I hope you don't mind these flashbacks. They aren't really exact to the comics, but...really, is anything anymore? Also: sorry this is short. I didn't want to cut it at a weird place. Oh, and I have 10 days free of work for the holidays, so expect more updates! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or any part of the Marvel/Iron Man universe...though I do wish I lived in it. Excuse me if I miss a few details...this is my attempt to get back into writing after about a year break. Please read and review!

Colonel Rhodes took a breath as he faced a pillar and straightened his neck tie. The inside of the building they were to gather in was lined with marble and soft lighting glowed in the reflections, giving him an eerie sense of warmth. For once, someone was recognizing his commitment to helping Tony bring the arc energy to the military...even if it was at the expense of Manhattan.

Tony, he remembered briefly, wondering how much longer his friend would delay showing up.

Then, even with Stark on his mind, Rhodey almost fell backwards with shock as a loud noise of metal on solid, marble floors boomed behind him. He doubled back and spun around, trying to stop his heart from flying out of his chest.

"Gee, you'd think they'd train you for surprise," a humorous tone floated from the robot that appeared behind him.

Rhodey stared at the red and gold giant as the face plate lifted and revealed a very tired looking, yet still grinning, Tony Stark. Instantly calming himself down, he let his shoulders relax as his friend departed the suit.

"I'm an airman, Tony, not a ninja," he clarified. "And you're late."

"Not late. Just not early."

Rhodes looked him over; Stark was only in a pair of dark wash jeans and a tshirt - definitely not ceremony appropriate.

"That's what you're wearing?"

Stark snorted, then ran a hand through his hair. "Relax, mom. I got it covered."

"You better. No Pepper?"

"I left the missus at home," Tony joked, trying to not think about his assistant for a little while.

Rhodey looked like a ghost had caught him. "You guys...uh, please tell me you didn't-"

"What?" Stark asked, then let out a hearty laugh at what his friend was suggesting and took it a step further. "Yeah, she's decorating the nursery."

"That's not funny," Rhodey snapped, unable to believe him.

"But marriage is?"

"That'ssomething you could handle, Tony. Now, a mini Stark…" Rhodes shuddered.

Tony frowned, but he knew his friend was right; he was thankful he didn't have to go any further with it, as Rhodes obviously doubted him as much as Jarvis did. Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw one of his New York security details approaching. She was holding out a jacket for him to slip into.

Rhodey watched her suit him up - literally - and then disappear out to where the public would be viewing the ceremony.

"Who was that?" he asked, admiring her looks.

"Who?" Stark countered purposely. "Oh, her?" He was trying to play dumb. "Dunno. Found her at the tower one day. Fun to look at. Let her play good cop for the Expo."

"You just gave some random girl the job of keeping you secure?"

"Yup."

"You're ridiculous."

"Man," he bit back. "Have you and Pepper been talking?"

Tony was making it apparent that he was getting a bit edgy with the judgement coming from Rhodey, so he decided to move on and slapped him on the shoulder instead.

"Nevermind it." Rhodes pointed outside. "They're waiting for us."

"They're waiting for me," he corrected. "You're just...an added bonus!"

With a sly smirk, Tony adjusted his cufflinks and walked with his friend toward the outside stairs.

Tony Stark adjusted his suit in the elevator down to the third floor - he wouldn't usually step foot on any of these levels, but, today, he had an agenda. The past few days had had him busy with the arc reactor; its progress was good and the station seemed solid, but he couldn't shake the words the stubborn woman had thrown at him at the beginning of the week. Who did she think she was, anyway? Certainly not a genius like himself, but he would let her prove that.

As the elevator doors opened, he sensed the employees close to the shaft were too focused on their computer screens and phone calls to realize who it was gracing their presence. It almost annoyed him that no one was paying attention, despite the fact that they seemed to be good workers to stay so focused - he was the face of the company; literally, his face was on the building's walls.

Finally, when he stepped out and began his lone trek towards a cubicle in the opposite corner of the floor, a few hears turned. The sound of nice shoes clicking on the shiny floors must have alerted them, but he didn't mind. Under his dark shades, he shot wide, judgemental eyes at each and every one he caught staring at him as he passed.

