Chapter 4: IHFU
And back again! So… I got a a few theories in the reviews last time I updated, so here I am to put them at rest! I will list out the theories, and only debunk one of them, just because it's a fact that it isn't :)
Theory #1: Teen Tyrant- So the claim here is that it is Whitney in disguise, which I assume means that she is using her Madame Mask trick.
Theory #2: Miss Starfire- Pepper did that cheating scam for an FBI job. Which… is quite an interesting claim.
Theory #3: Miss Starfire (again)- Pepper did it because it would potentially help Tony with his business. Maybe it was meant to bring in business or prevent some terrible scheme against the business.
So I will debunk the first theory… I will wholeheartedly say it is not Whitney. If you remember, after seeing Pepper with Justin Hammer, he calls Whitney and goes to her place. Yeah you could say she was fast and left Hammer and such and such… but no, it was not Whitney. It was indeed our beloved Pepper Potts.
With that…. I will be doing shout-outs in the next chapter! So if you do happen to have more theories, leave them in the review and I'll debunk more if I get more! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own IMAA.
Pepper felt the silky soft sheets underneath her. It had been a while since she felt a luxurious material under her fingertips, making her long for her old life. She remembered very clearly the silky sheets the day she slept with Justin Hammer.
That memory was the only reason she was so queasy to be around Tony. Every time she saw his face, all she could think about is his betrayed face, and the painful reminder that she lost the love of her life.
Pepper opened her eyes, knowing clear and well where she was. She forgot the last time she felt this calm and uncomfortable in a stranger's house. But, this was no ordinary house, this was Tony Stark's. Pepper felt at peace as she roused from her nap. She felt so well-rested, and almost as though she could take on the world.
There was a soft knock on a door, and padded feet as her beloved walked to her side. His blue eyes washed over her, and she felt unable to tear her eyes away from them. No man in her life could compare to Tony Stark, even her deceased husband. Those rich blue eyes, the soft jet black hair, the defined jawline and lean physique? Her husband was good, but Tony was perfection.
"Hey…," He said softly, smiling at her. He squatted down to meet her at eye-level. He placed a delicate hand on her shoulder, and took a quick glance at her swollen belly.
"Hi." Almost automatically a smile was on her face, and not the forced ones she was used too, but a genuine one. It was so natural to around him. She gave no effort to smile or laugh with him; he just brought out her easy side. "Thanks for the ride."
Tony's eyes gleamed. "I tried to go as slow as I could. You need anything? Can I get you some tea?" Pepper yawned, and stretched, pushing her arms out towards Tony. He looked surprised but laughed. He helped her sit up, gently pushing on her back to get her sitting up against the bed frame with ease.
"You have tea?" Pepper asked, almost surprised. That was a luxury she couldn't afford for months. Her husband's death robbed her of her life, and comfort, so hearing the word tea got her heart racing.
"Yeah of course. I got black, chamomile, green, lemon, spearmint…. I could really go on forever. I tried doing a 'detox' from coffee, but uh, looks like I'm addicted." Tony sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Pepper shook her head, rubbing her belly. It felt a little more tight than usual, making her skin itch. "Well before this," She patted her stomach. "I was addicted too, so I know how you feel. But if you don't mind, can I get some chamomile?"
"No problem, I'll get that out asap. Anything else?" Tony was already headed to the door before he looked back.
"Lotion?"
Tony blinked. "Lotion? Pepper, you know, people normally add milk and sugar to tea, not lotion."
Pepper bursted out laughing, tears springing to her eyes. And she kept laughing, all the pain and tragedies being washed away by the unintentional joke. "I know that. The lotion is for my stomach. It's pretty dry, and I like keeping it moisturized to make sure it doesn't feel so tight."
Tony nodded and disappeared. She heard a gush of water, and a "pssh" sound. When Tony came back, he had a red mug of her steamy tea, lotion, and a huge macadamia nut cookie. "I hope this is still your favorite cookie." He said handing it to her. Pepper beamed, holding the cookie in her hand like it was the most valuable thing in the world.
