Okay, I've finally cranked out another chapter. This thing is going to get out of control quickly according to my brain. Too many ideas running around and I can't stop them. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 3

Tony went outside to greet the FBI agents that arrived to take the shooter into custody. He explained what had happened and handed them the mini digital recording Jarvis made of the conversation held with the man. Rhodes walked back down towards the workshop to remove his suit.

After the feds left, Tony went back inside and noticed Pepper sitting quietly on the couch. The situation was foreign to him as he approached her. He sat on the coffee table in front of her and sighed. "Pepper, don't let him get to you."

She looked up and smiled bravely. "I won't."

Tony smiled. "Good, let's go out to Sunset tonight. Your parents can come as well."

"Good." She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him. "Oh, and there's this." Pepper gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "That's for scaring the crap out of me."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know, but I just want to make sure." She couldn't hold her smile back any longer. "I thought you wanted to have the secret identity that only your girlfriend knew so that she could sit at home and worry about you while you were on missions?"

"Yes, but the whole world knows along with her, so she shouldn't be too concerned." Tony grinned at her.

With a quick kiss he disappeared to his workshop. Rhodes had just stepped out of the fabricated Mark II when Tony entered. "So, that was an exciting morning."

Tony pulled the dead arc reactor from his pocket. "Yeah, well if you'd seen what it takes to synthesize one of these babies you wouldn't think so." He sighed and tossed the useless chest piece on his desk. "So, how'd the suit go? Better stabilization?"

"Yeah, much better." Rhodes sat down in the arm chair near Tony's desk. He observed his friend as he stared at the four computer screens around him. "You okay?"

Tony sighed and sat back in his chair. "Something about this Justin Hammer thing isn't sitting so hot with me. Jarvis, run a background on the shooter from this morning."

"Right away sir."

"How's Pepper?" Rhodes asked as Tony ran his hands through his hair.

"Pepper? She's fine, why?"

"I don't know, she saw you get shot in the chest, confront your shooter only to find out that he's tied Justin Hammer. I guess I thought she'd be a bit upset." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, she did punch me in the arm." Rhodes laughed at Tony's admission. "Yeah, well it didn't hurt." For a moment Tony went quiet and just looked at his friend. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well I'm going to go home for a shower and fresh clothes." Rhodes said before leaving Tony to his thoughts.

Pepper sat on the couch with her mother comforting her. "Don't worry sweetheart. You said the man was in prison…"

"Yeah he is, but with the resources Justin Hammer has anything's possible." Pepper interrupted.

"Yes, but you have help in your corner." Gloria smoothed her daughter.

Tony ascended the stairs and stood quietly as Pepper sat with her mother. He stepped over and kneeled in front of Pepper, the arc reactor glowing through his shirt. Tony reached out and took ahold of Pepper's hand. He offered her a smile before leaning down to kiss the back of it. "I promise you, no one will hurt you." He looked into her eyes and when she softly smiled back in return, Tony knew that she understood.

That afternoon when Tony made sure Pepper was preoccupied with her parents and Katie who arrived with some miscellaneous paperwork from the office that needed her attention he knew he could sneak out. Happy insisted that he accompany him, but Tony drove. He maneuvered the car skillfully along the coastal highway, his mind racing thinking of how Hammer was able to organize such chaos when it seemed he was the head of a weapons manufacturer that wasn't exactly making quality products. The need to question Justin face to face eventually became too much and Tony called ahead to have his plane ready to fly to the east coast.

Tony left Happy with the car and a message to give to Pepper. Happy wasn't thrilled about his boss' sudden change in plan, but at the moment Tony didn't look like a man that was about to negotiate. He stood next to the white Audi convertible and watched the plane take off before heading back to Malibu.

Pepper was sitting at the table with her father while her mother decided to cook in Tony's large kitchen when Happy walked in. "Happy, where's Tony?"

"Umm, he uh, well see, he…"

"Spit it out Happy!"

