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You ALL TOTALLY ROCK! So, because you do, here is another chapter. Yes, ANOTHER chapter! And preview if you ask for it in your review. AND after this I will return to the regular once-a-week schedule ^_^

Stay tuned. The drama is just getting started!

Chapter 5

Pepper woke up with a start and sat on her bed. Her heart was beating fast and her hands were shaking, but it was not because she had been having a nightmare. In fact, the dream she had just woken up from was the furthest from a nightmare there was.

"Was that real?" she whispered in the darkness of her room as she brushed her fingertips of her right hand over her lips and her face flushed. Even though it had only been a dream, she was still experiencing a light tingle on her mouth and skin, and she could almost feel his warm lips still on hers: Tony's lips.

The details of the situation she had encountered in her dream were fuzzy; just as the other couple of what she assumed were actual flashbacks of memories forgotten, had been. Nevertheless, she remembered the last part of this particular image rather vividly. How could she not? She had been kissing Tony Stark! Or, at least that was what she could assume had happened based on the way his head had leaned down to hers before she had closed her eyes in her dream and her lips had heated up.

She could not recall hearing any sounds around her even though Tony's lips had been moving when he had held her face in his hands, but she doubted whatever he was saying made any difference with what he had done afterwards: the message had been pretty clear.

We went out, she covered her face with her hands. He lied to me. We did use to go out!

Even though it had been just a dream and not a memory that had come to her while awake, the redhead could not ignore the fact that the action seemed very plausible after everything she had experienced around the inventor. Three days ago, when she had visited his lab inside the mansion for the first time, the possibility that she and Tony had been more than good friends had first come to her, and this dream just sealed the deal. She had to admit that the idea of the two of them together, was not as farfetched as she had first thought it out to be.

It would make sense as to why I was in his life in the first place. We dated. We…

They, what, exactly?

The myriad of possibilities made her head spin.

There goes my sleep, she thought before she slid to the side of the bed and pushed herself up. She hopped her way to the wall where her brand new crutches lay and put them under her arms, determined to go down to the kitchen and have a midnight snack while she pondered on the revelation her dreams had pieced together for her regarding Tony freaking Stark.

The last time she had spoken to him had been when she had woken up from a nightmare to his strong arms and calming words, and here she was, four days later, and she had not heard from him. The event on Sunday had apparently gone for a long time and the inventor had not returned home to the mansion that night, or the next night… or the next.

In fact, she had not actually physically seen him since he had clearly misunderstood her words and had walked out of her room. Since then, she had ordered a new set of crutches and had returned the Pep Ride to his lab. Jarvis had been kind enough to fetch her new crutches for her when the store had called that they had them ready, and she was now getting used to using the low-tech contraptions rather than Captain Jean-Luc Picard's rejected flying car.

She had been practicing using the crutches since she got them on Monday, so the trek down the stairs and to the kitchen was not as treacherous as it should have been. She did not even have to turn on the lights since she had already memorized the path around the places she frequented, and every meal since Tony's MIA status came to be, had been spent in the kitchen with Jarvis.

Even though Maria Stark had been an avid cook – from the stories Jarvis had relayed to her – the kitchen was a place no one was allowed to eat in, especially not by themselves. There was, however, a small, two-person, pull-out table attached to the back wall of the room. Pepper and Jarvis had been sharing eating times there, and this had been the only reason she had not run away from the mansion days ago.

She had sincerely hoped that leaving her hospital cell was the end of her disconnection from the outside world, but she now realized she had simply gone from one prison to another. Even if she and Tony had had a disagreement a few days ago, she was yet to use one of the many computers in the house to access the internet and get it over with. She had tried to do so at different times, but the guilt that pressed down on her chest prevented her from even typing anything on the damned keyboard.

She arrived at the kitchen with no mishap and expertly hobbled her way to the small table in the back. She unfolded it as quietly as possible and then sat in one of the chairs. She perched the crutches against the wall to her left, and then took a moment to rest her arms and legs.

As she recovered from the start of her stealth, kitchen-raiding mission, her mind brought to the forefront the images and sensations of her latest dream. No matter how hard she tried, she could not make herself see where she and Tony had been or who else was around them. All she could see were his piercing, blue eyes and his concern-ridden face staring down at her, and all she could feel were his hands on her cheeks and his lips on hers. The last sensation made her blush again.

His actions and words now made that much more sense. The hesitation with which he had always approached her, as if keeping his distance from her had been for her benefit and his, lest he did not trust himself to give away what he truly thought or felt, was the one trait that she now understood one-hundred percent. From day one he had measured his words and behavior, all possibly in an effort to not overwhelm her with the news that the two of them had been an item of some sort at some point in the past.

