Disclaimer is in chapter one.


A/N: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy :)


1. The Rescue

It was a rainy day and Pepper was not exactly happy about it. Normally, she didn't care about the weather, but that day she had had a very important meeting across town from the Tower and the bad weather caused traffic jams on her way back home to a promised, and much needed, foot-rub from Tony.

He was the king of foot-rubs.

Finally, after having been stuck in her limo for close to an hour on an already long day, Pepper snapped and told Happy that she would walk the rest of the way. "Ma'am!" Happy jumped out of the car and gave her his suit jacket. "I wouldn't allow this if we weren't so close to the Tower, Miss Potts. Just please," he smiled his friendly smile that always made Pepper retaliate in kind, "take this so your pretty dress won't get ruined."

"Thank you, Happy." Pepper put on the jacket that was much too big for her and left without any further ado. She was very eager for her feet to land in Tony's lap without her damnable heels anywhere in sight.

So caught up in her fantasy of how long she would force her boyfriend to service her aching limbs was Pepper that she completely overlooked the tiny form dashing in front of her and pushing her backwards just as an angrily-yelling cab driver drove by her. Apparently, the CEO had been about to walk into the oncoming traffic.

Heart pounding with a mix of adrenaline and fear, Pepper looked down at her rescuer. It was a small child, a small, very filthy and obviously starved girl; she amended after a further look.

"You gotta watch where you're going, Miss." The girl admonished, looking up at the much taller woman through greasy hair. The bright blue eyes hit Pepper straight in the chest, ever since Darcy, she'd had a weakness for blue eyes. Shaking off the memory of the little toddler that she'd loved like her own for too short a time, Pepper managed a grateful smile and kneeled in front of her savior.

"I'm sorry, I will be more careful in the future. Do you need help finding your mom and dad?" The girl shook her head, and took a cautious step backwards that told Pepper a lot in its simplicity.

"No, thanks, Lady. Just be more careful, okay?" She turned to leave, and before Pepper even realized her own intentions, she'd taken a gentle hold of the child's much too skinny arm. "Please, let me return the favor somehow. Do you want something to eat, I swear I'll let you go after that?"

The girl swallowed loudly, hesitating and it was obvious that Pepper was finally speaking her language. "I could eat."

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TBC...