"It is, it really is." Her mouth was already salivating before she bit into it. "Mmmm…" She murmured. And in three bites, the cookie was gone. Tony sat in silenced amusement as he saw her face fall in disappointment.
"Don't worry, I have more. But first," He handed her the mug. "Drink some tea, and butter up your belly. I'll be right back."
Tony, did in fact, come back and sat with her on the bed. He had yet another cup of coffee, deciding to stick to decaf for his sake, and a plate full of macadamia nut cookies. Pepper was overjoyed, and already swallowed down two more of those baked treats.
"Why do you have so many? I thought you liked chocolate-chip." She said, sipping on her tea. She realized that the mug was insulated in a way that the warmth of the drink was continuously circulated, so really, the tea never got cold. She smiled proudly at his small invention. She didn't know how he did it, but whatever he did never ceased to amaze her. Pepper even had one of his newest inventions when she was with her husband.
Tony bit into his cookie, and nodded, savoring the taste. "Yeah I do. But, I mean, it's just habit. I can't buy chocolate chip without buying macadamia nut." Pepper quickly realized what he was implying, and blushed. But the blush was both in embarrassment and heart ache, because it was yet another memory that was ruined by her decision.
…
"Pepper, come on, please… I'm really bored." Tony said, moaning from the couch. He was splayed out horizontally, his arms and legs flexed out in boredom. He was asking for his girlfriend to join him back on the couch, maybe for some more "together time".
The red-head popped her head out from the bathroom, trying to get her hair up into a ponytail. She was wearing Tony's button down shirt, having spent the night at his place and forgotten her pajamas. "What do you want to do?"
Tony groaned. "Come 'ere!"
"Tony, stop being a baby."
"Pleaseeeee!"
"Tony…"
"PLEASE!"
"FINE!" Pepper made her way to him and sat down by the foot of the couch. "What?"
Tony sat up, taking her hand in his. He took a moment, and stared at her, taking in every feature on her face. Pepper stared back, not uttering a word, but allowing him to just watch her. The genius smiled at last, his eyes glowing brighter at the sight of his girlfriend. "I love you, Pepper."
She didn't say anything, rather just stared at him, a smile growing on her face. "I love you too." She took wrapped his hand in hers, and brought it up to her chest. Taking this oppurtunity, Tony started leaning in towards Pepper's lips; she seemed just as eager, her eyes already closing and her face turning to meet him. But then, suddenly, she pushed him back and stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "I have an idea."
Tony frowned annoyed that her idea interrupted their "together time". "Okay? What?" He asked, watching her bounce with joy.
"Look, I've been crazing some cookies. How about we make some?" Her smiled grew as she thought she came up with the greatest idea of all time.
"Cookies."
"Yeah! Like delicious homemade macadamia nut cookies!"
Tony snickered. "Chocolate chip are way better."
"No they're not." Pepper murmured. "Fine, how about we make half and half then."
After a minute of staring at Pepper again, he sighed, pulling out his phone. His maid was already out running some errands, including grocery shopping. Pepper clapped her hands, way to excited for Tony's comfort, and sped off towards the kitchen, probably getting the dishes necessary for some homemade cookies. Tony watched her leave, rolling his eyes. He did anything she asked, but he couldn't complain because so did she. She loved him, and so did he. That's enough to make this relationship work, besides they already celebrated a year and a half together. So, if cookies is what she wanted to do, cookies is what he will do.
The line clicked on the other side. "Gloria! Hola!" Tony tried to include some Spanish, only because Gloria was basically his nanny and the mother he never had. He knew it made her happy if he incorporated some Spanish any time he talked to her, so he actually learned the language just for her. He was pretty fluent, but he did choose to speak English to help Gloria.
"Mi amor! Hola, que pasa?"
"Oh, um, are you about to come back?"
"Si, Mr. Stark. I am at the grocery store."
"Perfecto! Do you mind picking up some extra supplies?"
