A little bit of a longer chapter here, I thought I'd put more action in this one, but it turned into…well, you'll see!

I only own the story line and Sasha, Boo for me.

A week and a half later, Tony sat on his kitchen counter, ankles crossed as his legs swung casually, watching Sasha pull food out of his fridge and pantry. He briefly wondered when his food had been restocked—he was more of a take-out kind of guy, and yet Sasha had been cooking meals at least once a day for a week. He knew she hadn't gone out to get it, he was on a three-week vacation and had spent every moment of it in the house with her. He plucked a slice of yellow bell pepper from the large mound of vegetables Sasha had chopped and she swatted the back of his hand with a spatula. Tony made a face and snatched a few strands of the cheese she had shredded with a wide grin. Sasha shoved Tony off the end of the counter.

"Hey!" Tony caught himself before he landed flat on his butt and glared playfully at Sasha.

"Hey, yourself! No sneaking food. I need all of this for dinner."

"When's it going to be ready? I'm hungry."

"And you sound like a child."

Tony pulled another face, making Sasha laugh. He loved that sound, and the way her eyes would light up and her face would lose the serious edge it held when she really laughed. Over the last few days he had learned a lot about Sasha, and his gut would turn to ice every night when they climbed into his bed together, she was still having nightmares and it was making Tony really mad. He was trying to find a way to tell her he was Iron Man without scaring her, or making her think he was trying to use her, but he also enjoyed how she just wanted to be with him and it not have anything to do with his money or fame. It was a good thing that he hadn't had to done the suit lately, it was really quiet as far as crime went in the world. He hopped back up onto the counter, smirking at Sasha's narrowed gaze aimed his way.

He watched as Sasha measured out ingredients and started melting butter in a skillet; he liked how she was so anal about having to wash her hands and change her shirt before cooking, yet her face still had grease smeared across it from when they had been tinkering with his cars in the garage. They had laughed a lot during the course of the day, but he noticed how sudden loud noises or types of music would make Sasha freeze, it was as if she had PTSD. Tony still hadn't asked the extent of the abuse that Harris had put her through, and he knew it was partly because he didn't want her to relive it, and partly because he was afraid to know.

He knew Pepper and Happy would die if he had told them that he'd had the same woman in his bed for nearly two weeks in a row, and was planning on a more, and they still hadn't slept together. The fact that Sasha had been around for more than the first night would shock his two closest friends, and the press would have a field day with it. Tony tried to figure out why his stomach was so knotted at that last realization; he couldn't care less what the press said about him. And then it hit him, he wanted to protect Sasha—more than just from Leason, he wanted to protect her from the savages the press could be, he wanted to keep her safe and happy. He wondered what was going on in his head that had made him so different when it came to Sasha, and he realized he liked the change, and that he felt better sitting on his counter giving the brunette a hard time by stealing bits of food and a few kisses than he had parading around at his own Expo last year.

He pushed himself off the counter and stepped up behind Sasha, reaching around to hold her hand that was stirring things in the skillet, his other hand on her hip. He gave her a moment to adjust to his nearness, although he was happy to note that she did not freeze for as long as she had been, then he leaned forward to kiss her just below the ear.

"So, tell me what we're making here." Tony whispered, his five o'clock shadow scratching against Sasha's cheek enticingly.

Sasha leaned back into Tony's chest, feeling the heat from his reactor in his chest and feeling the abrasive hairs scratching her cheek as he nuzzled her neck. "Mm…I'm making Sour cream Chicken Enchiladas. You are making it hard to concentrate." She laughed quietly, feeling Tony's laughter rumble against her back. "Here, add the chopped tomatoes and bell peppers." She watched as Tony reached for the cutting board that held the veggies and wrapped both arm around her tightly so he could scrape them into the sauce mixture she was stirring.

"That it?" Tony asked, his tone conjuring up images of their earlier make-out session in the garage.

Sasha wondered at the fact that he had not tried to sleep with her and even avoided anything more than a few brief kisses when they were in his bed, yet once they were in any other room in the mansion he was mauling her left and right. It was kind of funny, but she also knew that she should tell him her other big secret before he found out for himself.