"Can I get closer?" he asked and pointed to the general area of her bed.

"Sure," she said. "You're the first one to be concerned about my personal bubble," she added with a smile.

He shortened the distance between them and stared at her up and down. She felt her heart skip a beat at the way he was staring at her, as if she was a porcelain doll that had recently fallen to the floor and he was looking for chips or marks. When he finished his examination he gazed at her again. "I heard you're going to be out of here pretty soon. You, uhm, you gave us quite the scare, Pepper."

She sighed and rested her chin on her folded arms on the table. She wondered how many of his phrases or questions have had unintentional double-meanings she was just now becoming aware of.

Can I get closer? she repeated in her mind before sighing again and whispering to the solitude around her.

"How close do you want to be, Tony?"

"It's alright," he said and hesitated for a moment before extending his right hand to her. "I'm Tony Stark, and we used to be… best friends."

The ginger smiled and accepted the handshake, responding to him while her hand was still in his. "And I'm Patricia Potts. I hope we can be best friends again."

"Best friends," she whispered. Is that all he wants?

I'm a lost cause, she mused. "Maybe I should just run away. No one would miss me, anyway."

"I would miss you."

Her eyes snapped open to darkness, and it took her a second to remember she was covering her eyelids with her hand. She then lifted her arm from her face, pushed up the upper half of her body by resting her weight on her elbows and looked left and right for the owner of the voice.

"Behind you," she heard him say before he walked around to stand by the front of the bench and stared down at her. "Although," he continued, "I don't think I have to worry about you trying to run away. You wouldn't get that far," he pointed to her injured leg.

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him, feeling slightly annoyed with his arrogant-looking face. Who did this guy think he was, making fun of her like that? She did not even remember him and he knew it. Why did he think he could just talk to her like that?

"I got all the way over here, didn't I? And no one has come looking for me yet."

"I did," he gave her a one-sided shrug. "And I'm here to foil any plans of yours to run away."

The small irritation she had felt before only increased with his cocky-grin.

"How did you find me?" she asked and forced herself to sit up sideways on the bench, or as much as she could with her casted leg still extended over the seat.

"I'm your best friend," he shrugged again and then pulled out something small from his pants pocket. "And, you kinda forgot your sketch for world domination under the pillow," he added with an even larger smile and showed her the small napkin where she had doodled her sketch to leave the hospital unnoticed to find the garden she was currently in.

He wanted to be best friends, and she was sure that if she was not currently questioning everything, they would have become just that. The boy was easy to talk to and hang around with, and even with all his money, looks and incredibly smart brain, he was still a normal teen just like her.

Tony smirked. "He doesn't know about that part."

"I didn't make many friends at school," Tony continued. "Most kids didn't talk to me because of who I was. Who I still am. Only you and Rhodey seemed to be the ones to treat me like I was just another normal kid. Just like you."

Up until a few days ago, she had believed him to be a normal kid just like her and Rhodey; richer, but still a normal kid, and now she could not help to not be as sure. She knew she would have no problem treating him as any other person her age, but it was obvious that without her past memories, she would never be able to recover the relationship – friend or otherwise – she had had with him. It was clear that the way in which they had met and their friendship had progressed had been one of the determining factors in how well they interacted with each other; an advantage they currently did not have.

"I thought I had nothing else left, but then you and Rhodey kept telling me it was not the end of the world, and it wasn't. I still had my brains and you two, so we all started our own company."

"Stark Solutions," Pepper said, thinking about her phone.

"Yes. I started getting back on track, inventing lots of stuff and selling them like hot bread, and then my dad came back from the dead and got the company back. It seemed as if everything was getting better and…" he exhaled and stopped pacing. "…and I slipped. I got too comfortable, too content, and I forgot there were still people out there wanting to hurt me. One of them poisoned my dad – almost killed him for real this time – but I was able to save him."

Pepper stared up to look at him and he was staring back at her with that same look she had seen on him whenever they spoke about what had occurred to her. She now understood what that look meant and she felt disgusted with herself for ever doubting Tony's intentions. She now understood why he had scrutinized her body when he had first seen her awake that day she had again opened her eyes.

"This person," he continued, eyes glued to hers. "This enemy of mine…" he swallowed hard, "is the same one who targeted you."

Pepper looked down at her lap, taking in his words as he continued. "Instead of taking vengeance directly onto me, they went after the people I care about. First, my dad. And then, you."

