AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well folks, you got your big reveal! Originally, I had written the story to have Tony find out when the baby is born near the end, but I realized that WOULD be dragging it out, and a guy as smart as Tony isn't going to be clueless for that amount of time. So I redid it for that reason, and for everyone claiming their hearts couldn't take the suspense anymore. ;-) I've been asked why I chose to make the baby a boy. It's really pretty simple, when in doubt, use the cannon. The votes for boy vs girl were about even, so I went to the comics, and it is hinted in a flashforward in the comics that Tony and Pepper will eventually marry and have a son, who then has a daughter of his own. So that's how I chose. Now might be a good time to go read my prequel story, "And the Party Continues," if you have not already, although it is not required. I took the essential parts of that story for this chapter, as Tony finally regains his memories bit by bit. That being said, he regains ALL of his memories, which include the conception of "Baby Oops," and that means there's some smut in this chapter, despite my friend (who is posting this) joking that I'm not capable of writing a story without smut. I am, but this is a story about pregnancy and well, there's sex involved. That being said, if you are under 18, skip on outta here, you won't miss much in this chapter otherwise except some major angst. You have been forewarned! Keep reading and reviewing guys, you are all making this worthwhile. I can't thank everyone enough!
My Best Friend's Baby Chapter 9
Tony sped down the highway for home, not caring in the least if he crashed or got a ticket. His head was pounding and his heart thundered in his chest. It just couldn't be true. He wouldn't believe it until he saw with his own eyes. JARVIS' data logs would tell the final tale. But if it *was* true, he couldn't figure out why JARVIS hadn't told him. Surely the AI must have done his own calculations after witnessing the conception. JARVIS must know Pepper's baby was his. Why had he not said anything?
He honestly could not remember ever being this angry at Pepper. He was *furious,* in fact. Ever since he was very young, the only thing that life had taught him was that you could not rely on, or trust, anybody. He had been only an afterthought in his own parents' lives, so it had seemed to him, and then suddenly they were gone, leaving him alone. The man he thought of as a godfather had utterly betrayed him in the worst possible way, setting him up to be killed to seize the company from him. All day, every day, he was surrounded by people in business who did nothing but lie to him. The women he hooked up with did not care about him, they only wanted something from him, usually sex, money and prestige. There was almost nobody in the world that he confided in beyond Pepper, Rhodey and occasionally Happy. But the one thing he had always counted on was Pepper's inability to lie effectively. In fact, it has been one of the reasons he had hired her as his assistant. She was sweet, kind and caring, but above all, truthful. How in the world had she done this and why?
Of course, the part of him that was still rational recognized that the reason he was so angry with her was because he loved her so much. He wouldn't be this angry if he didn't care. But it was at times like these that he was the most afraid of himself. He knew he had a tendency to react to situations rather than think them out. Thinking, and occasionally over thinking things, was Pepper's job. The part of him that was still immune from his anger was afraid that he would do something stupid and irreversible to retaliate. As horrible and betrayed as he was feeling, his first impulse was to lash back out and make her feel just as bad in some way.
Tony was basically operating on autopilot as he flew down the coastal highway to his house. His car came to a screeching halt in the garage and he all but stumbled out of the driver seat.
"Welcome home, sir," came JARVIS' voice. Tony had been thinking all the way home about JARVIS and why the AI had not said anything. He knew he had to word his questions carefully to get the response that he needed, because the only thing he could assume was that somehow JARVIS had been instructed not to volunteer the information.
Tony collapsed into his desk chair and swiveled around to face the primary video screen.
"Are you alright, sir?" asked JARVIS. "Your heart rate is elevated, and you seem quite flustered. Did something go wrong with Ms. Potts' sonogram?"
"JARVIS," Tony began slowly, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I need a yes or no answer from you. I also want to remind you that, according to your core programming, you cannot lie to me."
"Of course, sir," said JARVIS. "I have never lied to you before."
"Have you ever withheld information?" asked Tony.
"Is that the yes or no question you wish me to answer?" replied JARVIS.
"No, it isn't, but answer this one first," said Tony.
"I am processing terabytes of data at any given time," said JARVIS. "Merely monitoring the Internet would take several human lifetimes. Naturally, I cannot bring to your attention every bit of information that I process according to your specifications. The time it takes to put it all in human English-language alone is painfully slow by comparison. So yes, I have prioritized what information I present to you according to the parameters you have set, which would indicate your interest."
