Finally after almost 2 months I have updated!! I promise not to wait this long to post another chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man: Armored Adventures.
Tony's POV
I walked into her room and had to use all the self control I had not to rush over to her and scoop her in my arms and apologize and beg for her forgiveness because I had failed her. I had promised her that I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt her yet here she was injured in the hospital. She looked so helpless and fragile hooked up to all of those machines. When I finally looked directly in her face any self control I had melted away. The second I saw her beautiful smile the tears I had been holding back began to fall.
"Tony, what's wrong?" I couldn't believe she was still just the same as she was before she disappeared, smiling and putting everyone else ahead of her.
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just glad you're finally back. I've really missed you."
"I bet you enjoyed how quiet it was without me around," I couldn't believe she was joking about this
"No," I said much harsher than I had meant to "It was too quiet without you around. I didn't like being able to hear myself think."
"Oh…Well, how have you been?"
"I've been okay considering I didn't have my best friend around for what felt like forever."
"Tony can I ask you something and will you promise to be completely honest about it?"
"You can ask me anything and of course I'll be honest."
"Okay," she suddenly looked so small and helpless, "How long was I gone?"
"What do you mean, don't you remember?"
"No, and no one will tell me. Each time I asked them they would immediately change the subject, and I think I deserve to know."
"Pepper," even though I knew I shouldn't tell her I decided to go against my better judgment, "You were gone for six and a half months."
"You're joking right? There's no possible way I was gone that long…is there?"
"Pepper it's the end of May." For the time since she told us she was moving she seemed speechless. "Pepper…."
"Can I just be alone for now? I need to time to myself, please."
"Yeah but what if there are other people who want to see you?"'
"I just need like 15 minutes, please I haven't had any time to myself since I woke up."
"Okay, see you soon."
"Tony…"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"Thank you for being honest with me."
"You're welcome."
With that I reluctantly left her room and headed back to where everyone else was waiting. I wonder if her dad is going to be really mad at me for telling her she'd been gone for six months. How could she not remember that she'd been gone over six months? I shouldn't have told her, I just caused her more pain. She shouldn't have to worry about anything like this. She doesn't deserve to be in pain. If I ever find out who did this to her, whether or not it was Mr. Fix, I will make them suffer the way she had to.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'm going to narrate now
Tony walked back to the waiting room trying to figure out how he was going to tell Pepper's dad that he had let it slip to her how long she'd been gone. He knew that Virgil had wanted to be the one to tell her and he knew he shouldn't have told her. However, he also knew what was done was done; he couldn't take back that he had told her even if he truly wanted to. When he got back to the waiting room he was shocked to see Gene sitting there staring right back at him.
"Gene?"
"Tony, when I get back from visiting Pepper we need to talk,'' Gene said coolly as he broke from his conversation with Rhodey.
"Yeah about that… you're gonna have to wait like 15 minutes."
"Why?"
"Well she wanted some alone time."
"Oh…Okay…Whatever she wants. Well if we have 15 minutes then I guess we can talk now…"
"Hold on a second," Rhodey said interrupting Gene, "Tony you were only in there with her for like 10 minutes if even that. What happened?"
"Umm… well… she asked me how long she'd been gone so I told her."
"Tony you didn't?" Rhodey was shocked he had thought that everyone had come to a non-verbal understanding that they wouldn't say anything to her that would let her know exactly how long she'd been gone. "Did you stop to think that would be a bad idea and that maybe she shouldn't know yet."
"Well…no, not really. But she was so upset that no one else would tell her when she asked and…"
"What are you talking about Tony she didn't ask us anything about that. We just caught her up on some things she missed while she was gone."
"But she said that she asked you guys but you avoided answering her."
"Tony she didn't ask us," as he slowly figured out what had happened, "I guess she figured we wouldn't tell her but you would. Tony she played you."
"She wouldn't do that, would she?"
"She would and she did."
"Okay now that that's out of the way we can talk," Gene said before either of the other two boys could discuss something else, "Guys I know who took Pepper."
"WHAT?" the boys yelled in unison causing everyone within hearing distance of them to look their way.
"Shhh and I don't know why you're asking 'what' because I couldn't have been any clearer. I know who took Pepper."
"It would be great if you would tell up Mr. High and Mighty," shot Rhodey.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Anyways, think about Pepper's been gone for exactly six and a half months and how long did it take for Mr. Fix to get his operations back to where they were before his main warehouse was shut down?", without waiting for a response he continued on with his explanation, "The burns on Pepper's back and the fact that Mr. Fix said he would take something important from her dad and what's more important to him than Pepper?"
"You've got a point but in case you forgot he's been the main suspect since she disappeared and in those six and a half months no one found anything on Fix and…" Rhodey said.
"If you were listening I said 'I know who took Pepper' not I know who took Pepper and where to find him. Now if you two boys will excuse me, I'm going to see Pepper."
With that Gene headed off to Pepper's room and it was then he became aware he was once again alone with his thoughts. Since Pepper vanished he had done everything he could to not get stuck alone with his thoughts, because they always ended up on her. Occasionally it was just thinking about where she was and if she was okay but the majority of the time he found himself thinking about her face, her smile, her eyes, and her laugh which didn't bother him. What bothered him was that he liked Pepper as more than a friend and that he was sure she didn't feel the same. He knew she liked Tony and that, whether or not Tony would admit to it, Tony liked her back. So, on the way to her room Gene silently debated with himself whether he should tell Pepper how he really feels or not. It was only when he walked into her room and saw her did he make his decision.
So what do you think, should Gene tell Pepper how he feels or not? Should Tony have told her how long she's been gone? Just hit the little gray and green button and let me know.
