary for another five seconds before launching to the door. I throw on shoes as fast as I can and tear down the stairs to the ground floor. I hail a cab and it pulls over.
" I need you to take me to Tony Stark's house. There's a one hundred dollar tip if you get me there in under ten minutes."
"Ma'am, its blocked off." The cabbie says.
"I'm Miss Potts assistant, they'll let me through. Now go!" I yell as he peels away from the curb.
I throw the cash into the front seat as I tear up the driveway and find Pepper wrapped ina shock blanket looking the most ragged I've ever seen her.
"Pepper I just saw. I came as fast as I could… Where's Tony?" I ask as she shakes her head.
"They can't find him." She responds as I sit next to her.
"It's Tony. He's probably fine and worried more about you. But we have to get you somewhere. Tony pissed off the wrong person and they'll come after you to get to him." I respond.
"And you're perfectly willing to put yourself in harm's way?" She asks glancing at me.
"You're more than just my boss, Pepper. You need to get to somewhere safe." I say and pull her up and then look at the mystery woman.
"Who.." I begin to ask but she interrupts me.
"Maya." She responds.
"So you probably need a ride?" I ask and she nods.
A few minutes later I climb behind the wheel of one of Tony's cars.
"Why were you at the house tonight? What was so important that you had to speak to Tony?" Pepper asks and I glance at Maya in the rearview mirror.
"I think that my boss is working for the Mandarin. So if you still want to talk about it, I suggest that we get ourselves someplace safe." She responds.
"One step ahead of you there." I remark as I push the speed limit.
"Your boss works for the Mandarin, you think? But Tony says you're a botanist, so..." Pepper says, her voice trailing off.
"That figures. What I actually am is a biological DNA coder running a team of forty out of a privately-funded think tank, but sure you can call me a botanist." She responds rather snarkily.
"I'd take being called a botanist over secretary any day, but hey that's just me." I state gruffly.
" This boss of yours, does he have a name?" Pepper asks and glances at me, a light smirk on her face from my joke.
"Yeah, Aldrich Killian." Maya states and the air is practically sucked from the car.