Of course she had been number-two on that hit list! Standard Enemy Revenge steps: 1) Go after the family of the guy you hate; 2) If previous step fails, go after the girl the guy likes!

"I was attacked?"

"Kidnapped. Taken. Right under my nose. And by the time I figured it out, it was almost too late for you."

Pepper lifted her head from the table and rested it on her upturned left hand. She then extended her right hand on the table and sighed again. She had come down here to eat, and all she could do was think about the clues he had been giving her all of this time.

"I, well, ahem…" she cleared her throat, not sure how to bring up the conversation now that the moment had been ruined. "You… you said that your enemies came after the people you… you cared about."

"Right."

"And, they first came after your dad, and then me but… but wouldn't it make more sense if they came after your… girlfriend, first? You know, before your best friend?"

"It would've, if I'd had a girlfriend at the time."

This was where she was stuck: either he had plain lied to her about not having a girlfriend and they had actually still been dating when she had been taken, or if they had dated, they had broken up before she had been kidnapped. It would make sense for their relationship not to last long if her suspicions that she had probably been holding him back were true. She believed that while their friendship seemed to have worked well, a possible relationship would have probably failed miserably. It did sometimes happen to the best of friends: their attempt at moving to the next level only resulted in the downfall of their friendship.

Maybe that's what happened to us. Maybe we broke up and couldn't recover. Maybe he doesn't want me to know that we went out because he wants us to just be friends. Maybe he just misses the good times.

And if the good times resembled any of the ones she had already spent with him – at the hospital, the restaurant and even at home – she could definitely understand why he would hate losing someone who understood him as much as she seemed to do. It was not as if he was trying to woo her again; he was just trying to keep his friend close to him.

Sadly, that made a whole lot of sense.

Besides, Pepper continued her musings, he did say he likes that girl: Maya-something. He's trying to move on. He's trying to ease out of what we wrecked and trying to save the friendship we had.

That, too, made a lot of sense.

"Don't worry about my romantic life, Pepper. I'm a terrible boyfriend. I got dumped, remember?"

"Well, the more reason to help you out. If you suck at relationships, then we have to work on fixing that before you go to college."

The ginger wondered if she had dumped him, too, and she would have thought more about it had the lights of the kitchen not just suddenly been turned on.

Her head snapped to the entrance to see the inventor standing by the threshold. His hand was still on the light switch and his face showed how shocked he was to find her here. She was not sure when he had finally made it back after so many days of not seeing him, but he had been here long enough to be wearing only his pajama pants. His bare feet shifted from side to side as if he was deciding whether to stay or go and he self-consciously ran his left hand through his pillow-messed hair.

Pepper stared him up and down for one more moment until her eyes inadvertently landed on his lips. She licked hers at the memory they brought to her before returning her attention to the table in front of her. She sincerely expected him to turn off the light and leave, but he surprised her by walking inside and heading to the refrigerator.

"Can't sleep?" he asked as he rummaged inside the fridge. He then closed it and walked away from it, milk jug in hand, and did not stop until he reached the cooktop.

"Me neither," he continued when Pepper did not respond.

It was not as if she did not want to talk to him; she was just stunned silent by the realization that this man before her had once been her other half. She considered getting up and leaving, but she stopped herself from doing so when she saw him take out a pot and two cups from the cabinets.

"My mom always said warm milk helps you sleep. Want to give it a shot?"

She was not certain why, but the way in which he had asked the last question was replied to in her mind by the question: "Any chance you'd like to give this jerk a shot?" But she had enough sense not to actually utter the words aloud.

Another random flashback, the redhead thought of the out-of-place phrase before nodding to Tony. The genius smirked and quickly got to his task immediately after her approval sign, and she again busied herself by gluing her eyes to the table. It was so difficult, getting a word out. She was afraid she would say the wrong thing. She was now absolutely certain Tony wanted nothing more than her friendship, but she was not sure how she could go about it without wondering what it was like to kiss him and find the perfect spot in his arms.

She was not given a lot of time to ponder about it and, before she knew it, the blue-eyed boy was sitting across from her. He placed a crumpled paper towel in the middle of the table, and when he unfolded it she saw its contents were none other than cream-filled, chocolate cookies. The smile on her face was enough for him to feel he was taking a step in the correct direction.

"One night, really late at night," he began and grabbed one cookie, "we were stuck studying for a midterm," he twisted the cookie and separated the two halves, leaving an equal amount of cream filling on their insides. "Rhodey had already gone to bed because he's a wuss like that."

The small giggle that escaped her when he mocked their friend, made him smile and the twinkle in her eyes when she accepted the half of the cookie he was offering her made his heart skip a beat.