Gloria grunted on the other end and huffed. "Of course, what do you want?" Tony listed off some supplies and ingredients that Pepper hollered to him from the kitchen. Gloria seemed to be noting it down, because she was murmuring the ingredients in Spanish. "Is that all, mi amor?"
"Yes! Gracias, Gloria. And don't worry about putting the groceries up, I can handle it. You take the day off." After receiving a grateful thank you, Tony hung up and stretched. He heard some clattering and decided to go check on his girlfriend.
The shock on Tony's face was indescribable when he saw his kitchen. Pepper had all the supplies laid out with the ingredients in separate bowls, which were all neatly arranged for easy access. She had her phone out, jotting down a recipe when she looked up to see Tony.
Her smiled widened when she noticed how nervous he looked; he really didn't think she would follow through with the baking. "Jeez, Pep, are we broadcasting this on Food Network or something?" Tony ran a hand through his hair. Since he felt like there was no going back, he grabbed two aprons from the pantry and threw the smallest to Pepper. She caught it and swiftly tied the ends and went back to writing down the recipe.
"This is my grandma's macadamia nut cookie recipe. I took a picture of it last time I went to see her, because well, I felt that the original needed to be in her recipe book." She explained, putting the pencil down. She then proceeded to write down another recipe. "And your cookies will be coming straight from the internet." Her smirk put a frown on Tony's face.
Just before Tony attacked his girlfriend, he heard a warm voice call, "Señor Stark! Oh and Señorita Potts, I have your list." Tony quickly went over and grabbed the bags of groceries from his beloved maid and handed her a hundred dollar bill. She looked up shocked, clearly not expecting the kind gesture for a mere extra set of groceries.
"Take your husband and kids out for dinner. It's on me." Tony waved goodbye and shut the door behind him. Pepper had already begun placing the supplies away in the pantry and refrigerator, humming to herself while doing so.
"Alright, you ready to bake your socks off?" Pepper squeaked, opening the chocolate chip bag and munching on a few. She was staring up at him, enjoying the fact that she was making him squirm at the idea of making something and putting it in a 350 degree oven without bringing down the house in flames.
But, he slipped on his own robe and cracked his knuckles. "Let's do this."
The couple decided on doing the favorite of the other, so Tony worked on the macadamia nut cookies, and Pepper worked on the chocolate chip. They worked mostly silent, because Tony (regardless of the job) always had to work silent. That way he didn't make mistakes, but it was unfortunate for Pepper who loved blasting music and using her whisk as a microphone
Tony tossed his cookie sheet into the oven, smiling proudly at the clumps of dough that sizzled. Pepper started to hum, turning the batter as she added chocolate chips. The genius watched closely at every move she was doing, and went behind her. He slipped his arms around her stomach and squeezed, smelling in her strawberry scented hair. He heard her giggle, but say nothing as she began placing the cookies on another cookie sheet.
"I bet mine will taste way better." She teased. The red-head cast a sly glance to Tony, who frowned.
"Whoa, who says that?"
"I do."
"What makes you say that?"
"Because I know I can bake." Pepper moved past Tony and tossed in her own batch of cookies. The oven, like the rest of the house, was very technologically advanced. It adjusted its internal timer so that it would alert Tony when his were over, and then adjust itself to alert Pepper when her cookies were over.
Tony's hand snatched a hold of his girlfriend's wrist. She yelped as she flew back towards the counter, her lower back perfectly cradled on the white marble. Tony put his arms on either side of her, locking her in. "You can't make quick judgments like that, Pepper." He said softly. He watched her face get red, and laughed.
He only did that move knowing how his presence always worked her up. Tony pushed away, shaking his head in amusement. He made his way towards the other side of the counter to start cleaning, when he felt a hand grab his wrist and pull him.
And lips crashed onto his.
He didn't move at first, his brain momentarily confused at what just happened. But he slowly snaked his hands around her waist, pulling his girlfriend towards his chest. She responded by getting on her tip-toes and putting her hands on either side of his face. She pulled away, still red in the face, and breathing hard. "You know what you do to me… you shouldn't have done that."