"We'll add the spinach just before we pour the sauce over the enchiladas." She gestured to the tortillas she had laid out and showed Tony how to warm the tortillas in the hot oil and then fill them with the chicken mixture she had thrown together earlier without tearing the soft corn tortillas. Tony pouted about having to stand next to Sasha to make the enchiladas, teasing her about her just wanting to get him off her back. She rolled her eyes and placed the filled tortillas in the long pan. "Okay, add the spinach and mix it in well." She instructed Tony, then had him help her to pour it over the enchiladas. She pushed the heavy pan into the oven and turned to lean against the warm range.

"So, now what?" Tony asked, his eyebrows rising suggestively.

"Now I am going to make the Spanish rice." Sasha grinned cheekily. She showed a slightly dejected Tony how to make the rice and then turned to toss a salad together. She enjoyed the light banter Tony kept up with and realized just how easy it was to be with him. She turned suddenly, looking Tony in the eyes, "Tony, I-I just want you to know…I-thank you for everything you've done…" Her eyes turned glassy for a moment as she took a deep breath. "It's amazing to me how easy it is to be with you here…and…I…" Sasha's eyes went wide then closed when Tony quickly leaned in and started kissing her.

He pulled away slowly, "Sash…no thanks are necessary…I like having you here. It's a new feeling for me, too, you know." He kissed her again, knowing that while he could turn a phrase with anyone else, he was completely unable to keep any of his normal distance with Sasha. Any other woman he could easily seduce, lie to, and keep a smile on his face; with Sasha, he hadn't had to lie about his feelings, he hadn't even thought about doing so, and that scared him. She was getting too close, and he realized he didn't want to stop her, so he just kept kissing her until she playfully swatted his arm and backed up as much as she could while still being locked in his arms against his body.

"Dinner's ready." Sasha's brown eyes were dark with desire. Tony had figured out that while she wanted him, she was afraid to act on her yearning. He gave her the distance she needed, laughing as he swatted her butt.

"Fine, but you owe me a make-out session later." He teased, enjoying the blush that immediately flushed her cheeks.

Sasha pulled the browned enchiladas out of the oven and began to plate the food. Tony reached a fork over quickly and stole a bite before Sasha could do more than scold him. His face made her laugh as he tasted the food.

"Okay, so what are you going to be eating?" Tony asked as he pretended to grab for the rest of the pan of enchiladas.

"Well, if you aren't going to share," Sasha said in a fake pout, "Then I guess I just won't have anything at all."

"Oh, I can share…I'm a real generous guy." His eyebrow cocked and trademark smirk drawing a smile from Sasha.

"If you're sure." She said playfully.

"Oh, I am sure." Tony led Sasha into the living room to eat. They sat on the floor together content to eat in silence, enjoying each other's company and the food they had made together. "So why didn't you go into culinary arts?" He suddenly asked. He had learned a lot about the twenty-six-year-old's likes and interests, finding them so vast and varied he had no idea what he would do if he were like her.

"Cooking is relaxing." Sasha drawled, "If it became work it wouldn't taste as good because it'd be a chore not something enjoyed. It's like my art, I can draw or sketch what I want so well because there's no looming deadline, nothing forcing my hand. It's easy because there's no pressure." She shrugged.

"And yet your writing didn't suffer one bit when it was your source of income." Sasha had been a novelist and a freelance journalist before Harrison had come into her life. Tony had gotten a few of her books on his computer and found he enjoyed the stories, even though he wasn't one to read much fiction.

"I got to set my own hours and limits on my writing. I didn't sign on to do any series' with the publishing company because that would set a schedule for the entirety of the project. I had one written out, I was working on the final book when I met…him…" Sasha had refused to use Harris' name over the past week, only referring to the man as 'him'. "I was going to submit all four books at once so that all I would have a deadline on was the editing, which is much simpler than having one for the entire work."

