Hello again! Ok so there's gonna be a widdle bit of smut in this chapter, but there's a point to it so don't freak out. Enjoy!


Waking up the next morning without Tony was...weird. It was the first time for a long time she'd had to do it, and as much as she knew they needed this – not only the space, but the time to sort things out back home – she missed him. He called her every day, even though it was pushing midnight for Tony when he did, and she found that just his voice alone was enough to get her through the lonely periods. On the third day, she finally managed to get her hands on a laptop so she could at least get some work done, and her first job was sifting through the company shipping manifests to try and find any anomalies that could indicate why Tony's weapons were in Afghanistan in the first place, but nothing popped up. Everything from the shipping and handling point of view looked tip top, but it quite clearly wasn't. She'd emailed her findings to Tony and left it at that.

She stayed in the hospital for two weeks while doctors monitored her progress with walking, stretching and other things that would have affected her spine if the bullet had done any damage, but finally the doctors concluded that she'd been very lucky and the bullet had missed any important parts of her body, and she was free to go home. And home she went, demanding the first plane she could get on back to California. The only clothes she had were military garbs she'd managed to snag from the female officer that had been guarding her room, and even though she didn't feel terribly sexy, she knew she looked a lot better than she had when Tony had left. She'd put on some of the weight she'd lost in the three months of captivity, her bruises were almost gone, the bags under her eyes were no longer an issue and she didn't look quite so emaciated. She couldn't quite decide if she was more excited or nervous to see him and she wondered secretly if he felt the same.

On the day she came home, Tony was waiting with Rhodey at the entrance to the runway, pacing up and down and constantly checking his watch. Rhodey was on the phone, making sure they had a military escort on the way back and watching Tony, finally ending the call and staring at him. "Tony, dude will you sit down? God, you're like a child." He let out an exasperated sigh as Tony, for perhaps the twentieth time in the last hour got up to check if the plane had landed. "There's like five minutes til it lands, calm down."

But Tony couldn't. He hadn't seen Pepper in nearly a fortnight, which even if you discounted the events in Afghanistan was the longest amount of consecutive time she'd been absent. 'She needs a holiday' he thought to himself, jumping to his feet as a small dot appeared at the end of the runway 'we both do.' Rhodey had to catch up because Tony was already heading down to the landing strip, more than eager to see Pepper again.

"So." He said when he caught up to him. "You and Pepper huh?"

Tony shot him a sidelong glance but smiled. "Yup. Always has been, always will be."

Rhodey laughed softly and punched him lightly on the arm, but his next comment went unheard as Tony walked towards the taxiing plane, following the truck wheeling the stairs out. He stood at the bottom of them as the plane door opened and grinned stupidly when Pepper made her way down. He skipped up to meet her, helping her down the rest of the way. She looked a lot healthier, and he hoped he did too. He'd had a haircut and shave at least. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped long enough to mutter a quick 'Hi' before he cupped her cheek and pressed a soft yet promising kiss to her lips. Pepper had been halfway to making her own greeting when his lips found hers and she squeaked softly before chuckling and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him back eagerly. She'd missed him more than she realised, even though they were relatively new to the whole kissing part of their relationship, and she felt a weight fall from her shoulders by just being in his embrace. She pulled back after a few seconds and smiled broadly, stroking his jaw softly.

"I missed you." She sighed, her eyes twinkling. And then she saw Rhodey and blushed profusely. "Um...hi Jim."

Rhodey grinned and saluted her, jumping to one side as Tony reached out to cuff the back of his head. "Clear off, Rhodes. We're good here." He laughed, taking Pepper's hand and linking their fingers.

"Whatever." Rhodey chuckled, starting to walk away. "I'll see you next week guys, have a safe trip back, try not to get kidnapped again, kay?"

"We'll try our best!" Pepper called after him before smiling at Tony and tugging on his hand, walking towards the car and Happy, who was holding a bunch of flowers. She embraced him before getting into the car, thanking him for the flowers and taking a deep breath in.