"Have you ever been instructed to specifically not tell me something?" asked Tony.
JARVIS was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Yes sir, I have been. Mr. Hogan would rather you not know that it is he who asks me to record Downton Abbey, and not Ms. Potts."
"JARVIS," asked Tony, "My question is this: have I ever, at any time that you have witnessed in this house, had sex with Pepper? Specifically, any time in the last 6 to 7 months?"
Again, Jarvis was silent for a few seconds before replying, "Overriding protocol: Potts 9271972. Yes sir, you have. Specifically, the evening of your birthday party."
Tony felt as if someone had removed every bone from his body, and he slumped over in his chair, barely able to breathe.
"I...have?" he asked weakly.
"Yes, sir," replied JARVIS.
"We...she...we did...what was that protocol you mentioned?" he asked.
"It was initiated by Ms. Potts the following morning. She made use of her adjunct administrative status to my security clearance subroutine, which I believe you gave her yourself sir, the only person you ever have given that level of security clearance to, with yourself only being higher than hers, at which point she instructed me to not mention, voluntarily, to you the events in question between the hours of 12:37am the night of your party to 7:46am the following day. She wanted to instruct me to delete all video footage, but that can only be done by you, she did not have security clearance for that," replied JARVIS. "And so, she instructed me to not mention the events to you of my own accord. She understood that if you directly asked me, I would not be allowed to refrain from answering truthfully. At that point, her protocol would be rendered inactive, as it just now was."
"She put a protocol in place to keep me from finding out?" fumed Tony. "What the hell...wait. Did you say 'video footage'?"
"I did," JARVIS replied.
"There's...video?" asked Tony.
"There is," JARVIS replied, sounding a little annoyed.
"Show me," said Tony. "Start from the times you mentioned and keep going until I say stop."
"As you wish, sir," said JARVIS. "Direct your attention to the main viewscreen"
Tony got up and went to sit on the sofa, watching as the security footage from his birthday party came up. He leaned back and watched as the events unfolded before him, events he was only just starting to remember through a foggy haze.
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Pepper was at the door saying goodbye to guests as they left, the DJ having packed up his gear early since Tony was almost passed out on the couch from too many Jaeger bombs. It was early for one of Tony's parties to end, but it was nearly 1am and he had not been his usual flamboyant self. He also appeared to have not made the effort to score overnight entertainment from any of the women who had been hanging on him most of the night. Pepper conferred with Happy and his security team, who confirmed that the house was clear and the last guest had departed. JARVIS also confirmed that the people in the living room were the last ones in the house besides Tony. The house looked like the normal wreck it usually did after one of his parties, with bits of food and drink cups left everywhere, and the table with his gifts in the kitchen more or less ignored.
Tony had wanted to cancel the party. He had not wanted all the hubris and decadence any longer. He had gotten drunk so that he might at least appear to be enjoying himself, but the truth was, he wanted these people gone. He wanted to relax and just chill on his birthday. But Pepper always used these parties to forge business deals in his stead, and it had apparently been a fruitful night for her. But as Happy and his men departed out the front door and she approached him on the sofa, half asleep, she looked a little contrite at having insisted they go through with the party, when he really had not wanted to. She told him so as she tried to rouse him, and he asked her if she was staying overnight, to which she agreed, given the lateness of the hour. She would have to return in only a few hours anyway to supervise the cleanup crew.
She asked him if he had had a good birthday, and he told her not really. He hadn't gotten what he really wanted. When she asked what that was, he looked up at her, almost sober, and told her what he wanted was a kiss from her. Naturally she eyeballed him warily, sensing a trick, and told him no. He replied that he was not asking her for sex as he normally did, just a kiss, and where was the harm in that? She had needed some convincing, and almost refused outright, but perhaps it was because she had had one too many martinis herself, for some reason, she complied.
She sat on the coffee table directly across from him, and hesitated, unsure what to do. Finally, she leaned in and gently kissed him. Despite his request that it not be a quick peck, she was obviously not intending this to be a drawn out kiss. After lightly brushing her lips against his, she started to pull back, but Tony grabbed her by her shoulders gently, but firmly, and pulled her into him, off the table, and onto the sofa with him, straddling him. She struggled at first to break away, but not for too long. It didn't take long for her to stop fighting him and settle into him, extending the kiss into something even deeper.
After several minutes, he twisted gently and pulled her over and onto her back on the sofa, where he settled on top of her and he continued to kiss her for several minutes.