"Wow, really?" Tony was awed at the beautiful and smart woman that now lay draped across his lap, having finished her meal. He realized he did much the same thing with his inventions as she did with her writing, rarely introducing a new concept to his company before having at least one working proto-type.

"Yeah," Sasha yawned, hiding her open mouth behind the back of her hand. "I'm getting tired, and you said something about my…owing you." She smiled invitingly, "It is later."

Tony grinned, then felt it slip away as Sasha pulled him up from the floor and headed back to their room. His head spun for a moment at his metal slip; it was his room, and yet he had been thinking of it as theirs for days. By the time he had shaken himself out of the distracting thoughts, Sasha was pulling him down on top of her on the bed.

Tony had tossed Sasha's pants and shirt aside, irritated that she still felt her body was not attractive enough to let him stare at her the way he wanted to, and Sasha kicked his discarded jeans off of the bed to land somewhere near his forgotten shirt. He realized that he would not be able to stop himself for another night, so he pressed Sasha back into the bed and hovered over her, looking into her eyes.

"I need to tell you something." He said, his chest heaving with each breath. "Before…before we go any further, you need to know something about me…who I am."

Sasha's body was craving Tony's, she felt as if she were on fire, and she knew that Tony was the only one who could put it out. "No. I know enough, Tony…" At his look she touched his face adoringly. "Are you married?" At the negative shake of his head she went on, "Do you have someone else?" Again, he replied in the negative, "Are you really a woman?" She couldn't resist teasing him.

Tony grunted and shoved his most masculine appendage into her core. "What do you think?" He asked, enjoying the brief contact, even through their underwear.

"Then there's nothing that can't wait, Tony. I want…I need you. Now." Sasha's words drove the arguments out of Tony's mind as she shoved his boxers over his hips and gripped his hardness; he yanked Sasha's bra off, kissing her breasts as he slid her panties off of her body. Each little moan and breathy sigh threatened to send Tony over the edge, but he was determined to make this last for Sasha. There was just one thing he had to be sure of, first.

"I don't…this is you and me…no one else…Keep your eyes on mine, please…know it's me." Tony pleaded softly as he slowly entered Sasha.

She shook beneath him at the feeling of him pressing into her. She shook her head and stared into his eyes, "Tony, I know it's you…it's…there's…never been anyone else." She cried out as Tony thrust into her hard and quick, making him break through the barrier he hadn't known would be there. He stilled, unable to think past the fact that Sasha had been a virgin. When he saw the tear streaks trailing down from her eyes and into her hair he hated himself. And when she moved her hips against his he had to fight down his animalistic urges and held himself still. She looked away from him and started to shift uncomfortable beneath the billionaire's stiff form.

"You…were…you've never…but…" Tony had no idea what he should say, what he wanted to ask.

"No…I've never…" Sasha let her voice drift off in shame.

"I just…God, you must hate me." Tony shook his head as he tried to roll off of Sasha.

She reached up to hold him in place between her legs. "Dammit, Tone! I wanted you to do it! I…I was…I know you're used to more…experienced women, but I…"

"Stop it…right there, Sash, shut up right now." Tony ordered, his voice angry. Sasha felt tears well up in her eyes, "I…I just…I just did the most selfish thing I think I have ever done, and that is one hell of a list to top!" Tony shut his eyes, unable to look at Sasha. "I wish you had said something."

"You never would have touched me." Sasha spat.

"I didn't deserve that-that…gift! I…I have been with a lot of women, and I have done a lot of stupid things, I'm selfish and self-centered…and I just ruined you more than Harris ever did."Tony yanked himself free from Sasha's grasp and tried to stand up.

"The hell you did!" Sasha screamed at him. "You didn't ruin me! Tony…did you not hear me? I want you! I wanted you to be my first…and Harris had a much worse idea of how to…ruin me." She admitted quietly.

Tony turned back to see Sasha staring at her hands. "What?" He whispered, so quiet he did not know if she had heard him.

"Harris…he had an…auction planned for this month…he took me to all those clubs and things to introduce me to the bidders…he…he was going to sell it…to the highest bidder." She sobbed.