"Where's my flowers, Hap?" Tony asked, a serious look on his face. "I mean I know I wasn't attention seeking enough to get shot..." at this Pepper swatted his arm and he broke his serious façade, laughing as Happy did. "Get in the car, Potts. Back to my place please Happy."

"Right you are, boss." Happy nodded. "Good to have you both back." He said before getting into the car and driving off once they were both seated.

Pepper snuggled up to Tony as soon as he followed her into the car, wrapping her arm around his middle and burying her face in his shoulder in an awkward hug. "I really did miss you." She mumbled. Tony grinned and laid his arm around her shoulders, nuzzling the top of her head and pressing his lips to her hair.

"I missed you too, sweetheart." He said softly. She raised her hair after a moment and he took the initiative and kissed her again, swearing to himself that it got better every single time. "You look a lot better." He said when they pulled apart, raising his other hand to her cheek. "You've got some colour back in your cheeks and still look just as beautiful, just like I said."

She blushed at this, gazing up at him. She hadn't had a chance to get a proper look at him yet, but now she did she saw just how much healthier he looked. He, too, had filled out again, and he had less hair, his goatee trimmed back to its familiar style with the added strip along his jawline and sideburns, and his hair just covering his ears. She much preferred it to the slicked back look he'd had going before they were abducted. "You look better too." She said, reaching up to ruffle his hair. "Less scruffy."

"Sexy-but-lazy." He corrected, pulling a face as she flattened out his hair again. "What's with the fascination with my hair exactly?"

Pepper shrugged and threaded her fingers through it, giggling as he immediately mellowed out, his face relaxing and a soft grunt of approval coming from his lips. ""Are you complaining?"

"Noooo." He moaned, closing his eyes and smiling lazily. "You keep going. Whatever lights your candle."

She snorted at this and tugged on his hair before removing her hand and settling against his chest again. She could hear his heart beating through his chest and she sighed happily, closing her eyes peacefully, the feel of Tony's fingers tracing patterns on her shoulder.

"I think you should move in with me." Tony said suddenly. Pepper's eyes sprang open and she jerked her head up, staring at him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean...not permanently obviously. I mean not that that wouldn't be fantastic!" he bit his lip and stared at her. "You're supposed to stop me digging myself into these holes."

Pepper, who was still a little taken aback at the thought that Tony Stark had just asked her to move in with him, took a breath and then let it out, shaking her head. "Uh...why?"

"Because otherwise I'll just keep talking until someone-"

"No, no," Pepper said with a laugh. "Why do you want me to move in?"

"Oh." Tony sighed. "Well...safety for one. I have much better security at my place, and you practically lived there anyway. And..." he blushed a little but smiled shyly. "I kind of need to be weaned off you. I got like zero sleep in the last two weeks."

Pepper blushed at this as well. It was true that she'd faired pretty much the same sleeping without him, but basing that as a reason for her to move in with him? It wasn't exactly realistic. But then he was doing that puppy dog thing with his eyes and she had a hard enough time resisting it before hand.

"Fine." She said exasperatedly, smiling as he lit up like a Christmas tree. "But just until you get some high tech robot guards dogs or something at my place."

"Deal." He said happily, leaning in to kiss her softly and grumbling as the car came to a stop. "Damn, and here's me thinking I'd get lucky on the ride home." He whispered cheekily against her lips. Pepper raised an eyebrow but said nothing as they got out of the car and made their way up to Tony's front door. Jarvis greeted them as they walked in and Tony stretched. "Ugh...I guess I better go tidy my bedroom huh?" he said with a grin.

Pepper shrugged and stepped towards him, reaching up to take hold of his tie, staring at the knot for a moment. "Or...we could go mess it up a bit more?"