"Our horrible Drama teacher wanted us to read off scenes from Hamlet to the entire school, on stage, at a theater."

He took a bite out of the cookie and she did the same, and for the first time since he had walked in she was able to stare at him directly in his eyes. He swallowed down the bite he had just taken before he stood up from the chair and walked over to the now hot milk, continuing his story as he poured them a cup each.

"I was having such a hard time memorizing my lines, and you had the misfortune of being paired up with me. I kept changing the scenes because I just couldn't memorize any of them, and you were patient enough with me to memorize scene after scene after scene."

He finally returned to the table and set a cup in front of her and one in front of himself. He dipped the leftover half of the cookie in his milk and then the sugar-filled snack disappeared inside his mouth. Pepper took this time to eat her half too and then washed it down with the milk.

"I'd never had so much trouble memorizing anything in my life. I didn't understand why it was such a pain in the ass for me then. I thought it was because I was having some personal problems that did not involve you or Rhodey, but I now know the real reason why I couldn't make those damned lines stick."

Pepper's lips left the edge of the cup and while still holding it in her hands, she looked up to stare at him. "Why?"

"For the same reason why I'm having a difficult time making your recovery easier for you right now: I'm afraid to let you down."

Her eyes could only hold his guilt-ridden ones for so long until she had to look away. She pretended to cool down her milk by blowing air on it while she gathered her thoughts. She was not sure what the best response to a statement like that was, but she was going to at least try to ease his responsibility.

"Maybe you're trying too hard."

"Or not hard enough," he said with a scoff and she shook her head.

"I know my words last week made it seem as if you're not doing what you should, but I assure you that's not how I really feel. I don't want to be in your debt for the rest of my life, Tony. And I don't want you to feel as if you'll never be able to make it up to me for being kidnapped because of you."

"Easier said than done, Pepper."

"Only if you try to do it alone," she replied and set her cup on the table. Her right hand then hesitantly found his and she held them together in what she hoped would seem as a friendly gesture and nothing else. Tony eyed their hands for a second and then stared up at her face with an unreadable mask on his features.

"I'm sorry if I insulted your support last time we spoke. It was not my intention to undermine what you've done for me."

Tony gulped to find his voice and sighed. "You didn't insult me, Pep. I-I read more into your words than I should've. It had been a long day for me, but I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you."

"Forget it if I do?" she tilted her head and smiled.

"Deal," he agreed with a smile of his own and without realizing it, he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Pepper's eyes widened for an instant, but she quickly brushed aside the emotions the simple gesture stirred within her.

"Is that our version of a pinky-promise?"

"Uhm, what?" the inventor asked, trying his best not to slap himself silly for dropping the ball with his actions again, but he did not let go of her hand.

"Back at the hospital," she found herself saying despite the implications that would arise from her next words. "At some point, I had a flashback, I guess. I saw us sitting somewhere and you were holding my hand. The memory wasn't long but it was long enough for me to see you do the same thing you did just now. I take it that was common between us?"

Tony again stared down at their hands, a small tint of hope beating inside his chest. "Yes. Yes, it was."

"Then I don't see any reason why it can't be again," she said and then covered their interwoven hands with her free one. "I haven't been the best of friends as of late but I want to be. I… I've missed you around here."

He covered her hand on top of his with his own. "I've missed you, too."

"How," she swallowed hard, trying to keep the conflicting emotions inside of her at bay. "How can I make it better?"

"A lot of ways," he answered. He then rearranged their hands so that he held both of hers in both of his, arms bent, fingers laced, and their elbows rested on the table, carefully avoiding the forgotten cookies and cups of milk. "But you can start by telling me why you left the chair in the lab."

Pepper bit her lip and Tony smiled, already having an idea of what she was about to say.

"I was mad at you. I wanted to make you feel bad."

"It worked," he responded and she hung her head in shame. "But I had it coming."

"No," she said in a soft tone. "You… you…"

"Hey," he whispered to her and held tightly onto her fingers when she tried to pull them away from his. "It's alright. We already forgot it, right?"

She looked up from the table and realized that at some point he had leaned over closer to her. She could not help but to mimic his actions and their faces ended up inches away from each other.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I expect a report on its usability, though. You said you would test it for me, right?" he continued in a soft voice, as if trying to narrow down their world to just the two of them.

"Right," she said in the same low voice and nodded. "I can do that."

"You can also help me test the others, too. You always gave me your input before, and I'd really appreciate it if you did so again."

Her once happy face became saddened again. "Tony, you don't have to say that. I know the truth."

"What truth?"