"He flew to New York."

"He what?" Pepper looked as Happy seemed to coward and nodded. She glanced back at her parents. "Excuse me." Her feet carried her down the stairs to Tony's workshop and she quickly entered her code to enter the area. She moved over to his desk and sat down. "Jarvis, I want to talk to Tony, right now!"

"Right away." The AI knew that she was agitated and although he was unsure of the exact reason, it always led back to his creator. "Mr. Stark is aboard the jet which is currently traveling at a cruising speed of 600 miles per hour, at 25,000 feet. It's scheduled to land at the Joseph Resnick Airport at five thirty pm eastern time."

Pepper thought for a moment. "Where's that at?"

"The airport is in Ellenville, NY, and if I may mention that a forty minute drive to the west of that is the Woodbourne Correctional Facility where Justin Hammer is being held." He paused waiting further instruction, but when Pepper seemed to freeze he continued. "Do you still wish to speak to Mr. Stark?"

She shook her head. "I hope he knows what he's doing."

"There is usually a good reason to the things Mr. Stark does." Even Jarvis couldn't swallow the lie and Pepper caught it.

"Really Jarvis, you think so?"

"I was just trying to make you feel better Miss Potts."

Pepper smiled and watched the screen follow the transponder on the Stark Industries plane. "Be careful Tony."

Tony was sipping on a glass of scotch as he thought about what he was going to say to his adversary. For the moment he was surprised Pepper hadn't called to yell at him for being a moron and not thinking things through. He at least thought he was thinking things through when he boarded the plane and it took off. Deep down Tony knew the only conversation he wanted to have with Justin Hammer involved his fists hitting his face.

Several hours later of stewing the plane landed and Tony rushed out only to be greeted by a caravan of black SUV's. As his feet hit the tarmac one door opened. "After I heard about the little stunt Justin pulled at your house I figured the only place I'd be able to stop you was here."

"I have a right to question him." Tony fired back.

Nick Furry laughed. "Do you now? Cause I just think you want to use his face as a punching bag." Tony narrowed his eyes. "Look, Justin Hammer is being transported to SHIELD headquarters where he will remain detained and questioned. We tend to use unconventional interrogation methods not approved by the government." Nick walked up to Tony and sighed. Tony Stark was a thorn in his side he just couldn't quite get out. His spontaneous attitude was hard to harness. "We've got this handled. Go home and relax do whatever it is that you do, take your girl to a nice dinner. Just stop thinking about revenge; we'll get what's required out of Hammer."

With the larger man blocking him Tony could only sigh and nod. "When you find out anything, I want to know." Nick nodded and Tony reluctantly turned around and boarded his plane.

It was late afternoon when Jarvis gave Pepper the news that the plane was an hour from landing. She sent Happy back out with the car to pick him up from the airport. The things she wanted to say to him were running wild in her head and she could no longer focus on work. Pepper dismissed Katie but remained sitting on the couch looking out over the ocean.

Ken stood and watched his daughter from a distance. He knew that she loved this man but all he saw in return was heartache to her, and it was beginning to irritate him. He slowly approached her and sat down. "He upsets you often."

Pepper shook her head as she turned to look at her father. "This is the way Tony's always been."

"There are better men out there."

Her face fell. "But I love Tony. I have for years; I was just scared to admit it." She looked into his eyes. "Don't tell me that being in the military didn't have its effects on Mom, because I know it did. One minute you were there, the next gone for months on end."

"This is a different situation Pepper. I was following orders; Tony is the one giving the orders. He does as he pleases without thinking of the consequences of what he's doing to you." Ken picked up her hand and patted it. "Your mother and I want you to be happy, and so far I've seen you more distressed than anything and it all leads back to that man." Pepper closed her eyes knowing that what her dad was saying was nothing like the Tony Stark she knew. "He has very real enemies that have now become your enemies. I'd hate for something to happen to you because of some fling."

