Thank you all for leaving reviews. Sorry its taken me so long to update, but I'm currently in the middle of finals. I'd also like to note that everything said in italics in the first half of this chapter is Jarvis. Everything said in the second half that is also in italics is Rhodey. Anyways thanks for the comments.
P.S. I still don't own Iron Man or any of the other marvel characters that have yet to make there appearance in this story.
Chapter 4
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
The sound echoed throughout the empty house. It bounced from room to room and over the intercoms until someone or rather something decided to answer it.
"Tony."
"Master Stark is currently unavailable Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes."
"Put him on the phone Jarvis."
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
"And why's that?" Asked Rhodey sounding a little too annoyed. He should have known better than to think that Tony would just stay put and follow orders.
"I've been instructed to say that he's indisposed of."
"Yeah well, as funny as that is I still need to talk to him."
"I have several other reasons if you'd like to hear those as well"
"I'll pass. Just put Pepper on." Maybe she can talk some sense into him he thought. God knows she's the only logical person that Tony ever really listens to.
"She is also unavailable."
"What?" That can be right. Pepper never turns her off phone. Never.
"They both have requested that all their calls be directed here."
"I can't believe this."
"It is quite easy to envision."
"That's not what I meant," snapped Rhodey. Was he really supposed to believe that both Tony and Pepper were unreachable?
"Of course. Will there be anything else?"
"Put me through to his cell."
"Master Stark has requested that…"
"I know he has it," Rhodey continued to press. Tony may not leave his on all the time like Pepper, but he does have it.
"All calls are to be routed here…"
"Jarvis put Tony on the line."
"I must insist that…"
"I need security override 560795," said Rhodey impatiently.
"Patching you through now. "
Elsewhere…
"I'm just saying that if we play our cards right…"
"Don't you think you're getting little ahead of yourself?" Asked Pepper while trying her best to keep her voice in check with the booming music that currently assaulted her ears. How could anyone stand to listen to this all the time? They'd only been here for twenty minutes and she still felt like her eardrums were about to explode.
"Nonsense."
"Hogan, please talk some sense into him."
"What sense? This makes perfect sense," said Tony with one of his usual grins from across the table.
"Well of course it does its your plan."
"Now that has nothing to do with anything," he said while eliciting a look of surprise from out of Pepper. He did love the way she would slightly tilt her head to the side whenever she was presented with an unexpected outcome.
"Really?"
"Not really. Of course it has to do with it. I mean…" He stopped. The faint sounds of a familiar ringing could be heard emanating from his jacket pocket. With one quick motion his cell phone was produced, flipped open, and ready to go. "Hello?'
"Tony."
"Rhodey!"
"What the hell do you think your doing? Where are you?"
"Nice to hear from you too," answered Tony with a hint of mock pain. He had to admit that he'd been expecting this call ever since they left the house, but not this soon. Rhodey always had a knack for ruining his fun, and this would be no exception.
"This isn't funny."
"And I'm not laughing," he said nonchalantly, earning him another one of Pepper's curious looks. He lazily waved his hand and gave her a quick wink in hopes of putting her soon to be worried thoughts at bay.
"Tony you weren't supposed to leave the house."
"Yeah, well…"
"Where's Pepper?"
"Right here," he answered while eyeing her from across the table. Her face buried in her hands in what he could only guess was either embarrassment or annoyance over his latest answer. If she really didn't want him to say that she was here then she shouldn't have mouthed the words I'm not here. That was basically an open invitation in his book.
"She's with you?"
"Hold on, I'm putting you on speakerphone."
"Tony wait."
"Say hi to Rhodey," he asked Pepper. Her face still buried in the depths of her hands. She'll have to come up for fresh air eventually he thought.
She shook her head in her hands before finally deciding to rejoin the world. "Hi," she said curtly while thinking I'll kill him for this.
"How could you let him leave?"
"I didn't let him do anything. He tricked me."
"What?"
"You're still going with that huh."
"Going with what?" She asked already knowing where he was headed with this. "It's true." I was tricked she continued to tell herself while running the tip of her index finger over the top of her drink. He tricked me.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was you that followed me."
"I did no such thing," she briskly replied. "All I wanted was to stop you from doing something stupid."
"Like leaving the house?"
"Exactly."
"Yet here we are," he said with a look so smug that it made her want to scream or at the very least throw her own phone at him.
"What?"
"I was tricked."
"Hogan?"
"Hogan's there too?"