"I've been to your lab a few times. I saw your diagrams. There's no way I would have ever been able to give you any advice that would be of use for you and your inventions. I think I lost twenty IQ points just staring at the schematics."

"As if, Pep," he said, confidently. "You may not remember much of it now, but you were always of great help to me. Rhodey was there, too, but it was you that scrutinized my designs and found flaws in them I hadn't even thought about. You were the one who helped me test my software and did a lot of my research for me. You were the one who kept my feet firmly planted on the ground when my big head got even bigger. You were the one that spent most nights up with me while I worked on a new invention, time and time again."

Pepper eyed him with uncertainty, reading his face for any traces of dishonesty, but she found none. She had no idea how strong their bond had been, and she was now seeing why the inventor was practically desperate to keep their friendship intact at all costs.

"Because Rhodey's a wuss like that," she jested and he chuckled.

"Yes, he is, and you're not. You're my own personal Private Eye. I need you."

She looked down. "I'd like to be all those things again for you, Tony, but there is only so much I can do now until I re-learn all I forgot. Besides, my only job was school back then. I can't overlook the fact that it's not as easy as before. I'm on my own now. I can't dedicate my life to just hanging out with you. It's going to be hard."

"Only if you try to do it alone," he said and her face snapped up to stare at him when she recognized her own phrase being said right back at her. "Stay, Pepper. Come work for me. I told you you'd always have a job at Stark Solutions if you wanted it. You already kinda did help me with it before. We just need to ease you back into the rhythm again."

"But, Tony, you… I couldn't possibly owe you more…"

"You wouldn't owe me. I'd paid you," he winked at her and her heart nearly stopped. How could she hope to work with him every day if one brush of his hand or a smile of his now made her weak in the knees? She was not in love with him or anything, but now that she knew what they had had in the past, she could not help but feeling somewhat vulnerable to his charm.

"But, what about college?"

"You can still go. Stark Solutions offers a very flexible work schedule," he pointed out. "You aren't going to find another employer that lets you do homework on the job or leave in the middle of the day for class. Plus, we have awesome benefits, company stock buying options and other great perks."

Pepper laughed and stared down at their hands; she was surprised to find they were still to let go of each other.

"You make it sound so tempting, Mr. Stark. What's the application process?"

"Oh, it's nothing too long or complicated," he responded with a wide smile, willing to play the game with her. "I currently have an opening for a personal assistant and research partner."

"You don't say," she smirked. "What are the qualifications for the position?"

"Very specific ones: honest, reliable, a fast learner, and able to handle the pressure of working with one of the brightest minds on the planet."

"That sounds reasonable enough. Anything else?"

"Yes. Around 5'5", 17 years of age, female with hazel eyes and red hair, and looks good in a leg cast."

Pepper could not help the loud laugh that invaded her at his last qualification and she leaned her head forward and to her right side, completely overlooking the fact that they were already very close to each other. The movement caused the side of her face to lightly brush against his cheek and the slight touch made him lose his mind. He immediately closed his eyes and leaned his head forward as well. He then rested his forehead on her shoulder, and it was that gesture that made the laughter stop.

"Say 'yes,' Pepper," he whispered to her, all hints of lightheartedness stripped from his voice. She could feel his breath on her neck, and she hoped he was not close enough for him to feel her heart rate skyrocket. "It'll be like old times, but better."

She opened her eyes she had closed at some point and took in a deep breath she exhaled slowly through her nose. "Wouldn't…" she swallowed hard. "Wouldn't HR complain that your second list of qualifications is in violation of their policies?"

"Fuck HR. I'm The Man, remember?"

"Yes," she said and pulled back slightly. He lifted his forehead from her shoulder and pulled back as well; leaving their tilted heads so close to the other she could feel him breathe. "Yes, you are."

Neither of them dared to stare at anything other than down, which eventually led them to close their eyes completely. Her lips tingled and demanded she closed the distance between them, and unbeknownst to her, his lips also demanded the same of him.

"Are… are we going to live at the tower?"

"No," he breathed. "We'll get an apartment."

"We?"

"Yes. We. You and me. We'll move out of here and find our own place. We'll drive to work every day."

"Are you suggesting we live together?"

"Why not? We already kinda do, right?"

"I guess," she said, suddenly sobering up at the seriousness of the conversation. She finally pulled away enough to put some reasonable distance between them, but she refused to let go of his hands. "But this is just convenient, Tony. Getting an apartment together. That's a different story."

"It doesn't need to be. We are friends and we can be roommates. Besides, it'll be hard for you to rent an apartment at seventeen. Let's sign a year lease, and if you think I'm the worst roommate ever after twelve months, we can go our separate ways next year."