Tony growled quietly before an angry scream ripped from his chest. He was going to kill Harris. He wasn't going to wait for the man to make his next move as an Arms Dealer or Drug Lord and take him out as Iron Man. He was going to go find him in an alley and tear him to pieces with his bare hands. But first, he knew he needed to comfort the small woman that had come to mean so much to him.

He sank back down onto the bed. "Sash…I'm sorry." He pushed her down onto the bed and climbed back between her legs. "I just wish I could be the man you deserve." He re-entered her and kept his eyes on Sasha's as he slowly moved inside of her. He leaned down and kissed her softly, smiling at the moans she couldn't hold back. "This…I should have made this time a lot more special." He kissed her again, "You should have had candles and roses and the right kind of teasing to lead up to this."

Sasha shook her head, "I told you…I only need you. Roses are over-rated anyway." Suddenly she began to pant, and Tony smirked proudly and rolled his hips a little faster. When he felt her muscles clenching rhythmically he nipped at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Sasha shrieked out in ecstasy, clawing at Tony's back with her short nails; the sudden sensation on his back had Tony following right behind Sasha with his orgasm.

The next morning, Tony was teasing Sasha over breakfast about how she had admitted to being rather sore after their hijinks the night before. "Yeah, more than three times in a night is really pushing it for anyone…I guess."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Sasha shoved Tony's chair with her foot playfully, blushing like mad.

Tony turned serious as they cleared the dishes off of the table and set them in the sink; he took Sasha's hands before she could turn on the water to wash them and pulled her into his body. He hugged her as if he were saying goodbye and Sasha's eyes filled with tears at the thought, even knowing it did not make sense for her to be so attached to him so quickly. She heard him sigh and felt his body tense as he stepped back slowly.

"I need to show you something." He led her to his basement garage/lab, ignoring the tension he felt radiating from her body. As the pair moved through the door into his lab, Tony spoke to JARVIS. "Bring up the suits, JARVIS, and have all of the information you can find about Iron Man on the internet ready on the computer."

Sasha eyed Tony warily, "What is an Iron Man?"

"Um…" Tony gestured to the poster on the far wall, and then to the opposite end of the garage where eight suits now stood incased in bullet-proof glass. "I am Iron Man." He hadn't felt so nervous speaking those words, well, ever. He had found it pretty easy to admit at his press conference a couple of years before, and even when he was in front of the military or government officials he was more than ready to stand up for his work as a self-claimed Super Hero.

Sasha didn't speak, she dropped Tony's hand and stared at the robotic suits. She wondered at just how out of touch she had been with the world to not know about the billionaire apparently developing some great robotics-technology.

"JARVIS." Sasha stated, continuing to find it odd talking to a house. "Um, I don't think I can move to the computers…can you pull them up over here?" The holographic screens opened around her, and she scanned the multiple articles on the Iron Man. The first few were before Tony had outed himself, then there was the one from the press conference where he had admitted to being the super-hero, the last few she scrolled through told of his various fights against Stane and Vankovich and several other smaller enemies. She swallowed convulsively, wondering just why Tony had hidden this from her. She thought maybe he had been laughing at her considering the fact that there were several artful depictions of the hot-rod red and gold suit around the house and the t-shirt she had worn that first morning after her shower. Then she realized that he had tried to tell her the night before, when she had told him she knew everything she needed to about him. If he had been trying to make fun of her, or even just keep her in the dark for a more sinister reasoning, he would not have tried to tell her at all.

"Why?" She questioned. Tony had no idea where to start.

"I…when I…I had been taken hostage in Afghanistan…they wanted me to make a Jericho missile; there had been another prisoner there with me to serve as a translator…that man, Yinsen, he had saved my life when he put a magnet in my chest and hooked it up to a car battery—that was all that had kept the shrapnel from entering my heart at the time…instead of the missile, we created my original arc reactor, and then a suit…I used the suit to escape. Yinsen died so that I could get out…he told me not to waste my life any more. To do something worthwhile. I found out that my father's right hand man, my own go-to guy in Stark Industries, Stane was selling our weapons to these terrorist. And he had arranged for my kidnapping—my death, actually—so when I got home, I created a more…functional suit…you read about what happened after that. I'm keeping my promise to Yinsen, I'm not wasting my life anymore." Tony didn't know if anything he had said made sense to Sasha, but he pleaded with his eyes for her understanding.