"Of course," answered Tony. "He's my bodyguard. Where else would he be?"
"Tony listen to me."
"Did I trick her?" He asked his bodyguard/ chauffeur.
"No. She followed you."
"You weren't even there," moaned Pepper. Why was this happening? Was he doing this on purpose? Of course he was. He was after all the master of manipulation.
"Does that really matter?" He slyly asked with a beer in one hand and his phone in the other.
"Yes."
"Tony listen to me!" Yelled Rhodey through the phone.
"I'm listening," he said after finally ending the long death like silence that had fallen upon the group. Even the loud, mind-numbing music seemed to fade away as the two of them continued to speak.
"You need to go to back to the house."
"Let me guess. It's not safe," he countered coldly. This really was getting to be a little annoying, even for him.
"You know it isn't."
"It's plenty safe. I'm safe," he continued to say. How long will it take for him and everybody else to finally get the message?
"Tony…"
"Hogan's here," he added with a nod towards his friend in the black suit and sunglasses.
"You need to go back."
"Those guys from S.H.I.E.L.D are here."
"What? Where?" Asked Pepper who quickly began scanning the room.
"Two black Dodge Chargers," replied Hogan after taking another drink from his bottle of water. "One in the parking lot and one across the street."
"Hear that? I'm fine, so stop worrying."
"Pepper?"
She felt guilty. She knew she had no real reason to be feeling guilty. She was tricked into coming here with him after all. "I'll do what I can."
"Good enough for me," quickly answered Tony while hanging up the phone. He didn't want to give Rhodey another chance at annoying him, even if it was in good intention. "So about that plan of mine."
"Tony, your plan is ridiculous."
"How is it ridiculous?"
"Well, what if this doesn't work out?"
"It'll work out," he said confidently with another smile.
Pepper quickly looked away upon seeing that look on his face. "You don't know that."
"Sure I do. In fact I'm so sure that as soon as I'm done buying that less than covert agent from S.H.I.E.L.D a drink I'm going to ask you to dance." He said while flagging down a waitress. He promptly gave her his order before bringing his attention back to Pepper.
"Care to dance?"
"Oh, no thank you."
"Ok, come on," was his immediate response as he stood up from his seat and pulled Pepper up from hers. He then led her to the middle of the dance floor in order to decrease her number of escape routes. "See this isn't too bad. Kind of like déjà vu."
"This is embarrassing."
"And why's that?"
"Everyone's starring that's why," she said while trying her best to keep her anxiety under control. There were just so many things wrong with what they were doing. First being the way they were dancing. Everyone else was bouncing around in step with the music, while they seemed to be continuing the dance they had shared at the charity event. Then there was the obvious fact of his being Iron Man. Ever since they walked through the door people have been staring at them. Well him really. Even now people were taking pictures of him as they danced. Then finally there was the biggest reason of them all: his being her boss.
"Well it's not everyday that a superhero decides to spend time among mere mortals," replied Tony earning him yet another glare from Pepper. "I'm kidding."
"I still think your plan is ridiculous."
"Really?"
"Really."
"So maybe I am thinking a little too far ahead."
"A little?" She asked incredulously. "First off, I will never under any circumstance run away to Las Vegas in order to get married."
"Even to me?"
"Especially to you. Second…"
"Good god there's more," he stated clearly interested in where this was going.
"I have a list."
"You have a list?"
"I shouldn't have said that," she said while mentally scolding herself for revealing that little bit of information.
"So you have thought about it. I always knew you had a thing for me."
"No you didn't."
"No I didn't," whispered Tony as he pulled her close.
Pepper nervously looked him in the eyes in hopes of seeing that a certain something was missing. However, her heart nearly stopped when she noticed that undeniable look of love in his eyes. "Tony I don't..."
"I know and you're not. You're nothing like those other girls."
"I don't know."
"Just think about it," he asked her for the second time tonight.
"Can we stop dancing if I say that I will?"
"Of course."
"Then I will," she said while moving away from him. "Consider it I mean."
"Then Miss Potts, I do believe that the night is still young and they're plenty of other places for us to go."
"Lead the way."
"How do you feel about Disney Land?" He asked while fastening her arm around his.
"The Amusement Park?"
"Think they'll let us in?"
"Tony the park has to be closed by now," she answered back while noticing that Hogan was already in step behind them.
"Well then, I know just the place."
"Should I be worried?"
"Absolutely not," he said with his usual playboy attitude. "I am Iron Man after all.
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