"Shut up." Tony murmured back, putting his lips back on hers. He tugged on her legs, pulling her up on to the counter as he closed the distance between them. Pepper circled her thin legs around his waist, ensuring he couldn't escape.
Just as Tony was about to start taking in her neck, he paused, pulling away. He lifted his nose to the air and sniffed. "Does something smell like it's burning?"
Pepper looked dazed, but it quickly cleared as her nose also caught scent of a burning baked good. Her eyes then focused on the oven behind her and she pointed. "Um, Tony?" He followed her finger and jumped. The oven had erupted into flames inside the chamber. It was another feature he incorporated into the oversized microwave, in hopes to prevent more fires from occurring in the nation. But watching his invention at works was strange.
The flames licked at the sides of the oven, wanting to get out of its confined quarters. Tony walked towards the oven and pushed a button on the console. A loud hiss filled the chamber, and then steam. Once it cleared, there was no more fire, and well… no more cookies.
Tony opened the oven's door, and took out each tray with his oven mitt. Pepper was next to him, staring in silent awe at the black charred mess that were once their cookies. Tony closed the lid and looked at the black blobs in silence. Then they both exchanged looks and burst out laughing.
"Told you this was a good idea." Pepper said between breaths.
…
"Good times." Pepper muttered. She noticed that Tony hadn't said anything, he probably remembering the memory. But she did see a subtle nod as he snapped out of the flashback and took a sip of his decaf.
He cleared his throat, putting on a smile. "So… it's been ten years. That means a lot of stories."
Pepper raised an eyebrow. "You—you want to hear stories?" When he shrugged, she proceeded to raise her brow even higher while also cocking her head to the side.
"You were always the best at telling your experiences and memories. How about your ten years?" Tony asked politely. He wanted to know everything he could about her, no matter how long it took. Even if her life changed five months ago, and he was once again introduced into her life, he wanted her to feel comfortable again.
He wanted to love her like he did before.
"What do you want to know?" Pepper said finally. She observed his blue eyes glaze over as he thought of the best question.
"How did you meet your husband, Daniel?"
Pepper was taken aback by the question. She didn't expect her dead husband to be the first question he wanted answers to, but judging by his emotionless face… he was dead serious. "Okay… If you want." She took a deep breath, shifting in her bed to feel more comfortable. "I just got back from a mission. It was nothing big, like international big, but it was pretty important. My team and I had to infiltrate a huge gang nest in town, after we got some big news on the leader's hide out."
"This was in your new city? The one you moved to after… after that?" Tony asked, trying to not bring up too much of their troubled past. He saw her fidget and new she was thinking about the same thing. Perhaps that was the one thing that would scar their relationship. No matter how hard Tony tried, he kept seeing her topless body on Justin Hammer's. Seeing her now, like this, made that memory a fire that was kindled after years of pain.
Pepper shook her head. "I lived in Seattle, but the infiltration was in Kentucky. The leader shifted bases to the state, because we took down a sister location in Sea." She took a sip of her tea, wetting her mouth. "Anyway, we got the leader pinned in his hideout, and got the big guns."
Tony raised a hand. "I'm not F.B.I. What's 'big guns'?"
"Not what. Who. The big guns are SWAT. They backed us up on the operation. They went in first and neutralized any of the gang members, leaving us to go smoothly to the leader's office. I was the head for the mission at the time, and I went through the door to get shot in the stomach." She shook her head, chuckling. "Imagine that, right? I trained like crazy before the day of, and there I was, on the floor with a gunshot wound in the stomach."
"You weren't wearing a vest?" Tony's mouth was open in an "O", and he looked like a toddler hearing a fantasy story with knights and dragons.
Pepper shrugged, again chuckling. "I was known as the risk taker. I always though the vest held me back." She paused, pondering. "And made me look fat." Her heart swelled at the sound of Tony's laughter filling her ears. She couldn't help it, and laughed back with him.
"Always conscious of that since the beginning."
"Not always!"