She let her head fall back and they locked eyes. His were cloudy, but resolved. Hers were dazed, but hesitant.
"You're a bastard, you know that?" she asked in a half joking, half serious
tone.
He smiled. "Yes I know. But with you I'm not trying to be."
He leaned down and kissed her again. His pants were now beyond uncomfortable and she was quickly losing her own battle. He broke away.
"Thanks for the kiss, Pep," he said with a grin. "Of course, we could continue. But I know you'll say no."
"Don't be so sure," she said. "I'm just worried about tomorrow. What happens tomorrow? Should I just carve the notch in your bedpost myself?"
He winced. "No, Pep. Not ever. You're not a notch. You could never be."
She said," I wish I could believe that."
"Give me a chance," he pleaded. "Just let me try to be a decent guy for a change."
Pepper turned her head away for a moment. Then she looked up at him and said, "I can give you a chance, but you only get one. Are you sure you're ready to take it?"
Tony nodded. He was as sure as 3 Jaeger bombs could let him be at 1am, but it's not like these were new thoughts to either of them. After looking into each other's eyes for a minute or two, Pepper breathed out and nodded. He dipped down to kiss her again, pulling her leg up around his hip.
"So is that a yes, Ms. Potts?" he asked playfully.
"Yes," she said, and kissed him back.
This continued for a few more minutes, until he had gotten up, pulling her up with him. Hand in hand, they had walked towards the elevator, not looking back at the messy remnants of the party.
Once in the elevator, he had pulled her back to him and pressed her against the wall, kissing her soundly. She was starting to lose her breath, fighting for air as she returned his fiery kisses, needing him as much as he obviously needed her. At the second floor, they half tumbled out of the elevator, both unsteady on their feet, but Tony even more so, as he steered her towards his room, pulling the dress jacket she wore over her dress off as they stumbled through his doorway, never breaking the kiss. Only once inside his bedroom did they slow down long enough to pull each other's clothes off without ripping anything or getting stuck. Something in his dazed mind made him slow down and try to enjoy the moment. He had spent ten years fantasizing about her, dreaming about her, longing for her, to rush things now. He wanted to savor this, it had been a long time coming.
He pulled her close and left her lips, kissing along her jaw and neck, feeling her shiver against him. She returned the favor, kissing his neck and throat, and running her fingers through his hair, pulling him down to her. Her hands went to his shirt and carefully started to fumble his buttons open, as he reached behind her and pulled her dress zipper down. She had gotten his shirt open and ran the palms of her hands down his front, and back up again, feeling his well-defined abs and ghosting around his arc reactor, which didn't seem to bother her at all and bathed her face in an ethereal light. She pushed his shirt down, letting it fall to the floor as he ran his hands up her arms, grabbed the straps of her dress, and slid them down over her arms, letting her dress slowly fall. She stood in front of him in her underwear, slightly self conscious.
To distract her, he caught her up in another heated kiss and wrapped his arms around her, running his fingertips down her spine and rubbing her back. His fingertips slid under the fabric of her underwear at the lower back, cupping her gently, before moving back up to unhook her bra. His hands quickly moved those straps down and discarded the article off to the side. He pulled her to him, feeling her bare skin against his own, biting back a groan. He backed her up gently to his bed and pushed her slowly back onto the mattress, settling on top of her. Her hands went to his belt and started to undo it, then his pants. Her fingers slid his zipper down slowly, and she smiled slightly into the kiss as he couldn't suppress a groan. To try and distract himself, he dropped his head down to her chest and gently lapped at her nipple, flicking it with the tip of his tongue before covering it entirely and sucking gently. Now she was the one who could no longer suppress a whimper, gulping for air as his hands slid down her sides and the tops of her thighs.
He hooked his thumbs into the top of her panties and slowly slid them down her legs, and off. He sat back slightly to bask in the sight of Pepper Potts, lying on his bed, naked and with heavily lidded eyes, waiting for him, just as he had always dreamed. He started kissing his way down her abdomen, tickling at her bellybutton, then moving down to her mound. She inhaled sharply as he traveled lower, teasing her. His hands gently massaged her thighs, as he brushed his lips along her inner thighs, feeling her twitch and smiling at how his goatee was obviously tickling her. He slowly pushed her open and nearly stopped breathing. She was already wet. He fought for control not to lose it right there. He was determined not to give in too quickly, he wanted to make sure she enjoyed this. If every encounter he had ever had was meant as training up to this point, solely for the purpose of giving Pepper the greatest night of her life, he'd accept that as reason enough.