"This isn't some fling."

Pepper and Ken snapped around to see Tony standing next to the waterfall. "Tony." She whispered.

"I'm sure I'm not exactly the man at the top of every father's list of suitors for their daughters, but I can assure you what I feel for Pepper is very real." He was almost mad at the man for upsetting her and trying to convince her that he wasn't good enough for her. His legs carried him to stand before them as they sat on the couch. "And she knows that if there's anything that she needs or desires I will do whatever it takes to get it for her. Pepper knows me better than I know myself, so she knows exactly who I am. You are judging me on just a few days of observation."

Ken stood and moved so he was toe to toe with Tony. "I just want what's best for Pepper."

"So do I." Tony quickly fired back.

They stood unmoving for nearly a minute until Pepper stood. She squeezed between the two men and embraced Tony. "Just stop running off unannounced please."

Tony sighed as he held her, his eyes still locked onto her fathers. "I'm sorry. My frustration won over this time."

She melted into his embrace. "What did Justin say?"

"I don't know Nick Furry stopped me on the tarmac. SHIELD has Hammer now." Pepper pushed away and Tony looked into her eyes. "He wasn't giving me a choice and once I realized it, I honestly had no idea why I went there."

"This Furry guy is starting to grow on me."

Tony grinned. "Well don't get too attached, he can still be an ass."

Once there was an unspoken truce between Tony and Ken things seemed to calm within the house. They all ate a home cooked meal that Gloria had prepared and as usual once he was done Tony retreated to his workshop.

Pepper said goodnight to her parents and after showering went to see what Tony was working on. She could hear the music as she descended the stairs. Her fingers quickly entered her key code number and the door unlocked. She stepped into his domain and stood silently as she watched him work.

Tony was nodding his head with the beat as he manipulated the digital image that stood about two foot high in front of him. He was deep in thought and didn't hear her enter.

"I want to keep the design the same, but maybe see if we can't squeeze an extra surprise or two on there." Tony spoke and started humming still unknowing Pepper was standing right behind him.

"Very well sir." Jarvis responded to his comment.

Tony watched as the digital image of the suit collapsed down into its compacted version for transport as he began to sing. "If I go crazy then will you still call me Superman? If I'm alive and well, will you be there holding my hand? I'll keep you by my side with my superhuman might, Kryptonite." He turned in his chair to one of the monitors and saw Pepper standing in one of his shirts watching him. Her legs seemed to extend from the hem a mile to the ground. Tony snapped and the volume of the music was turned down. "I…" All he could do was stare at her as his mouth hung open.

"Would you like to fabricate this design sir?" Jarvis asked as the digital design was entered on the computer. "Sir?" He asked again after getting no response from Tony.

"Wha…oh yeah that, um sure." His eyes never left Pepper's body.

"I feel like I'm being silently interrogated here." She spoke.

"I've got a question, what's under the shirt?" Tony stood and approached her.

Pepper smiled. "Why don't you come upstairs and find out?"

Tony grabbed her hand stopping her retreat. "Over here." He led her over to his '32 Ford hot rod and climbed in pulling Pepper in on his lap. "I like this idea better."

She laughed. "Don't we have an audience here?" Pepper looked around as Dummy was removing machined parts and laying them out for assembly.

"They're busy, and I'm sure Jarvis already knows what we do."

Pepper closed her eyes. "Tony, I don't want to think about all of your computers knowing when we have sex."

"Well, he's kind of everywhere so it's a bit hard for him not to know. And what's the big deal anyway?" Tony moved his hands up her sides taking the shirt with them. Pepper was indeed only wearing the shirt. "This is exactly what I wanted for my birthday."

"It's not your birthday." Opting to ignore her concerns for the machines, Pepper leaned down and kissed Tony as his hands caressed her body. She unbuttoned his shirt so she could get her hands on his skin. The reactor in his chest was glowing brightly between them as they were both consumed by lust.