"That sounds fair," she said before nodding. She eyed Tony one more time, seeing only determination on his face, and despite her piling fears of before, she ended up nodding once more.

"OK. Alright. Let's do this."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said, more confidently this time. "But I want my own bathroom."

"Done."

"And a walk-in closet."

"Whatever you want," he assured her.

"And an elevator in the building."

"If they don't have one I'll have one built," he responded, and she smiled and squeezed his hands.

"And I want to pay for half of everything."

"Errrrr…. uhm…"

"Tony," she said in a warning tone.

"How about I'll cover us until you start school?"

"No."

"Come on, Pepper. You need some time to save up and you shouldn't be dipping into your college fund."

"But that's what it's for!"

"Yeah, assuming you live in a dorm. Not in an apartment in Manhattan!"

"I, well," she groaned. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I am. I'm Tony Stark," he gave her a smug smile she immediately countered with a single eyebrow lift. "I'm always right."

"Except when you're wrong."

"Misinformed, Private Eye. Misinformed."

"So, blamed it on me?"

"Yup."

"I hate you, Stark," she deadpanned but then a smile crept up to her face. "I hate you so much."

"I hate you, Potts," he replied also with a smile. "I hate you so much, too."

After a final squeeze, she finally let go of his hands and then eyed the cookies and milk.

"Want to share these?"

"Wouldn't share them with anyone else," he responded and she shook her head before grabbing two cookies and handing one to him.

xxxXXXxxx

Stark Solutions had its own section to do business, practically independent from the rest of Stark Tower. There was a separate entrance and parking lot just for Tony and whatever employees he ever decided to hire, but he hardly ever used the hidden perks of his company. He always preferred to use the main door to Stark International whenever he could, as using his own private entrance always reminded him of the time he was not allowed on the premises of what used to be his home and had resorted to sneaking inside.

Another condition for his company to become an associate of Stark International was to be able to do whatever he wanted with his company and designs as long as it was not deemed illegal. Tony had learned from watching what Obadiah Stane and the board had done to his father's company while he was away that having absolute control over your ideas and their use was crucial for making sure his word was always law and his tech never misused. He swore to himself that he would always do anything in his power to make it so that anything and everything related to Stark Solutions required his seal of approval, and that was the only way he would ever do business with anyone else.

The current, rather heated board meeting Tony was in was further proof of why he had made sure he could bail out of the contract with SI whenever he may well please. Furthermore, the topic at hand was another reason why he had programmed his phone to send him a summary of the stock and financial status of the company before these meetings took place. The members of the board all spoke the same language: profits, and Tony would milk their insatiable need for money as long as he possibly could.

"Mr. Stark," Mitch Richards, one of the recently added board members, continued his rant. The man was about ten years older than Tony, so the use of the word mister in front of Tony's name was just a forced formality while the man was informally accepted into the group. Tony had not liked the man at all when he had been interviewed for the empty board position, but since the inventor was aware that Howard would kick the newbie out the moment he pissed off his father, Tony had not worried much about the fact that Mitch was not a fit for this board. His qualifications and experience on paper showed that he had paid his dues to be here, but Tony knew how his father worked and what he expected from his company, and Mitch Richards was not going to be around for long. However, Howard had always been a man who believed in giving everyone a chance to prove themselves, so he had agreed for Richards to join the board on a probationary basis.

"I understand that you may feel responsible for the fate of Miss Patricia Potts," Mitch began. "But your involvement or causation in said matter should not be your sole reasoning for bringing her aboard Stark International. It's just not a sound business decision."

Tony gave Mitch a condescending smile and he then rested his hands behind his neck as if he was just enjoying a day at the beach rather than taking on half of the board members of Stark International that were opposed to Pepper becoming Tony's first employee.

"First of all, Mitch, if you're going to argue against something you don't agree with, make sure that you have your facts straight. Pepper would not be an employee of SI, but of Stark Solutions, and secondly, I'm just notifying the board of my decision as a common business courtesy. Nobody here has any say on what I do with my company."

"Granted," Mitch responded. "However, I believe as more experienced business professionals, it is our duty to impart wisdom to the young about how a corporation is successfully run."

"True, and in any other situation I would welcome your advice, but all the reasons I've heard today about why bringing in Pepper to work with me is a bad idea have been nothing but whines."

"Should I remind you, Mr. Stark," Robert Hutchinson interjected, "that some of us have been here longer than you've been alive? I think you should show some respect to those who have been down the road and back."

