Surprise! I'm finally updatinggg! I'm just glad I made it through my first day of high school out alive….XD it was so hard not to get lost, I must have asked twenty teachers for directions. Lol, now I guess I can use that freshman fear in these here stories if they ever come across a freshman. Lawlzz XD

"You've been abnormally happy lately." Rhodey noticed. Well, it wasn't very abnormal for Pepper but in Tony's current state of a coma, it was surprising (and good) to see her happy like her old self again.

"Well what reason have I not to be happy? The dance is next week, I have a friend date, Tony's all…well, being his usual skip-unimportant-classes-and-not-care self, everything's going good. By the way, where is Tony today anyways?" Pepper asked, smiling. Rhodey's face fell. She must have forgotten in her little freak-out yesterday.

"Pepper, Tony's in a coma, he has been for a week now, remember?" Rhodey said. He hated having to ruin her good mood but she needed to understand. Her face fell.

"Oh yeah…" She remembered.

"Well hey; you had a good mood going there for a while. I'm not going to risk saying 'forget it' again, so just…chill out and think of happy thoughts." Rhodey said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Moping isn't going to do anything about it anyways, I suppose." Pepper said.

"See, that's more like it." Rhodey said. And they went to their classes.

Pepper sat at Tony's bedside. It was Thursday, the day before the dance. She still regretted going with Brendon, but Rhodey had so insisted on it and she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it if she told him no. So she did, and she told herself she would have to learn to like him; for now.

"I mean, I really don't want to go with him! But I have no choice now, he probably won't understand if I tell him I just can't go with him tomorrow night." Pepper said, in particular to Tony; even though he couldn't respond. She didn't care; he was the only one she could talk to about it.

Tony could hear every word of what he was being told, and he was listening intently.

"Damned a coma for making me unable to respond to her!" Tony thought to himself. That was the only way to talk nowadays, through his thought. He just wished he could talk to her right now; he would tell her that now he knows that he loves her, and he wishes he could be her date to this dance instead of this Brendon guy, and that he could tell her how he felt, but he just couldn't, because of his damned a coma.

"I just wish you weren't in a coma so I could ask you to go with me!" Pepper complained. It was like she read Tony's mind.

"But, you don't even know I'm here. You don't know what you've been through at all..." Pepper sighed.

"I do know you're here, I sort of know what you've been through, I do know I love you and I do know I wish I weren't in a damned coma!" Tony screamed in his mind.

"I just...this experience has made me realize...well, not really realize, but brings it to be more increasingly obvious that..." Pepper paused for a moment.

"I love you, Tony." Pepper sighed.

"But you didn't hear me. You'll never hear me because I'll never have the guts to just tell you! Your smile sends butterflies fluttering in my stomach, and I get all talkative and babbly, kind of like right now, and when you smile at me I could swear I see a sparkle in your eye, and you're just so hot..." She stopped herself.

"I have to go. See you tomorrow." Pepper patted Tony's arm and walked out.

"Pepper, wait! Come back, I love you too! I like the way you smile at me, and I like the way you talk too much! Pepper!" Tony screamed; only in his mind. No one could hear him because he was in a fucking coma.

"Wow, a week went by like that!" Pepper snapped her fingers.

"Yeah, the dance is tonight." Rhodey said. They were talking on the phone.

"Yeah, I'm getting ready right now. It's going to be sooo fun! Why aren't you going?" Pepper smiled.

"Because I'm busy with other plans tonight. With Tony unable to fulfill his Iron Man duties, I have to be the temp in the situation." Rhodey said.

"Whatever, be a stinker. I'm going to have some fun for a change." Pepper said.

"For a change? You always try to make the fun." Rhodey teased.

"Well it's not like you or Tony ever do." Pepper said.

"Whatever." Rhodey said.