They sat in the car stated and tired. Pepper dozed off in Tony's arms and he decided that their bed would be better than the hard seat of the car to sleep in. He carried her up two flights of stairs as Jarvis lit the way. Tony gently placed Pepper on the bed before removing the rest of his clothes and joining her in sleep.

As April faded, Pepper had a firm grasp on Stark Industries and the company was back to running smooth as ever. With Hammer out of the picture she and Tony cosigned a new agreement with the US military. After Obadiah's under the table dealings, Pepper made it mandatory that all shipments had to have final authorization through either her or Tony. Her parents wanted to stay longer so in trying to show Ken good faith, Tony bought a beach house not far from his mansion so Pepper's parents could visit her whenever they desired.

Pepper was enjoying breakfast alone; she knew Tony was working in his shop as he was most days. After getting bored with the current news on the stock prices Pepper went to see what her boyfriend was up to. Thinking of Tony as her boyfriend always seemed to bring a smile to her face. She took him down a cup of coffee and sat down in one of the chairs near the small kitchenette.

Tony was adding some minor touches to his current suit when she entered. "Bored?"

She grinned. "At the moment." Pepper noticed that he had the local news on one of the many screens.

"So, if memory suits me correctly, isn't your birthday coming up?" He smiled hoping to surprise her.

With a big smile she responded. "Why yes it is." Pepper hesitated knowing how Tony could have possibly remembered. "Thanks for reminding him Jarvis."

"You're welcome Miss Potts." Jarvis said.

"Traitor." Tony left his suit to sit in the larger seat next to her. He took a sip of the coffee she brought him. "So, what would you like to do for your birthday, since I missed it last year."

"Please don't remind me."

"Sorry." He looked at the television as a distraction. "Do you want a party, we can do formal, or go to Paris, umm…" Tony glanced at Pepper who was staring at the news. "Give me a clue here please."

Pepper smiled. "Have you ever been to the Derby?"

"Excuse me, the what?"

She pointed at the screen. "The Kentucky Derby."

Tony looked as they showed the single west coast entry being loaded on an airplane and showing stats as how rare it was for the western entry to win the prestigious race. "Horse racing?"

"It's a formal affair; everyone gets dressed up, drinks expensive mint juleps, and watches the race." She glanced at him. "I've always wanted a horse but instead my dad just took me to riding lessons. It was fun and put out my desire to own my own horse."

"Okay, we'll go."

Pepper turned in her seat. "Seriously?"

"What else are we going to do? And if it's what you really want, then it's what you shall get." He caught her as she practically threw herself at him. Tony moaned in her mouth as she moved to straddle him. He knew at this point work time was on hold as Pepper continued to kiss him.

Tony's mouth moved to attack her neck as his hands went under the robe to cup her ass. "Oh God don't stop." Pepper spoke into his hair as his lips descended further down to her chest.

"Excuse me sir." Jarvis spoke up.

"A little busy here." Tony snapped back.

"As I see, but…"

"No buts Jarvis go away." Tony continued to kiss around Pepper's breasts as she held him against her.

A sharp knock on the glass door pulled the two back to reality and Tony looked back over his shoulder as Pepper's father glared at him. Pepper pulled her robe closer and buried her head in embarrassment. "Oh, my God." She pried away from Tony's grasp and sat beside him.

"What were you going to say Jarvis?" Tony asked now irritated. He and Pepper were adults, doing adult activities, but it was still embarrassing when caught red handed making out with your girlfriend by her father.

"I was going to tell you that Ken and Gloria Potts were here."

Tony groaned as Pepper composed herself before going to her father. "Dad, what a surprise." She then went upstairs with him.

Tony remained on the couch and looked down at himself. "Yeah, I'll be good as new after a cold shower." He sat on the couch for a few minutes before going to sit behind his desk. "Okay, Pepper's birthday…"

The screens changed and displayed a series of stats. "The Kentucky Derby is the first jewel in the Triple Crown, known as the world series of horse racing. Two week after is the Preakness Stakes, followed by the Belmont Stakes." Jarvis informed him.