He dipped down lower and ran his tongue along her damp folds. Her breath exploded outward and her hips lifted sharply. He wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her back down to the bed. He flicked his tongue against her sensitive bundle of nerves and listened to her gulps of air become whimpers of pleasure. He began lapping at her gently, pushing her closer, then backing off, several times, until she was pushing him into her, her whimpers becoming muted yelps. He pushed his tongue into her and moved it around causing her to squirm even more.
He slid two fingers in and pushed upwards, finding her spot. He rubbed with hooked fingers, then slowly dragged them down, stimulating her. "Oh...god..." she groaned as she surrendered. Her body shook with release and he felt her muscles squeezing around his fingers. She was even slicker now than before and the pressure in his pants was unbearable. Reluctantly, he withdrew from her and hurriedly pushed his pants down and off, freeing his erection. He honestly could not remember ever being this hard before. It was almost painful. He glided up her body and settled on top of her, his tip nestling right at her apex. She pushed downward, seeking more contact, making a noise of frustration when she couldn't quite manage it.
He reached down and pulled her leg up around his hip again, just as her exploring fingers found him and stroked him. He desperately tried to think of something, anything that would keep him from firing off in her hand right there. Happy in a French maid uniform, cold showers, snow swims, UCLA's dismal defensive line, anything to keep from spilling before even getting inside her, like he was an adolescent again or something.
He caressed her from hairline to thigh, massaging her and feeling her under his fingertips. He dropped soft kisses everywhere he could reach, her lips, eyes, hair, neck, breasts, sternum, and back again as if following a pattern. Her scent enveloped him and her contented sighs were like music in his ears. He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly, gently eased into her. Her back arched and her breath exploded in his ear as they both experienced the sensuous sensation of him filling her inch by pulsating inch as he slid into her easily.
'Oh. God.' Tony thought. Nothing in his experience with others came close to comparing to this. His heart swelled with love for her as he took her, feeling her walls caress him, fluttering as she drew him in. She embraced him fully and he held himself still inside her, afraid that if he moved, he'd lose control and it would be over too soon. He kissed her again, hard and demanding and she met him equally, pushing her tongue against his.
He gripped her hips and moved out of her, and then surged back in again. She broke the kiss and cried out in ecstasy as Tony felt her squeezing him hard, rhythmically. His face dropped into her hair and he pleaded with whatever higher power might be listening to not let him give in yet. Almost frantically, he started thrusting into her, pushing her orgasm on for as long as he could. Her cries of pleasure encouraged him to keep pushing, and his own moans joined hers as he gave up trying to hold back. Reaching between their bodies, he found her bud and flicked it as he drove himself in, in one final, deep thrust. She yelped again and jerked beneath him, waves of pleasure taking her over and bringing him along. Feeling the contractions in her loins around him was all he needed. He felt his flood spill out of him forcefully, shuddering as he pumped helplessly into her. Their bodies, slippery with sweat, glided effortlessly together in a horizontal dance.
Tony had no idea how long he lay on top of her, panting as he jetted into her, with her own panting and whimpering in his ear as she accepted him. He only knew that when he finally started coming down from one of the greatest orgasms of his life, that if he had a heart attack and died right now, he'd die a blissfully happy man. Pepper was limp beneath him, but with a look of utter joy on her face. Carefully, he brushed her hair back from her slightly sweaty face and kissed her, with passion but not with the fierce urgency of before. She kissed him back lovingly. Still joined, he rolled them over into their sides, his hips still moving gently against hers, his length still inside her, not soft yet and so he took what time he had left to gently massage her inner walls, drawing out the remaining tingles and aftershocks of pleasure that he could from her. He pumped his hips against her until he softened and reluctantly slid out of her. She made a slight noise of disappointment but he pulled her to him, stroking her back and she wrapped her arms around him. He pulled the covers up around both of them, tucking her head under his chin.