"Is that…?" a few voices whispered, trying not to be heard, but failing.

"Tony Stark?"

"Why would he be here?"

"I bet someone's getting fired."

They continued on as he went until the room quieted more than usual. Then, he spotted her: red hair up just as it had been the first time they met. She was sitting upright and proper, her feet together under her chair, as she analyzed a pile of documents on her desk. She wore a matching skirt and blazer over a plain, white blouse; she seemed confident. He narrowed his eyes; maybe this was a good move, after all.

He cleared his throat from behind her. "Miss...Potts, was it?"

Virginia tensed before turning slowly to look behind her, recognizing the voice.

Stark saw the nervousness in her eyes as their gazes met and his lip tugged up in a partial smile.

"...y..yes," Virginia managed, trying to mentally tell herself she would be okay.

"Right. Hi," he greeted. Should he say something else? He wasn't used to talking this way to the women in his life.

"Mr Stark," she confirmed, obviously confused as to why he was there.

"Yup. That's me."

Virginia stood to welcome him and took a deep breath. This was it. This was the first time she'd ever actually get fired from a job.

Stark sniffed and cleared his senses, then lifted his shoulders and pointed to her cube.

"You wanna, uh, gather your things?"

Virginia's mouth fell slightly open as she looked from him to her desk, then back again. He really was telling her to leave. Of course, the gossiping whispers around them didn't help her hide the blush that was taking over her face. She didn't like to be the spotlight of attention when she couldn't control the outcome.

"Am I being fired…?" she whispered with very present fear to her tone.

With a small chuckle, Stark shook his head. "Think of it as...a small promotion."

"A promotion?" she coughed out, not sure she had heard him right.

"Yeah. Listen," he began with a roll of his eyes. "Let's just, let's wrap this up here?"

Stark twirled his finger in the air to get her moving. She struggled to gain composure as she shoved a couple photo frames and a plant in a box she had under her desk - they were all she had brought in.

"Good?" Tony asked her, still watching her from behind his charcoal glasses.

Virginia nodded, watching him intently. This was definitely not how she wanted things to go with her internship at Stark Industries, but if he was being serious, maybe she really would fit in. Was her boss actually recommending her a better job?

She inhaled sharply as Tony lead her away from the cube and back toward the elevator. The eyes of her co workers burned into her soul as they passed, but nothing felt warmer than the spot where his hand rested in the small of her back. Though he was her boss, she knew what the girls had to say about him, and hell, he wasn't that much older than her. Who knew what he wanted?

Once they boarded the elevator and the doors closed again, Virginia jumped on her opportunity to apologize in case that helped matters.

"Mr Stark, if this is about the other day-"

"It's not," he lied. It was.

Her hands tightened on the box as she thought of the worse case scenario. Yes, he was easy on the eyes, but his personality was definitely not her taste.

"I already told you, I don't intend to sleep with you, so if-"

Tony smirked. "Trust me, if that's what this was, you'd already be under me," he taunted. "But the offer is still there."

Virginia felt hot as she accepted the response with silence and an awkward quietness settled down around them. There was basically nothing left to say; she had made herself clear.

Once they reached the main level, the fear settled in again as the people in the lobby glanced their way, doing anything to get a glimpse of the Tony Stark. Then, as they approached the glass doors that led outside, she began to get a sense of dizziness like she had never felt.

Outside, they were blinded by camera flashes and a crowd screaming Tony's name. Granted, he held an arm out protectively to hold Virginia behind him, but it was still unwanted attention for her. She kept her head low and tried to follow as closely as possible without spilling her box or tumbling in her heels.

"Mr Stark!"

"Mr Stark, can you comment on recent reports of Stark Industries moving to New York?"

Their calls rang in Virginia's ears; did he just say New York? Was he moving her to a different state?

Eventually, Tony was able to guide them through the pack and was ushered by a security member she hadn't seen before into a fancy looking town car. She boarded first, keeping in mind not to give him a good look at her backside as she crawled across the seat, but she could still hear them harassing her boss outside.