"So, we could have three different parties for Pepper. She said she likes horses; did you know she liked horses?" Tony asked.

"No sir. There is a variety of levels on which to watch the race."

"Well, can we get like infield passes and the best seats in the house?" Tony laughed at his comment. "Ha, did I just ask if I could, pfft, of course I can. Jarvis, send an email to Katie that Pepper and I want to attend all the Triple Crown races."

"Yes sir."

With a smiled Tony leapt from his chair and rushed upstairs thrilled about his present to Pepper. Although deep down he still wanted a party. Pepper had changed and was sitting in the living room with her parents talking. He took in a deep breath and held it as he approached them and sat down next to Pepper. Tony avoided Ken's stare at all costs but when Pepper announced that they had sold their home on the east coast and planned on living closer to their daughter, Tony couldn't help but look at the older man. He was now heading into uncharted territory. He was going to have Pepper's parents a mile down the beach for the rest of their lives. Tony put on his best fake smile and leaned over to kiss Pepper on the cheek.

"Where are you going?" Pepper asked as Tony began his retreat.

Tony tapped his watch. "It's Happy time."

Pepper sighed and watched him leave before turning attention back to her parents. "So, can I take you guys out to lunch?"

Tony began his workout with Happy by doing strength training. The two of them lifted weights for nearly an hour before running several miles on the treadmill. Once his workout with Happy was over Tony stood in his large shower and just let the water run over his body. He was thinking about giving Pepper her present in a few weeks and hoped he could keep the entire trip somewhat a secret.

When he stepped out of the shower he dried his upper body and wrapped the towel around his waist. He stood looking at himself in the mirror carefully inspecting his skin around the reactor afraid to see if there was any indication of poisoning as the palladium.

"Mr. Stark, I have…" Katie walked into his bedroom not realizing he was practically naked. "Oh, umm…"

"No, no it's okay. What is it that you need?" He stood before her dressed in a simple white towel.

"Um…I have here your conformation at the three races, and hotel reservations for the evening before each race." She handed him the file containing the documents.

Tony opened the file and scanned over the information. "This is for Pepper's birthday, and I want it to be a surprise."

"I understand." Katie felt uncomfortable close to her half naked boss.

He took a step closer to her as he handed the file back. "I'd like to throw a party for Pepper the night before the derby, casual, with hors d'oeuvres and drinks, and a DJ, no live bands."

"Of course. Would there be anything else?" She asked taking in his proximity and the definition of his torso.

Tony stood staring at his new assistant. In a way he was sizing her up to see how much of him she could tolerate. His eyes held hers as they seemed locked in a staring contest.

"Hey Tony, have you seen…" Pepper entered the bedroom only to freeze in her tracks seeing Tony standing half naked in front of their assistant. "Ummm…"

He looked between the two women for a split second. "Uh that will be all Katie. Thank you." She silently excused herself. "Pepper…"

"What the hell Tony?"

"She was just showing me the details of something I asked her to do."

"While you're naked?"

"The important stuff is covered up." When he saw the look in her eyes that she was skeptical of his excuse he knew he'd have to tell her the truth. "I was trying to plan something special for your birthday and I had Katie make the arrangements, she was just showing me the conformation."

"You…you were planning a party?" She put her hands on her hips as if to show him she was still mad.

Tony sighed. "Yes, a birthday party…" He stepped close to her and framed her face with his hands. "For the woman I love." He moved in a kissed her lips softly. "I had just stepped out of the shower when she came in. I'd left the doors open so it's my fault."

Pepper acted like she wanted to continue being mad with him but at the moment it wasn't working. "If you say so." He smiled and kissed her again.

Don't worry, I'll make sure something bad happens shortly.

TDCSI