"Well, I have to go. Brendon will be here soon!" Pepper smiled excitedly then hung up. Her mood fell a bit as she picked up her diary full of doodles of hearts around Tony's picture and his name, and combinations of their names and sighed. Tonight she was going to forget about him for a little and have fun for a change. She put her diary back in her bra drawer (A/N: for all the dude readers, excuse me for mentioning that. For the chicas, no one really gives a shit or two. [also excuse my language…I swear a lot.]) so her father wouldn't take it and read it, and furthermore locked the drawer and hid the key under her carpet. He'd never find it there. She grabbed her coat and waited by the door. Minutes later someone knocked on it, and Pepper opened it. It was Brendon.

"Hey, Brendon!"

"Hey, Pepper. Ready to go?" He asked.

"Pepper, is that a boy in the house?" Pepper's dad asked from the kitchen. Pepper sighed.

"Yes, dad, quite frankly it is." Pepper answered.

"Ok. Have fun at your little dance, honey."

"Don't worry dad, I'll make sure of that." Pepper brushed the skirt of her black dress with a pink striped tip at the bottom (the skirt went to her knees) and pink polka dots. The top was plain black, and she had a matching black bow in her curled hair.

"You look pretty tonight." He complimented as they hooked arms and walked out.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." Pepper complimented his grey suit and Pokey the Bear tie.

"Nice Pokey tie, too." She giggled.

"Pokey is cool."

"Pokey is a kid's show." Pepper laughed.

"Hey, what's not to love about kid's shows?" Brendon said.

"Point taken."

They arrived at the dance within minutes. The line for tickets was partially long, but it went in minutes. They were inside dancing in no time.

"Hey, girl, you look depressed. What's up?" Brendon asked.

"Nothing, it's just I'm worried about Tony." Pepper explained.

"Ahh, come on, Pepper. Forget about him. He's not here; he's sleeping for a long, long time. Tonight is about here and now, about us." Brendon put his arm around her shoulder. She shoved it off, angry.

Pepper was sick and tired of people saying that to her. "How can you just ask me to 'forget about him'? Well, Brendon, let me tell you. I can't forget about someone I'm in love with!" Pepper yelled. Brendon was taken aback.

"W-well didn't you come here with me tonight to help yourself forget about him?" Brendon pointed out.

"At first, Brendon, I did. But then if you don't recall I had a freak-out last week and told you we could still go, as friends?" Pepper said. Brendon was about to retort when Pepper stopped him.

"Forget it. Just go get me some punch or something." Pepper said.

Pepper was beside Brendon while he poured her some punch when her phone rang. She pulled it from her secret pocket in her dress.

"Hello?" She heard Rhodey on the other end.

"Pepper, its Rhodey. The hospital called and said Tony woke up!" Rhodey explained.

"I'll go to the hospital to see him! Meet me there!" Pepper hung up.

"Is everything ok?" Brendon asked.

"Yeah, Tony is awake! I have to go see him." Pepper said, walking away.

"Whoa, Pepper, whoa. You can't just leave, we're on a date!" Brendon grabbed her wrist. Pepper turned to face him.

"Brendon, he's my best friend. I have to go see him!" Pepper tried to yank her hand free.

"No, Pepper, you can do that anytime. Right now you should be having fun, on our DATE." Brendon said. Pepper couldn't believe what he was telling her.

"Brendon, if you don't care for Tony or my feelings, then this date is over!" Pepper snatched her hand free.

"Pepper, please!" Brendon begged. Pepper walked out the school's front doors.

"NO, Brendon! You're just a selfish, stuck up, and conceited JERK!" Pepper yelled. She noticed the rain was pouring down hard. She didn't care.

Tears started streaming down her face.

Meanwhile, half an hour earlier...

Tony lay lifeless on his hospital, Pepper's tears still fresh on his hand. Rhodey had left the hospital ten minutes ago because his mom called him home for dinner. Suddenly, oxygen freely exited his mouth and his eyes fluttered open. He dethatched his oxygen mask, able to breathe on his own now, and sat up. He stood from his bed, attached to a slue of different tubes which snapped off of him when he started to walk out of his hospital room, in the standard hospital patient gown. He walked to the waiting area and past the reception desk where the secretary wasn't paying attention to anything around her, and out the doors. It was raining hard outside, but he didn't care.