Tony's eyes widened and he swallowed thickly, Adam's apple bobbing. "Uh...I...huh?" he stammered, feeling his mouth go dry. "I...you know I was only joking in the car, right? I don't expect...that's not why I asked you to-"

He was babbling, and Pepper had discovered a novel way of shutting him up that they both enjoyed, so without a second thought she leant up and covered his mouth with her own, kissing him slow and deep, her hand creeping up his chest and lacing through his hair. She pulled back after a few seconds, smiling. "You may have been joking, but I wasn't." She said, voice hushed. "I...I want you, Tony."

He let out a slow breath, still swallowing as his fingers danced at her hips. "Are you sure?" he asked softly. He was very aware that she was still healing, both physically and mentally, and he didn't want to be a setback. "I don't want to push you."

She shook her head, sighing slightly and wrapping her hand once around his tie, kissing him again, a little harder this time. "I'm the one doing the pushing." She said, stroking his cheek. "I'll be ok, Tony, I promise. I'll tell you if I'm not." He still didn't look convinced so she kissed him a third time and started backing up to where she unconsciously knew his bedroom was down the hall.

He tugged her to him, spinning and pressing her against the wall of his bedroom as they entered, practically buzzing. He was so scared of fucking this up or moving too quickly, but apparently Pepper had decided that ten years of foreplay and three months of a pretty-much-relationship was enough to warrant third base and a home run. She shuddered when he moaned, feeling it right down to her bones. It was incredible how suddenly consumed she was by this- by her utter need for him. She supposed it had something to do with the fact that she had been denying it forever, but regardless, it was more powerful than anything she had ever experienced. Her free hand rested on his chest, just to the right of where she knew the arc reactor was. She eagerly opened her mouth into the kiss with a soft moan of her own, finding that his hands were much bigger than she had previously thought as they were braced on either side of her. Tony felt an odd sense of calmness wash over him when he felt Pepper's hand rest near his heart - covering the thing that she owned, and boy did she. He was determined to take this as slow and as carefully as he could possibly do it, mindful that it was possible it would all become too much, given what she'd been through, but seeing as she had instigated it, she must have felt at least a little better. He kissed her slowly, revelling in the experience. His fingers danced at her sides, slipping underneath the fabric of her t-shirt to tickle the skin beneath which drew out the most delightfully sexy half moan, half laugh from her. If she thought his hands were distracting a moment ago, she nearly lost it when she felt them ghost over the hem of her t-shirt. Those fingers that she knew were artful and capable and wonderfully nimble were tickling at the skin on her abdomen and she couldn't contain her laugh, laced with a soft sigh as her hand drifted up to catch his tie. She pulled him in closer so she could almost feel the whole of him pressed against her, fingers of her bad hand curling in the hair at the nape of his neck. He growled softly when she yanked on his tie, pleasantly surprised and even more turned on. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth for a moment before pulling back and staring at her flushed face, noting how her lips had reddened and her lipstick was smeared, probably right across his mouth. Pepper reached up to brush her thumb over his lip, wiping the lipstick away with a smile as her other hand rubbed slow circles at the back of his neck.

"Take off your shirt." She whispered, undoing his tie slowly. Tony stepped back as she whipped it from his collar and did as he was told, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it from his shoulders, swallowing as he looked down at his scared, deformed chest. Pepper could see the cogs in his mind turning and she reached out for him again, tracing her fingers gently over the metal before bending and softly kissing the plate. Tony let out a shaky breath and brought her head up with his hand to kiss her again, his other moving underneath the material of her t-shirt and tugging it up, until she helped him pull it over her head, then moving onto the khaki's she'd borrowed from the base, quickly unbuttoning them and pushing them slowly down over her hips, leaving her in just her bra and panties. She wanted this. She did, and she wanted him. The thing was...if there was a way to do this without him ever having to see her, she'd choose that. He was seconds away from seeing her scars, and as much as she loved and trusted him, she couldn't help but be afraid it might turn him off. Turn him away. She sighed, keeping her eyes on his as she shrugged it off, standing in just her bra and skirt in front of him. "I, um..." she cleared her throat, blushing hard, looking down at herself. "I have a lot of scars. More on my back."