"And should I remind you that half of your expected profits from the next quarter will come from Stark Solutions' inventions?"

The board member visibly flinched at that.

"What's your point?"

"My point is that everyone here who's against Pepper joining me has said it's because it's a bad business decision. Do you think that a person who had made his own fortune at seventeen and is now providing you with half of your money every quarter, is making bad business decisions?"

"That is true," Mitch then started when Robert had nothing else to say. "But those business decisions were made while Miss Potts was not in the picture."

Tony laughed aloud and pointed an accusing finger toward the man. He knew he probably looked more than just a little bit juvenile doing so, but he was tired of the lame excuses he had been hearing for hours.

"Seriously, Mitch, who's your source of information? Maybe I should lend you Pepper for a few days so she can find you reliable sources and factual information."

"Actually, Mitch," Diane Tincher chirped in, "Pepper and Tony went to high school together and she was one of the unofficial founders of Stark Solutions, the other being James Rhodes."

"Thanks, D," Tony said with a smile before putting a frown on his face and returning his attention to Mitch.

"Pepper's and Rhodey's input has been present in all of my designs from Stark Solutions. She's been doing recon and research for me forever, and not only for my company but for Iron Man business as well. So, the fact that she has no college degree and is only seventeen is irrelevant to the argument. Pepper is starting her position in two weeks when her cast comes off and that's what it is."

"This is outrageous!" Clark Morrison, another elder board member – perhaps too old to still be around – spat. "You expect us to rely on someone who was abducted and has no recollection of who she is to help you achieve the same success you've had in the past? She belongs in a mental hospital and NOT in our source of income!"

Even Howard Stark narrowed his eyes at that comment but he refused to meddle in the argument. The last thing he wanted to do was show that his son could not handle himself and still needed his father to advocate for him and defend him. Howard knew his son was no longer a child and that while there was some truth that his feelings for Pepper were part of the reason why he was bringing her over to work for him, he was also aware that the redhead was smart in her own way and was perfect for keeping the inventor on track and in check.

"What'd you just say?" Tony's tone showed that it was evident he had heard every word Clark had just said but he was simply daring the man to say them again. Tony had to let the board know of Pepper's condition to prevent any of them from hindering her recovery by making inappropriate or untimely comments to the ginger, particularly of memories she was not aware of yet. The unfortunate health situation would not be sent out on a memo to all employees or anything of that sort, but those who would more likely work closely with the redhead had already been notified of the situation.

"She's unstable! She doesn't know what happened to her and she's a seventeen year-old emancipated brat looking to milk your feelings for her to survive. She belongs in a mental hospital, strapped onto a table, high on sedatives and being fed intravenously."

"And you belong in a nursing home, being wiped after every time you soil your pants, and strapped to a coffin you can drop dead in anytime now, but you don't hear me complaining, do you?" Tony spat and stood up from the chair. "Pepper Potts will be coming in with me tomorrow to give her a tour of the facilities and to get her acquainted with her new duties. If I hear from anyone that she was mistreated in any way, you can kiss your profits goodbye. I didn't need Stark International before and I certainly do not need it now. I expect everyone to treat her with the same respect I'm treated here – if not more. If you're OK with this, thank you for your support and understanding. If you're not: you can kiss my iron butt."

Devoid of giving time to anyone to respond, Tony turned around in place and left the room without so much as giving anyone a second glance. The slam of the door as he exited was the only sound in the room for a few seconds until Howard Stark motioned for calling the meeting adjourned.

No one complained about that.

xxxXXXxxx

"Did you already have dinner?" Tony asked in a low voice, only audible to the person on the line with him. His Stark Pod was a few inches away from his laptop and the wireless earpiece was firmly planted in his left ear. He was reviewing a few documents he had to send to Human Resources to make Pepper's position and hiring official and he did not want to leave the office until everything was in place.

"Of course not. I'm waiting for you," the ginger responded and Tony smirked.

"It's almost nine, Pep," he responded and continued typing his final e-mail to the hiring manager of HR. "I still have a few things to do here and then a two-hour drive home. Just eat, alright? I'll be home as soon as I can."

"I can wait," she argued. "But, you should really make your bike fly."

"Hn," Tony said and stopped typing for a moment to consider her suggestion. While he had been out of the mansion after the children's hospital inauguration event, Tony had locked himself up in the Makluan Temple and had designed what he now called the Stark Bike. It was merely a prototype as Pepper had just today began researching patent issues for the schematics, but Tony could already see the potential in the vehicle.