"Potts, let's be real here. Every outfit you chose had to go through a ten minute run-by through the mirror and me to make sure your tiny tummy wasn't showing. You've always been like that." Tony said with a shake of his head. Pepper couldn't help but agree with a shrug. She had been insecure about that only because she thought if she was any way deviant from how she looked, Tony would leave her.
He cleared his throat, noticing that she was staring at him. "Anyway… no vest."
"Right, yes. I never wore a vest, and never wanted to after I graduated. And I paid for that when I was on that mission." She paused, letting the information sink in. "But, I'm not that ill prepared. I was going down, yes, but my gun was out. So I fired, and shot the leader right between the eyes."
Tony's jaw dropped as he heard the climax to the story. Taking the cue, Pepper continued, "I passed out right after and woke up in the emergency room. A surgeon came in saying that the bullet was actually inside my stomach, and that I was bleeding out internally and externally. And that surgeon was Daniel."
"So your would-be literally saved your life. He was there for you through sickness and health before you guys tied the knot."
She nodded. "Yeah. He asked me out while I was recovering, because he checked up on me during the time. A lot." Pepper said remembering that day. "I agreed, and we went out for two years before getting married."
No one said anything after that. Pepper took another sip from her tea as Tony watched his hands fiddle with the mug in his palms. He looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind. The red-head didn't say a word, thinking she said enough already.
"You were happy?" Tony asked eventually.
There was a definite hesitation when Pepper opened her mouth. Normally the wife or husband would answer immediately, with a "yes." Because even through the lows, their significant other was still the one person that stood by them for, what will be, years.
But Pepper hadn't said anything.
She opened her mouth, thought for a second and then closed it again. "Yes."
"That took a while."
She blushed, and looked away. "Yeah— well… I just have a lot of… sadness now. Not happiness." Tony frowned. That didn't add up to what he asked. It was a simple question of whether or not their marriage was happy, so her answer didn't make sense.
"You didn't have a happy marriage?" Tony asked, hoping that rewording the question would give him a better answer.
But when Pepper looked up at him, his heart nearly stopped. There was a pained and feared look in her water-brimmed eyes. Her face was flushed, and her hand was protectively placed over her stomach. She looked afraid, as though if her answers weren't up to standard she would get…
Hurt.
"Pepper… did Daniel… hurt you?" Even though she shook her head, her face gave it all away. Along with the pained tears that started to run down her face. Tony put his mug to the side, and scooted up the bed to get closer to his friend. He stared into her eyes. "Pepper… did Daniel hurt you?" He asked again.
And she nodded.
Tony sat back, stunned. She was hurt in her relationship. Her marriage with Daniel had gone astray, because the scumbag had lied to her until they exchanged vows. Then his true character had escaped, and Pepper… the sweet girl she was, endured it all.
"Tony…," Pepper said softly. "His name isn't Daniel."
Confusion blew up on his face. He felt himself go pale, fearing the answer. "What do you mean? What's his real name?"
Pepper covered her face in her hands, sobbing. "Justin. Justin Hammer."
Tony looked at her in silence. His heart began to race faster as he tried wrapping his brain around the fact that his best friend both cheated on him and married his sworn enemy.
Her sobs continued as she looked up at Tony's stunned face. She had to tell him one thing, and she wasn't sure how he would react. She hadn't expected to tell him this at all, but looking at his wide blue orbs, the truth just poured out.
"And he's not dead."
…
Ba-boom! Didn't see that coming did ya? Yeah… so this story is gonna be kinda dark. All will be explained as the chapters continue! But! Please do leave me some theories, because I still want to know what you guys think is going on. Some answers are pretty obvious, but some are hopefully wrapped in the shadows.
I am kinda cruel, I think… but I wanted to really develop a story with some emotion. Normally I write a lot about the hero and heroine in love and fighting crime, but vulnerability is very strong.
I will start placing trigger warnings in the upcoming chapters in case I go into some flashbacks, but I promise things will turn around to the best! Until then… Please do REVIEW! Let me know what you think (which I know some of you are not gonna be pleased)!
Love ya! - PercyJacksonLover14