"Mr Stark!"

The red head looked over the open door and saw his driver prying a woman's hand off of Tony's arm.

"Ma'am," the driver spoke. "I'm gonna have to ask you to back up."

"Mr Stark, I promise I'll be worth your time if you just-"

She watched as Tony turned back toward the woman and settled his driver down.

"I like the kink, I do," he grinned behind his glasses. "But I'm not sure miss Potts here is up for an addition."

Did he just hint to the press that…?

"This is a business pitch, Mr Stark," the woman spoke as the cameras from the rest of the press continued to flash. "What if you could duplicate any-"

Tony stopped her, turning back to the car. "Heard it."

"I-I didn't even finish my-"

Tony didn't bother to listen; it was obvious people threw ideas in his face on a daily basis. He finally joined Virginia, shutting the door in the paparazzi's faces.
"Thanks, Happy," Tony breathed as his driver climbed into the front seat. He motioned towards Virginia. "Seat belts?"

"You're not wearing one."

He smirked again. There it was, that pep and kick she gave him before.

"I like you."

Her heart fluttered, thinking of the possibilities she'd have with a good word from Tony Stark, but all she could come up with was, "so I've heard".

After the car had been silently on its way for several minutes, Tony offered her his smile and his attention.

"You know, miss Potts," he sang. "One might think you really have a problem with me."

She blushed again; she was doing a lot of that lately. Was she being too hard on him? No, she was just trying to protect herself and her professionalism.

"Not at all, Mr Stark" she replied evenly.

She looked out the window momentarily, noting they were no longer within the city.

"Mr Stark, I would hope I'm not being kidnapped…"

There it was; his grin again. Could this man be serious about anything?

"You don't trust me at all," Stark observed. "I'm not kidnapping you, miss-"

"Virginia," the girl decided. She hated the formality of last names.

Tony's face scrunched up. "We need to get you a new name."

"What's wrong with my name?"

"It's too...old fashioned," he decided. "How about...Ginger? Or something to go with all that pep and flare."

She patted her red hair down as though trying to hide it; it wasn't that bright, was it?

"Virginia will do, Mr-" she whispered in embarrassment, but he continued anyway.

"Pepper," he finally landed on, his face lighting up once he settled on the name. "Pepper Potts. I like it."

She frowned. There was no way to get out of this one, was there? Once he made a decision, he seemed to stick with it, from what she had witnessed over the past few days.

"Mr Stark, I don't think it's necessary to-"

He removed his glasses and interrupted her again. "Pepper."

She sighed, defeated. "Yes, Mr Stark?"

"I'm in the market for someone to work directly under me."

"Mr Stark," she gasped. "That is highly unprofessional, and-"

Pepper, as she now accepted to go by, was quieted by a genuine laugh erupting from the man next to her.

"It's figurative, sweetheart," he embellished. "I need someone to keep things in line. Let's face it, I'm not that person."

Pepper snorted in agreement, but he went on.

"But you… How did you know about the arc technology, anyway?"

She glanced up at her boss with scared eyes. In all honesty, she had heard it from word of mouth, but once she did the math, it was easy to follow his plans.

"Rumor," she admitted.

Tony inhaled sharply and resituated himself in his seat, looking uncomfortable. If she knew, who else knew? Then, he caught sight of the familiar road leading towards the coast and cleared his throat again as the car pulled up to a very large and a very distinguished home; Stark mansion.

Pepper gazed in awe at the home, her mouth agape. Once she realized she looked like a fangirl, she shut it abruptly and focused back on Stark.

"Follow me," he ordered.

For a moment, Pepper pondered what to do with her box of things; if she held onto it, she would make it harder for him to attempt to seduce her...not that she was planning on that happening. But, at the same time, if she left it, she would have an escape route anyway.

"Just uh…" Tony thought out loud. "Hap, you hanging around for a bit?"

A slight nod of acknowledgment was all the driver gave behind his pitch black shades as he opened the door for Pepper.