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"Freeze," said Tony, unable to watch any longer. As he had watched the security video, his memories started coming back in full force. Only a few seconds before he witnessed something up on the screen, his own memories told him what was coming next. His body remembered a fraction before his mind had, and his manhood was painfully hard, having watched such a powerful scene while remembering the physical sensation. Once again, he stumbled into the bathroom to the toilet and made it just in time, this time not even needing to help himself along. He collapsed against the wall as he exploded with the memory of what had happened overwhelming him. He stood shaking as he finished, unable to completely accept it just yet. He cleaned up and stumbled back into the workshop, collapsing on the sofa, spent, his head buzzing. He glanced up at the frozen image on the video screen of him and Pepper lying in each others' arms, contented and spent. And having just conceived the baby. His baby, he now knew. He stared at Pepper's face on the screen, her eyes closed and her expression blissful. In only a few hours, her life would change forever, and his too he now knew, as his sperm found her egg. Why had they not used condoms? Why hadn't she taken a Plan B? Or had she?
"Unfreeze," he said as he leaned back on the sofa.
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Pepper turned away, pushing her back into his chest and he spooned around her. They dozed for several minutes before Tony woke halfway, his hands coming around her front to massage her breasts. She woke slowly, sighing as his hands wandered lazily up and down her front, down between her legs.
"Pep...we didn't...use anything. No condoms or..." he mumbled.
"I'll take a Plan B in the morning," she said, turning towards him.
Her hand went between his legs and in no time he was fully engorged. She rolled him onto his back and straddled him, guiding him in. They both sighed in contentment as she sank down on to him and began to rock gently on him. This time, their coupling was gentle and slow, loving though eager. They kissed with feathery kisses, nipping and teasing, finally passionately as he gripped her hips and pulled her down onto his thrust, spilling into her again as she climaxed around him. She collapsed on top of him, breathing hard. They stayed like that a long time, before finally disengaging and rolling into each other, snuggling close as they drifted off to sleep.
"I love you, Virginia Potts," he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too, Anthony Stark," she replied with a kiss.
Tony felt his chest swell. She loved him? Like, really *loved* him, the way he did her? He could have sang at that moment.
But then, the video moved quickly at five times speed through the part in which they slept, both shifting positions through the rest of the night, ending with Pepper on her stomach and Tony on his side, his arm draped over her. JARVIS gently lightened the windows, and softly spoke to Pepper, waking her and reminding her that the cleaning crew was due in a short time. With a groan of dismay, she extracted herself from under Tony's arm, sitting up and looking down at his sleeping form with a soft smile full of affection. She leaned down and gently kissed his hairline above his ear, brushing his hair back affectionately before climbing out of bed and gathering up all her clothes.
Watching, Tony felt himself stir and stiffen a little, even after his seismic release a few minutes ago, at the sight of a naked Pepper walking out of his room, down the hallway to "her" room to dig out the overnight bag she always kept packed in the closet in case she had to go somewhere with him overnight at a moment's notice.
She dug out the outfit he remembered her wearing the next morning, the yoga pants and workout shirt with a thin hoodie thrown over it and sneakers. She went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later, showered and dressed, her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail and looking as if she had been doing no more than having an early run on the treadmill. She went downstairs to let the cleaning crew in who had just arrived.
Tony felt himself start to go cold as he remembered the conversation between the two of them that came when he woke up. He tried to focus in the screen, of Pepper sorting his gifts for him into the "keep" and "donate" piles, of Pepper firing up the Keurig coffee maker and spinning the rack of flavored coffees, no doubt looking for her favorite caramel, and not finding any, settled for mocha instead and made herself a cup, setting aside a plain one for Tony. She shadowed the cleaning crew as they started upstairs, standing by the door of Tony's room to ensure he wasn't disturbed and peeking in on him, still asleep as the crew moved downstairs.
Then, around 11am, JARVIS informed her that Tony was waking up. She sprinted upstairs with a small smile on her face but Tony, watching, felt his heart stop beating as she came into his room...and he forgot about what they had done, awash with a hangover.
"So what time did you send her home?" asked Tony.
"What do you mean?" asked Pepper in confusion.
"The girl I ended up with," said Tony. "I don't have a stitch on, so obviously I ended up with someone. I just wondered if she had been sent home already."
"Tony you... what are you talking about?" asked Pepper. She looked confused.
...
"You don't remember?" asked Pepper, with an odd tone in her voice.
Tony shrugged. "Not really," he said. "I know I was wasted, you don't need to give me that look. I was stupid. I had a lot to drink. Why? Should I remember something?"
Pepper's expression was unreadable. "Tony, how can you not remember?" she asked.
"Well I don't, Pep, I'm sorry," he groaned as he rolled back onto his side. "And I have a splitting headache, do we have to keep talking?"