He had to marvel at this woman sometimes. He had a huge protrusion coming from his chest and she was worried he'd be thrown by a few scars? He smoothed his hands gently down her chest, his fingertips gliding down her torso, brushing over her scars as he gazed at her. "You're beautiful, Pepper." He whispered. "All of you."

She shivered under his gentle touch, goose bumps rising on her skin. He was being so careful with her, so quiet and slow, that she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to it. She locked her gaze with his, hands by her sides, and listened to the tone of his voice. He meant it. He meant every word, and that made her shiver again. She caught his hand as it rested at her hip and she brought it back up her body, pressing it against the hook of her bra, silently giving him permission to see everything there was of her. He wasted no time in un-hooking her bra, gently tugging the straps down her shoulders, his pupils dilating when it fell away to reveal the perfect mounts of flesh beneath. Tony moved his hand back round to her front, softly cupping her right breast and with a soft moan, kissed her again, his chest pressing against hers. The feeling was immense, and he was pretty sure she could tell how he felt, given the impatient Tony Jr pressing against her hip. She smiled when he kissed her and let her own hands wander along his chest to the waistband of his jeans, and then further down, pressing her palm against the heated length at her hip. Tony sucked in a breath and she giggled, deftly unbuttoning his jeans and undoing the zipper before pushing them down along with his boxers.

Feeling like he was reaching the end of his rope, Tony bent his knees slightly and picked Pepper up, holding her against him and moaning softly when she wrapped her legs around him. The muscle he'd gained while crafting that first suit of armour definitely paid off when it came to stunts like this, he thought as he walked towards his bed and climbed onto it on his knees, bending forwards and gently lowering her down, still kissing her deeply and slowly. Once down, his hands flew to her hips and he slowly peeled away her panties, tossing them over his shoulder before settling between her legs, his arousal bumping against her. He pulled back and stared down at her, breathing heavily. She was flushed, but she grinned up at him, stroking his hair.

"I'll go slow." He whispered, taking himself in hand. "If you need me to stop, you tell me right away, and I'll stop, okay?"

She nodded quickly and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, arching into his body with a soft whimper. "I promise. Please, Tony..."

He kissed her again, keeping his lips sealed on hers as he entered her slowly, straining his ears for any sound that might suggest she wanted him to stop. When none came, he pushed forward, groaning softly against her lips and his arousal spiking when she did the same. Lowering himself onto his forearms as he reached the hilt, he gazed over Pepper's face, brushing strands of sweaty hair away with his fingers. He kissed her again and began a slow, deep rhythm. She let out a mewl when he did finally push into her, her head falling back against the pillow as she hooked her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper. She had no way to know how long she had needed this- this connection with him, this confirmation of something that neither of them knew to say with words, but it felt like forever. She opened her eyes to see him gazing down at her, quivered under his gentle fingers and pressed up into him, accepting his kiss with equal passion as she moved with him. Her mouth found his ear and she let out a breath, sucked one in.

"I love you," she told him, their hips meeting at just the right angle to make her sigh again.

Tony growled and bucked into her, kissing along her jaw and neck and moaning when she spoke. "I love you. So much. Fuck, Pepper..." he grunted and sped up a fraction, making their hips meet with every thrust. Dropping his mouth to her neck, he groaned, his hands skating over her body to her breasts again, sucking at the tender skin hard enough to leave a mark. And that's when things started to go wrong. At first, when he sped up, she was sure she wouldn't make it much longer- but then when his mouth met her skin and she felt the scrape of his teeth, however subtle, and the sudden pressure... she knew it was going to leave a mark. And she knew that it was only Tony, and there was no reason to suddenly feel as if she were suffocating, as if her chest were caving in on itself. She gasped, but this time for a different reason, her entire body going still as she found herself unable to breathe. Unconsciously her fingers dug into his shoulder, flashing back to dark and dirt and roughness, to an anonymous face that didn't care what she looked like, to a time when she wasn't in a bed with the man that she loved and loved her back. Tony heard her gasp into his ear, felt her tense and her fingers digging into his shoulder, and thinking she'd climaxed, he let his own release wash over him, sinking in as far as he could with an animalistic growl.