"Yeah, just leave it here," Tony confirmed.

After an internal groan, Pepper decided to humor Stark and left the box in the backseat of the town car before following him out and into the sleek mansion.

As they entered, Pepper took in the decorated, wooden floors...and the odd taste in art on display. Then, she nearly jumped out of her skirt when a male voice echoed around the home.

"Welcome home, Mr Stark," it echoed in a British accent.

"Jarvis," the man spoke out, greeting the invisible welcomer. Then, he turned towards Pepper as he lead them into the kitchen so he could grab a glass of scotch. "That's Jarvis, he helps me run the house."

"Run the...house?" Pepper stammered.

Tony made a mental note at how cute she looked when she was confused; this would be tough to keep his hands off of her.

"Yeah. Testing out a new technology. Has his own personality and everything." He rose his glass in the air. "Jarvis, this is Miss Potts."

"Hello, Miss Potts," Jarvis welcomed.

Pepper nodded nervously, not sure if she was going insane of it the day was actually all just some jumbled up mess of a dream. She rang her hands together to keep herself distracted, anxiously waiting what the point of the house call was.

"Easy, Pepper," Tony seemed to purr as he approached the girl. He propped himself up on the counter. "Let's make this simple," he offered. "I need you."

Pepper's heart beat a million miles an hour as she tried to decipher the fine line between being both disgusted and thrilled. She stared at him, unable to speak, and pressed her brow together trying to understand.

Tony clearly saw her struggle and smirked. "I don't know how you know, but you, Miss Potts, are extremely educated in my project."

Pepper swallowed, feeling sick to her stomach.

"I wouldn't say educa-" she whispered, looking down at her feet again out of habit.

"You know what you're doing. I want you to be my personal assistant."

There. It was on the table. Tony watched her intently, not sure whether she was going to laugh at him, run out, or worse...accept. Yes, he needed someone to keep his head on his shoulders, but the thought still terrified him. He was Tony Stark, and hiring a PA would leave him vulnerable to more than just his AI at home.

"And if I say no?" Pepper finally spoke up, lifting her eyes to meet his as her confidence flowed back in.

That was...until he smiled at her again.

"You won't."

"Tony," a voice snapped him back to reality. "Tony!" There it was again.

Blinking, Tony turned to his left, where Rhodes stood in perfect form listening to the presentation that was beginning.

"Are you paying any attention at all?" his friend snapped under his breath.

"Yup," Stark lied. "Iron Man saves the world again, yada yada…"

Rhodey rolled his eyes subtly but didn't respond. Instead, he almost got caught laughing at a familiar face walked up the the podium to begin their recognition.

"Stern?" Rhodes whispered. "How'd you manage that?"

Tony shrugged, unable to tell his friend about Fury just yet. "I have my ways."

"It is my honour to be here today to present these distinguished awards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr Tony Stark, who is, of course, a national treasure," the Senator said with a heavy undertone to his voice; he made it clear he was not here by choice.

Tony flashed a closed smile at Rhodey with another sarcastic shrug, soaking in the moment. Outside of his own amusement, he could now trust Fury. Maybe he was fit to be an Avenger.

Stern took a step around them and faced Rhodes, holding up a shiny, metal pin to his breast. "Thank you Lieutenant Colonel, for such and exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."

"Thank you, sir."

Stark rose on his heels briefly as he watched his friend stare straight ahead and give a traditional military response. Then, it was his turn, and he would savor every ounce of pain in Stern's eyes as he pinned that damn medal on his suit jacket.
"Mr Stark…" The Senator made direct eye contact. "Thank you for such as exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this."

With that, Tony winced slightly as he felt the end of the pin prick at his skin underneath. He had missed on purpose.

"Oh, sorry. Funny how annoying a little prick can be, isn't it?"

The Senator smiled a snake's grin at him in triumph, then moved between the two men on the stairs.

"Let's get a photo," he suggested for the press.

But, he hadn't won. Tony lifted his hand in a fist, striking a pose that the Senator would never live down. He was Iron Man, and he had won.