"You forgot what happened last night?" she asked quietly.
...
"Everything's been taken care of, like always," she said. "Go on and take a shower."
"Anyone I need to know about?" he asked.
"I guess no one important if you can't remember," she quipped.
Tony didn't open his eyes. "No I guess not," he said a little sadly.
'Oh no Pepper, no!' Tony's mind screamed as he came to his feet, watching the video screen as she walked out. 'Tell me! Tell me what happened! Show me this video! I'll remember!' but he knew that wouldn't, didn't, happen. But his shock turned to horror as he watched himself wander into the shower like nothing was amiss, but Pepper...
Pepper tore blindly down the hallway, all the way to the other end of the house to the guest room she thought of as "hers."
...,,,
She threw herself through the door and slammed it shut, knowing no one would hear. She leaned her back against the door and felt her knees go weak. Unable to support her weight, she sank to the floor as hot tears spilled down over her cheeks. She dropped her head to her hands as she dropped to the floor sobbing.
'Oh Pepper, no! No no no no! It's not like that!' Tony's mind wailed. 'You
aren't just another throwaway girl! Go back there and tell me!'
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Tony's knees gave out under him and he sank to the floor, watching and hearing the god awful sound of the woman who meant everything to him tearing her heart out in heartbreak, her soul wrenching sobs hitting him almost like a physical punch because he knew she thought he had used her, that she was so forgettable that he had not remembered once he had gotten what he wanted from her, that he dropped "I love you" like a well aimed missile to break down her defenses. He felt the anger he had previously felt toward her dissipate like a fog. He now understood why she had done it. He had hurt her first and she was trying to protect herself. Against him.
He dropped his head into his hands and cried, his real cries matching the video of Pepper's, wanting to reach through the screen and grab her into a fierce hug, all the while hating the video image if himself brushing his teeth, never knowing what had been going on just down the hall.
He had climbed into the shower and turned on the water and music, never hearing JARVIS' voice telling him that Pepper seemed to be in some sort of distress down the hall. The music wasn't connected to anything JARVIS controlled, and couldn't be turned off by the AI.
Her crying seemed to go on forever, but finally it subsided. She had rolled onto her side on the carpet against the wall, sniffling, slowly sitting up.
"JARVIS?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yes Ms. Potts? Are you OK?" came the disembodied voice of the AI running the house.
"I need a favour," she said.
"Anything I can deliver," said JARVIS.
"JARVIS, you...you saw what I, what went on with me and Tony last night?" she asked.
"I did," the AI replied. "And unless I am misinterpreting the situation, you went from being quite happy about it to being rather upset. Perhaps you should go talk to him about it?"
"He doesn't remember," Pepper said bitterly. "He forgot. It's...it's for the best. I shouldn't have...I wasn't thinking straight. It shouldn't have happened."
"That seems incorrect, Ms. Potts," said JARVIS. "You seemed to indicate a great deal of emotion towards Mr. Stark, as he did towards you. We're you issuing a false statement?"
"I...no, I wasn't, JARVIS. It's not that simple. We were both drunk," she said.
"So you do not love him?" asked JARVIS.
Pepper's eyes opened wide. "I...I do love him. But that's not...it's not that easy. He isn't ready to, he *forgot* me JARVIS! He forgot. It can't have meant that much to him if he forgot, even drunk. He's not the kind of man who focuses on one woman. It doesn't matter what I feel for him. I shouldn't have done this."
"In fairness to Mr. Stark, three Jaeger bombs are enough to render a person with a normal liver unconscious. It was nothing short of amazing that he was even capable if locomotion and speech last night, to say nothing of...performing. Perhaps it would be wise to discuss this with him while he's sober?" said JARVIS.
"I don't want to discuss it," Pepper said, setting her jaw. "It's over and done with. I can't be his assistant like this. Let's just move on."
"Forgive me, Ms. Potts, but I disagree with this course of action. It seems to me to be inviting unnecessary emotional trauma to the both of you. And given the nature of Mr. Stark's customary biological reactions to your presence over the years, indicated by his pupil dilation, blood pressure and other...reactions...when you are near, these events would be extremely important to him to retain, as he has felt strongly towards you for some time. I urge you to reconsider and go tell him now," said JARVIS.
"JARVIS, my mind's made up," she replied stubbornly. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Delete all video footage of what happened between us last night and erase local data concerning the event."
"I'm sorry Ms. Potts, but I cannot. You do not have administrator status to my sub routine to issue such an order," said JARVIS.