Chest heaving and his head fuzzy, it wasn't until he'd pulled back with a grin that he noticed the look on Pepper's face, and it wasn't the same look of pleasure he'd seen a few minutes ago. He cupped her cheek, worry hitting the pit of his stomach as her eyes widened even further. "Pepper? Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

He had no idea what had happened- it was clear to her that he thought she'd finished, and he wasn't making things easier for her. She shivered under him as he found his own release, unable to move, unable to say a word. When he spoke her eyes widened, and she wanted to answer him- wanted it more than anything- but her mouth was numb. Her whole body was numb. Words died on her lips as she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. All she could do was shake her head slightly. Tony blanched as he finally realised what had happened and quickly pulled out of her, sitting up and gently pulling her into his lap, trying to soothe her as she started fighting him.

"Pep. Pepper, calm down." He whispered softly as she scratched at him, still in shock. "It's Tony. It's ok, it's only me, I'm not going to hurt you baby."

When he took her in his arms all she could remember was being shoved up against the wall, the rough, hot breath of her captor in her ears, leaving her no escape. She struggled instinctively, though some part of her knew she wasn't in that place anymore, her heart was racing and she was shaking still. "Don't," she whimpered, still squirming against him, "P-please." She yelped when he leaned in to whisper to her, but the moment she heard his voice the illusion was shattered. She broke free of it with a gasp, arching into his chest behind her as she fought for air, just now realizing she'd been holding her breath. "Tony," she breathed, shifting in his arms so she could face him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't...it...I'm sorry."

Relief flooded him when he felt her snap out of it, and he shook his head as she apologised. "Don't you dare. It's not your fault. We should have waited, I'm sorry." He stroked her hair and back as she shivered and pulled the duvet up as he leant back against the headboard. "It's ok now, I've got you."

She sniffled, snuggling into the crook of his neck and closing her eyes, curled up in his arms. She felt safe like that, so safe that she could hardly imagine ever having another flashback like that...but apparently her memories were much stronger than the bruises she'd sustained. Those had gone away. The memories hadn't, and she wasn't sure they ever would. But it wasn't his fault and he shouldn't have been apologizing. "Stop it," she muttered into his neck, "You can't apologize either. I wanted...I wanted that. I don't regret it. I love you and I wanted to be with you and...and next time will be better. I promise."

He tutted softly and pressed a soft kiss to her head. "I told you, I'll wait. And despite the panic attack, that was perfect. I love you so much, I just want you to feel safe."

"I do." She said quickly. "With you, I do. It's just my head that needs convincing." She sniffed and looked up at him. "Just stay with me," she murmured, stretching out her legs so she could lay against him. "You're making me better already." She firmly believed that. She knew that she wouldn't have nightmares anymore, now that he was here...and she expected that the next time they made love, she wouldn't have a problem at all. In the meantime, the long flight and emotional exhaustion had finally gotten the best of her.

Tony laid down as she began to drift off and tucked her under his chin, stroking the skin of her back and brushing his lips over her ear until she fell asleep. He had a hard time believing that just being there was going to do anything at all for her, especially seeing as he just couldn't drift off. His brain was working overtime. He had some basic but very brilliant ideas, all concerning the armour, and he needed to get them down. Now. The sooner they were completed, the easier it would be to protect the both of them. Maybe even more people. Making sure she was definitely asleep, Tony eased himself from underneath Pepper, tucked her back in, and once he'd dressed, he headed down to the workshop.