After posing for photos for the press, Tony had made a beeline for the building again, where he had left the suit waiting. He had detailed it back into its case, like the model they had taken to France at the beginning of the Hammer drama; until he figured out the magnets more precisely, that was the easiest way to compact it for when Jarvis wasn't around with the bots to peel it off of him.

He pulled his phone from his inside pocket in the jacket and twisted it open.

Four missed calls, it read.

Tony groaned at the idea of finding an eccentric voicemail from Pepper, or four, but he knew he had to face it eventually. Thankfully, two calls seemed to be from Rhodey, which is didn't remember ignoring in the suit, but he must have. The other two were from Pepper and an unknown number, respectively. Surprisingly, there were no voicemails.

After hesitating for a moment, he hit the call button on the phone next to Pepper's photo; for whatever dumb reason, he had her stuck in his brain, and the memories of how he treated her mixed with everything that had happened between them the past few days was not allowing his brain to rest.

"Tony?" the soft, familiar voice of Pepper Potts answered after a few rings. "Are you okay? Where are you?"

Yup, she was still upset. Or mad. He couldn't tell which.

"Pep," he greeted. "Hey. Listen, I'm-"

"Why didn't you call me?" she asked with the same sorrow she had when she found out Tony had been dying and he hadn't told her.

"Uh," he muttered. "Been kinda busy."

"Are you in trouble again?"

He smiled at her remark; she always jumped to conclusions. She had a right, though; he was always getting himself into trouble, ever since they met. Then, he realized something.

"Why don't you wear your glasses anymore?" he asked her, a strange calmness coming over his body; he just...want to talk.

"What?" Her confusion bled through the phone. "I dunno. I got contacts. I-"

Then, something snapped and he realized how soft he was getting. He could apologize to her without being completely whipped, right? Tony Stark was still Tony Stark.

"I'm in DC," he interrupted.

She paused. "DC? What, why?"

"They wanted to honor us for saving the world again, I guess." As though he could hear Pepper rolling her eyes at him, he decided to continue on with less of an ego. "I'm okay. I'm with Rhodey."

Another brief quietness, then, "are you coming home?"

Stark glanced around. It was a loaded question. He tried to think hard and quick about his answer, but got caught up in the craziness that was approaching him. Rhodey stumbled in with a couple reporters under his wings, and grinned at him.

Tony motioned toward the phone against his ear. "I'm kinda in the middle of something here," he told his friend.

"What?" he heard Pepper ask from the other end.

"Not you. Pep, hold on," he requested.

He knew she wouldn't be happy, but impressing her was hard to do lately anyway.

"Come on, Tony," Rhodey laughed while hanging over his women. "They let me on leave early for a few days."

Stark frowned. For the first time, he really didn't have an interest in girls or partying, and Rhodes did. He pulled away as the one reached out a hand to touch his arc reactor, still glowing brightly beneath his clothing.

"Is that Rhodey?" Pepper asked, still hanging on the line.

"Yeah," Tony confirmed. "Listen, I gotta go," he told his assistant. "I'll uh…"

"Wait. Tony!" she begged as he pulled the phone away from his ear. "Are you going to be back for-"

"...be back soon," he managed before finally closing the phone to end the call.

Stark pocketed the phone into his breast pocket once more and looked at his friend. He was still grinning from ear to ear; clearly, having one of the Mark suits on hand was getting to his head...even more so than it had with himself.

"Yeah, I gotta get home," he announced, denying the girls what they seemed to be after.

"Come on, Mr Stark," one plead. "We're only going to the casino."

"It'll be fun," the other piped up.

Tony swallowed, struggling internally. How had they been so professional outside but so...unprofessional now? Were they always like that?

Then, he remembered the blonde from Vanity Fair. Yup, they were.

Rhodey gave him a look that practically begged him to go, and as much as he hated to admit it, he had forced his friend into many, many uncomfortable situations before. This would be the least he could do, after all of that. Plus, if he wanted to turn a new leaf with Pepper, maybe it was time to start being the responsible one.

Sighing, he agreed. "Fine, but only to babysit your ass," he told his friend.