"I…I meant…why, why didn't you tell me before? You told me about your company, your friends, even some family history…why not this?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I…at first it was kind of fun, a game, since you had no idea who I was, the anonymity was nice…but after you knew who I was, I didn't know how to tell you about Iron Man…I didn't want you to think that I was just after the fame. In a way, I had hoped you would tell your friend in an e-mail that you were here with me and she could tell you…" Tony shrugged, "It was childish, I guess, but I just…I wanted you to like me for me, not for my alter-ego."

Sasha shook her head and slapped Tony's shoulder hard. "You should have said something! I…okay, I probably would have been a lot more weary of getting to know you, of getting attached in any way, considering that you aren't only a playboy, but a 'super-hero' as well." Sasha shook her head at her own use of the term. "I…I do appreciate that you wanted to tell me last night…before anything happened." She realized that the fact that he hadn't wanted to sleep with her without being fully honest with her helped to ease the sting of shock.

"So…we're…" Tony didn't know how to ask where they stood anymore. He was afraid he'd scared her off.

"We're good…It's just going to take some…getting used to." Sasha shrugged as she turned to stare at the large suits in wonder.

Tony let out a huge sigh and said the only other thing that he was afraid would make her leave. "I'm going after Harris. I…I'm going to go find him tonight."

Sasha's back was to Tony, but he saw the tension that held her naturally straight posture more stiffly. He watched as her shoulders raised and lowered with several deep breaths. "You'll kill him. I've seen what is in your eyes when he is brought up, too, you know."

"It's…a highly likely outcome." Tony stated, fighting to keep his tone flippant.

Sasha lowered her head, staring at the floor before turning around and staring up into Tony's brilliant brown eyes. "I don't want that monster's blood on your hands, Tony. Even if you use the…Iron Man suit…it's still your hands."

"You don't know everything that man has done…what he's really capable of." Tony sighed.

"What do you mean?" Sasha looked taken aback.

"I mean…he doesn't just have his hands in Human trafficking; he is also a Drug Lord and major Arms Dealer. He's murdered and…he's done some pretty awful things…we never could get a decent description of the guy, let alone a picture, until the security cameras at the club caught him." Tony sighed again, reaching out to lay his hands gently on Sasha's shoulders. "I am Iron Man, and that means that I have responsibilities that I don't have much of a choice over. I am happy doing it, and I do admit to enjoying the hell out of my work…but when it comes down to tracking scum around the world and turning them over to the proper authorities…That's my job description. I have a responsibility to take Harris Leason off of the streets, and now that I know he is here, and nearby, and have a freakin' picture," Tony's voice was slowly rising with each word, "I can't not go after him." He lowered his voice and his gaze, "Please understand…I…I'm going because I need to protect the people on this planet, but more than that I'm going to protect you."

Sasha's heart felt heavy, she knew that Tony had probably done quite a few things as Iron Man that he could hardly stomach as himself, but he did them because it was more than a duty, it was his promise to Yinsen to do something with his life that drove him. He just made sure to put enough fun into it to lighten his own mood. She finally looked at Tony until she caught his gaze in her own, and nodded.

"But all you need to do is deliver him to the police. That is all I need. I am already moving on, thanks to you, and I think that having…Leason…" She choked on the name, "behind bars will make it final for me."

Tony nodded, "I'll keep that in mind…I'll try not to let my emotions get too…involved." He smirked at Sasha and kissed her quickly. "I'll be home before dinner. JARVIS can keep you connected to me while I'm in my suit, and you can probably get more done with your computer-programming-studies without me here." Tony smiled sheepishly. He had started to teach Sasha how to manipulate computer technologies the way he could, and at the rate she was picking it up, he was surprised she hadn't gone into a line of work with computers.