From the outside, his black and red bike looked like an ordinary motorcycle, but the workings of the inside made it revolutionary. The two-wheeled means of transportation did not run on gasoline or a battery: it ran on an ARC reactor. The ARC technology used in the design was similar to what Dr. Yinsen had used for Tony's implant, with the only difference being that the young billionaire had increased its energy output and longevity.

The basic idea was for the bike's reactor core to power the vehicle for at least two years, at which point the owner would have to bring the bike over to Stark Solutions or an approved facility to exchange the old core for a new one. Tony was aware of the design flaw of having to physically bring the bike for repair, but Pepper had insisted that it was crucial for helping keeping the bike's components from being misused.

"Besides, people take cars to mechanics all the time, don't they? Why not their high-tech bike? Except, we're the mechanics this time around."

He had not been able to argue with her reasoning and this was why he knew the board members would soon see the good Pepper would do for Stark Solutions and him.

"Tony? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, sorry," he pressed the send button of the email and closed his laptop.

"Getting ideas already?" she chuckled.

"Yup."

He stood up from the chair, stretched his arms above his head and eyed his establishment. He had a few chairs and desks here and there, but there was no order or reason to any of it. The place looked more like a kid's basement lab than an office, and even though he did have a private office inside the premises, it was currently stocked with boxes of stuff he was yet to unpack. He knew all of that would change once Pepper joined him and started messing around with the office as she did with the Temple, and that was just fine with him.

"You know you just gave me another reason to stay here and work on the schematics for making the bike fly, right?"

"Ugh, Tony!" she whined and he chuckled. "Just come home, alright? It's late and Jarvis is giving me angry looks, wanting me to eat and go to bed already. We're gonna go there tomorrow anyway, right? You can work on your genius ideas tomorrow while I get settled. I promise I won't bother you much."

"I guess I could install a quick prototype of the flight stabilizer and be home in half an hour instead of two."

"What? No! Are you crazy?"

"What?"

"You can't just strap on an XS-117 in the RT-149 and hope it brings you home safely!"

"Someone's been studying my designs," Tony said with a prideful smile. "Soon you're gonna know my tech better than I do."

xxxXXXxxx

"Oh, shush," she scoffed but smiled widely at his compliment. She was not going to tell him, however, that she had written the names of the designs on a piece of paper she would carry with her until she memorized them. She had been thinking about the implications of her working with him all day today, and she had come to the realization that she had a lot of work to do if she was going to deliver the support Tony needed from her.

"Really, Pep. You did so before, you'll do it again. In fact – ugh!"

"Tony? Tony, are you alright?" the ginger asked when she heard his loud yelp on the other end of the line followed by the signs that he had dropped his earpiece. The sounds should have been faint, but with the silence in the mansion and the loud voices she was hearing, the conversation taking place in the office was as clear as day to her.

"Whoa, Maya, you scared me!"

"Aw, come on, Tony! How could I scare you?"

Pepper narrowed her eyes. She had never heard the voice of the girl before, but the name was enough to make her feel slightly uncomfortable. Not jealous, she told herself. Just uncomfortable.

"How did you get in here?"

"Door was unlocked."

"Oh. Security flaw, I guess."

"Yup. Security flaw that worked in my favor, though."

A security flaw we will fix immediately, tomorrow, Pepper thought.

"Uhm, yeah, I guess," Pepper heard Tony say and then heard the scuffling of feet on the floor as if he was pacing back and forth. The ginger could not blame him for being nervous; he had told her he liked the girl before him.

"It's so hard to find you here these days. What's keeping you so busy?"

"Just stuff," his voice was getting closer. "Hey, I'm on my way out. How about we talk later?"

The last question he had asked was now extremely clear to Pepper, letting her know that Tony had finally picked up the earpiece from the floor and had placed it back in his ear.

"I'll hold you to it. You can't just kiss me and then not call me, Tony Stark. I'm not that type of girl."

xxxXXXxxx

Tony's eyed widened at the girl's comment. "I didn't kiss you, Maya. You kissed me."

"Potayto potahtoe," she rolled her eyes. "Point is that you know I like you, a lot. And I know you have to like me, too. Why else would you act all goofy around me? So, why don't we just cut the crap and you ask me to go out?"

"I… I don't like you that way."

Maya scoffed. "Really?"

"Really."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I am. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression," Tony shrugged.

Maya stared at him up and down and crossed her arms over her chest. "I find that hard to believe."

"Why?" the inventor asked, and the only response he got was of Maya pressing her lips against his, an action which he did not stop. When the girl pulled back, she gave him a satisfied smile, turned on her heels and walked away, leaving Tony to ponder when Pepper had ended the phone call.