He walked out of the hospital driveway and out to the sidewalks of NYC.

The nurse came into his room with a tray of food, but dropped it when she noticed he was gone. All his tubes were detached, and he was gone. She ran to the front desk and called the patient's guardians.

Tony picked up his pace and began to run. He ran, barefooted, in a hospital gown, down the streets until he reached the school. He saw the front door open, and noticed a girl and a boy in an argument in the doorway. The girl looked familiar. Then he recognized her as Pepper and another boy, who he assumed to be her date to some kind of school dance.

He ran faster over to her.

Pepper, still staring coldly at Brendon, saw someone running towards her in the distance. She pushed past Brendon and ran towards the person she recognized as Tony. She ran faster and faster, until she was face to face with Tony. She smiled and her tears flowed faster. She threw her arms around him and hugged her tightly.

"Tony, you woke up! You...you ran all the way over here barefooted, like that! Oh my, Tony...!" Before she could continue, Tony thrust his lips onto hers. At first it surprised her, but then she kissed back. They stood in the rain, kissing, soaking, embracing. They parted and Pepper dialed Rhodey's number.

"Rhodey! Come over to the school, now! Tony's here!" Pepper explained, and hung up. She put her phone in her pocket and kissed Tony more. He smiled, and then she smiled.

Tony was back, and that was all that mattered to Pepper now.

"Pepper, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you this whole week, I'm sorry I left you, I'm sorry I wasn't careful, I-" Tony poured the words out one after another.

"Tony, its okay, its okay. All I ever wanted was you anyways." Pepper smiled.

"So, what's with the dress and that guy over there?" Tony asked.

"Well, you missed a school dance, and Brendon over there was my date. But he turned out to be a total jerk, so I left him." Pepper explained.

"I wish I was awake to go with you." Tony said.

"I know. Me too. But, you know...the dance isn't over for another hour and a half, and I happen to need a new date..." Pepper smiled.

"But, I'm wearing no shoes and a hospital gown!" Tony said.

"Then go tidy up! Hurry!" Pepper laughed. Tony grabbed Pepper's arm and ran towards his house.

"Here, dude, here's a tux!" Rhodey ran up to them holding a tuxedo, protected in a plastic cover. Tony took it and changed in the bathroom. He cleaned up good. Tony held out his hand to Pepper, and Pepper took it. Tony led her into the gym and they danced together for the whole rest of the dance.

The last song that came on was a slow song, and Tony offered Pepper a slow dance. Pepper accepted it, and they danced together. Everyone else at the dance was shocked to see the sight; especially Whitney. She smiled at the sight of Tony, but frowned when she saw Pepper. She walked over to them.

"Tony, you're okay! I'm so glad, I thought you'd never-" As Whitney spoke she tried to cut in and slow dance with Tony, but he shoved her away.

"Sorry, Whitney, but I came here with Pepper. Not you." Tony swept Whitney's hand off of his shoulder.

"Ugh! But why would you want to come HERE with HER? She's just...a groupie. You should be here with someone like me." Whitney glared at Pepper. Pepper growled under her breath. "Stuck up snob." Pepper mumbled.

"Sorry, Whitney, but Pepper is no 'groupie'. She's a good person, my best friend and more importantly my new girlfriend. So back off, and go away." Tony grabbed Pepper's hand. Pepper smiled triumphantly at Whitney.

"Ugh!" Whitney grunted and stormed off.

"Forget her. I only ever wanted you." Tony turned back to Pepper. Pepper smiled.

"And all I ever wanted was you, Tony." Pepper said.

"So...may I have this dance?" Tony asked.

"Always and forever." Peppers smiled.

Seems like the end, right? WRONG! There's still a heck of a lot more to put into the next and final chapter, which I'm hoping I can post tonight! Two chapters in one night. I guess it's a little gift for you all! Review!