"Okay, I guess I can try my hand at manipulating algorithms, then see if you can spot my work when you get back." Sasha played along.

Tony stepped back with a wide grin and walked backwards onto a circular platform that the floor was moving to make for him. Suddenly, yellow and black robotic arms began to assemble his suit around him, he smiled at the look of wonder on Sasha's face as he was transformed. Once he was fully suited up with only the gold face plate open, he walked back to the small brunette and brushed his lips to hers.

"Bye honey, I'll be home soon."

"Have a good day at work." Sasha joked along with him, jumping slightly at the metallic click as the gold faceplate fell into place, turning the mask into a menacing sight. She laughed at her own reaction and watched as Tony was lifted off the ground by the thrusters underfoot and then flew out of the garage entrance. "JARVIS," Sasha said, turning back to the room and sauntering over to the computers, "What is one of Tony's favorite games on the computer?" A devious smile crossed her face as she waved her hand over the blank space in front of the computer screens to pull up the holographic keyboard.

"Mr. Stark prefers to play with his suit designs rather than games, Miss."

"Oh, really? Well, he did say I could practice my computer knowledge, so let's pull up the schematics of one of his older suit models." Sasha planned on having a lot of fun while Tony was gone, and she knew that Tony was going to be more irritated with himself for having granted her the access than with her for what she planned to do.

Tony, in the Iron Man suit flew out over the city, having programmed the suit to automatically scan for any signs of Leason while he enjoyed the freedom of flight. He briefly wondered if Sasha would ever want to go flying with him. While he was thinking of all the practical jokes he could pull if she ever did come out with him, his suit beeped to alert him to a threat. He scanned the area and, not seeing Leason, he turned around just in time to watch a huge missile flying right at him. He caught the bomb and JARVIS informed him that it was locked onto his suit's electronic signature.

Rolling his eyes and sighing, Tony suddenly stopped flying and held the bomb at arm's length, studying the shell of the missile, finding the small square that housed the on-board trajectory, Tony yanked it off and flew upwards, knowing that if he didn't solve the intricate system in time that he did not want to take the city with him. Cursing under his breath, he searched through the wiring and found the keypad cleverly concealed beneath.

"JARVIS, I need the code." The A.I. scanned the programming and a string of numbers came up in front of Tony's right eye. "Thanks, JARVIS."

"You are welcome, sir." The clipped accent sounded slightly off, but Tony ignored it as he punched in the code and the propulsion in the missile went out. He flew back toward the missile's signature origin to find a large black launcher and little else in the dessert. Not sure what to make of the situation, he opted to alert Rodey to his discovery, then took off again to search for Leason.

It was around six o'clock when Tony dropped back into his garage and let the robotic arms take his suit off as he walked across the floor to an amused Sasha.

"No that is something I know I won't be getting used to." She quipped.

"Really? I think you will, give it some time." Tony smirked and held his arms open to the woman who he now stood directly in front of, having just stepped out of the Iron Man boots.

Laughing, Sasha embraced her lover, and wondered at his statement. If he expected her to get used to seeing him as Iron Man, then she wondered just how long he planned on being with her. She knew his reputation after having spent a couple of hours looking him up on the internet, and she knew that he didn't do long-term relationships. Shaking herself mentally, Sasha refused to dwell on it.

"So, how was work?" She asked in a sing-song voice.

Tony laughed, "It was good. Got a missile launched at me, apparently by no body. They weren't anywhere near the launch base and there were no prints on anything." He shrugged, smiling to ease Sasha's worried expression. "It happens, sometimes. I'm good at the whole 'Super Hero' thing, so don't worry, I'm not going to let some little missile stop me."

Sasha cocked an eyebrow and let the subject go for the moment. "I told Amy that I'm staying here with you…her response was pretty…well, I think I worried JARVIS with how hard I was laughing."

"Really?" Tony looked amused. "Why?"

"You're a playboy…she even accused me of having run off with you for the entire eighteen months-jokingly of course."

After a leisurely dinner and plenty of play-time in bed, Tony and Sasha each fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.