She was dreaming again. She knew she was dreaming, because the rational part of her brain was still awake enough to recognize that this was a memory. That didn't stop her from being terrified. It was back- the breathing against her ear, her skin bruising and tearing and there was no way out- there was never any way out. She couldn't struggle because she knew he'd only hurt her more, and she couldn't call about because there was nobody to hear her. She was able, this time, to keep it at bay until the memory progressed far enough for her to feel the teeth sinking into her shoulder, and then she lost it. She woke up breathless and it took her about half a minute to realize that was because she was screaming, tangled up in unfamiliar bed sheets, with no Tony in sight. She let out a whimper and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks as she gripped the bed sheet like a vice.

Things in the workshop, meanwhile, had progressed rapidly. Tony had managed to re-create the majority of the blueprint of the first suit and was just setting about trimming the fat when Jarvis pinged to alert him to an urgent message.

"What is it, Jarv?" Tony asked, still caught up in the blueprint.

"I thought you should know, sir, that Miss Potts' heart rate has increased dramatically and she appears to be in a state of distress." The AI told him. Tony practically threw himself out of his chair, cursing like a sailor as he thundered upstairs and into his bedroom, throwing the door open and staring at Pepper who was sitting against the headboard, breathing heavily and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Pepper, I am so sorry." Tony said, stepping forward. "Did you have another nightmare?"

Pepper flinched when she heard his voice, looking at him but feling like she was seeing someone else. Like she was seeing the old Tony, the one that left the women he slept with to gather their things and leave after they woke up alone in his bed. "I thought you were going to stay," she said, and she surprised even herself with the bitterness in her voice. "I'm fine," she lied, furiously wiping at her tears, "go back to whatever you were doing."

"No, no no no, Pepper..." He stepped forward and sat on the bed, facing her. "I'm sorry, I just...I had an idea for something and I needed to get it done, but I'll come back to bed, ok?" And he started undressing to prove it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and curled up on her side, facing away from him. She drew her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes, still shaking a little from the nightmare. "No," she muttered, "I don't want to talk about it."

He swallowed as he stripped down to his boxers, completely at a loss as to what to do. He kicked himself for ever going down to the 'shop. Why couldn't it have waited? He crawled into bed and leant on his forearm, looking over her. She was still fucking shaking for God's sake. Touching her shoulder gently, he whispered. "Can I hold you?"

She sighed heavily, wanting more than anything the comfort of his arms. Still...she deserved his respect. And she didn't feel like she had it all yet. "No," she said finally, "not if you're just gonna get up and leave me again." She sniffed again and tugged the duvet a little tighter around her chin.

Tony blinked, not use to the harshness of her words. He removed his hand from her shoulder, no idea what he was supposed to do or say. He knew he had to stay, but...if she didn't want him there, there was very little point. He sighed and laid down fully, facing her back, realising with a start how much it hurt to know she didn't want him. "I love you. I'm sorry." He said softly, tucking his hand under his pillow and watching her back.

Pepper sighed and swiped at her eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears. "Tony...I love you too. But you can't...you have to understand, I'm giving you a lot. I mean, I don't just bare my soul to everyone, you know that, and when I ask you to stay with me, it means that I need you."

He swallowed harshly and shuffled a little closer, tentatively looping his arm around her waist. When she didn't shrug him off, he tugged her back to him and nuzzled the back of her neck. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "You're right. I'm new at this, and I...I'm focussing so hard on not doing anything to mess this up, I don't realise when I am." He sighed a little and blinked when she turned in his arms. "I'm here, Pepper." he said, squeezing his arm gently around as he said it. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

She sniffed again and snuggled closer to him, finally able to relax in his arms. "I love you." She whispered, closing her eyes again and kissing his chest softly. Tony smiled and whispered it back before closing his eyes as well.