"Then lock the video log and metadata file," said Pepper. "Don't volunteer any information and don't mention anything about it in conversation. Institute Protocol: Potts 9271972, security lock A1 status."
"Initializing," JARVIS responded automatically. "Under protest, I might add."
"I'm sorry to do this to you JARVIS," said Pepper, sounding truly regretful.
"You don't think perhaps you might be overreacting?" JARVIS asked.
"Maybe," said Pepper, a little sadly.
"You understand, of course," said JARVIS, "that my programming does not prohibit me from mentioning anything to Mr. Stark in the event that he asks me a direct question. I cannot outright lie to him. I also cannot withhold information that might be pertinent to his safety and well-being."
"I don't see how this will conflict with any of that," said Pepper standing up. "This isn't going to kill him. Maybe the time will come when I decide to tell him myself. For now, keep it under wraps."
"As you wish, Ms. Potts," said JARVIS.
She went over her reflection in the mirror and fixed herself looking like nothing had happened. Then, she put on her usual impassive face and went back downstairs. The cleaning crew was nearly done. She wandered into the kitchen and made a sandwich and a cup of coffee for Tony, and left it on the counter. She then went over to the pile of gifts and stared at them for a moment. Then she moved her gift from the keep pile to the donate pile and with a firm set to her jaw went back out to supervise the cleanup.
A little later, Tony came downstairs to the kitchen and found a BLT sandwich, a cup of coffee and a banana on the counter. His gifts from last night were sorted into piles, stuff to keep and stuff to give to charity. The gifts from people like Happy, Rhodey, his secretary and other "close" people were in one pile, and gifts from people who were practically strangers in another, to be donated to charity or something. He was surprised to see Pepper's wrapped gift in the donate pile. It must have gotten put there by accident. He moved it to the "keep" pile.
Grabbing his sandwich, he wandered into the living room, looking for Pepper, feeling an odd need to be in her presence. The clean-up crew was nearly done, and the house looked almost pristine again. Pepper was finalizing the last bit with the crew. She gave him an odd smile when he walked in, which she quickly controlled and her demeanor became normal once more.
"Hey, Pep," he said, not sure why he was feeling like something wasn't quite right with her. "Everything ok?"
"Sure," she said without hesitation. "Everything's fine."
Then, she turned and walked off.
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He had gone back downstairs to his workshop to continue tinkering with his suits, he remembered. She had not come down to tell him she was leaving to go home, but instead, had buzzed him on the intercom system on her way out the door. Watching, Tony could see that she was fighting back tears. Obviously she had spent the day hoping he would remember on his own, but his focus on the suits had occupied his thought process. She had been too upset to remember to take the morning after pill. The surveillance video ended with a shot of her car pulling out of the driveway.
He got up and went to his desk drawer and pulled out the doctor's office test results indicating her pregnancy and stared at it. He turned back to the video screen and felt his heart twist in a knot. She had intended to never mention that night again, he knew. Only her unintended pregnancy had kept that from happening. She had intended to leave him and go somewhere far away, never telling him her baby was also his. She had even thought about ending the pregnancy and never telling him. Did she ever intend to tell him, even now with them discussing becoming a committed couple?
He looked to the other side of his desk, to where a small picture frame sat next to a monitor. Her gift to him had been the small picture frame with two photo booth pictures of the two of them together. They had taken the pictures while waiting for a flight in an airport over a year ago, and needed to pass the time. They had taken two regular shots, and two goofy shots, with both of them making silly faces at the camera. He had given her the strip of four images and forgotten about it. He had seen a similar photo frame on her desk at work, with two of the images, a serious and a goofy one, wondering where the other two were, and had been touched when he opened the gift from his birthday party and found the matching two pictures in a frame for him. It had cost her next to nothing to purchase, and yet he considered it one of the most valuable things anyone had ever given him. Her thoughtfulness had made it priceless to him. And she had intended to give it away by putting it in the donate pile? Just how upset had she truly been that morning? Obviously pretty badly.
Oh god this hurt. Why hadn't she told him?
"Why , Pepper, why?" he whispered.
"Because I thought you would tell me to get rid of it, like the others," came her voice.
He turned around fast. She was standing just inside the doorway to the stairs which had closed behind her. She looked disheveled and tired. But her eyes met his with determination.
He came around his desk and faced her, the two of them squaring off and locking eyes.
