Tony eventually came back and the team started to have an actual discussion about their next course of action. Pepper sat at the bar with a cup of tea and her laptop listening in, but also working. Betty and Jane came up behind her.
"Hi, I'm Betty and you must be the famous Pepper Potts."
Pepper smiled and shook Betty's hand.
"Indeed I am."
"And I'm Jane." Jane added and shook Pepper's hand. The girls pulled up stools and sat on each side of Pepper. They made small chat and observed the team as they worked. Tony then threw a piece of paper at Steve and Steve threw one back. Pepper rolled her eyes and Jane chuckled.
"It's amazing if you think about it," she says. Pepper and Betty look at her. "Out of all the women in the world, we three are with three of the greatest heroes of all time."
"Steve doesn't have anybody?" Betty asks. Pepper shakes her head.
"His love is about seventy years old now. If not older." She says with sadness.
"How did you meet Thor?" Betty asks Jane. Jane smiles as she thinks back.
"Well, my friend hit him with her car…" and she goes on to tell the story about her and Thor. Pepper laughs as Jane describes the agent telling Thor he needs to be debriefed because she knows it must have been Phil. Betty then went on to describe her long history with Bruce. At some points Pepper and Jane would smile and at other times they felt such sadness for Betty and Bruce.
"Okay Pepper, how did you meet Tony? You know our stories, you're up next."
Pepper smiled as she thought back through her history.
"Well, it started nearly a decade and a half ago…"
She had no idea why she was doing this, but if the boss makes a request to meet you then you show up. She looked in the mirror and straightened her skirt and made sure her hair was in a perfect bun with a few loose curls. She steps out of the ladies room and heads towards the elevator. It was the longest ride of her life. She reached the top floor and was amazed at the layout. She had never been up here. Only the executive staff and exclusive staff could come up here. Immediately she noticed it were mostly female workers. She looked around and found the secretary desk. The woman gave her the up and down glare and then called into the office. Once she was allowed to enter, she went towards the door. When she opened it she first noticed the size of the office and the elegance of it. It was then when her gaze landed on the desk did she see him.
Tony Stark.
He was dressed in a black jacket, red shirt with the top two buttons undone, no tie, and his hair just a bit scruffy. He looked up at her and brown met blue.
"And you are?" Tony asks and leans back in his chair. She takes a deep breath and moves towards the desk and stands in front of it.
"My name is Virginia Potts, sir. You said you wanted to see me this morning."
Tony frowned and then looked around his desk for something.
"Damn assistant," he mumbles. Virginia raises her eyebrows. "She was fired last night,"
Virginia nods and takes a seat in the chair across from Tony's. "It's not like she didn't know my rules."
"Rules, sir?" Virginia questions. Tony looks over at her.
"Yeah, never interrupt me for a work call while I'm having sex," Virginia blushed and looked away. Tony wanted to smirk, but for some reason didn't. There was something about this woman he liked and it wasn't just her body. "But I do remember why I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to say… nice work on the accounting error you found."
Virginia smiled a bit.
"Thank you, sir."
Tony reclined his seat again and looked at her. He didn't say anything. He just looked at her. Virginia didn't know what to do.
"What's your name again?" he asks.
"Virginia Potts, sir."
Tony made a hmm sound and she made a slight puzzled face.
"Nah, I like the name Pepper for you," he finally says. Virginia didn't know what to make of this. "Virginia is too hard to remember… you seem more like a Pepper Potts, has a nice ring to it."
"And why would you need to remember my name, sir?" Virginia asks. Tony stands up and walks over to her and stands in front of you.
"I'm promoting you from your current job to becoming my personal assistant. Yep, sounds good to me."
Virginia's eyes went wide. "What…. I… excuse me?"
Tony fiddles with something in his hands as he speaks, "I need someone of your sharp skills keeping me on track. You've got it all. You can start this afternoon."
Virginia stands up and crosses her arms.
"And if I refuse your offer, sir?" she asks with a frown. Tony smirks and moves closer to her. He takes her hand and places a card in it.
"This is the accuse card to my front door and gates. I need the run down of tomorrow's agenda by seven."
Virginia looks down at the card and then back at Tony. She has no idea what possesses her the next sentence out of her mouth,
"Will that be all Mr. Stark?"
Tony smiles, "That will be all Miss. Potts."
Pepper gives a small smile and walks out of his office with the key in her hand. She has no idea what she has signed up for and knows parts won't be a joy ride, but she is ready for the challenge of Tony Stark.
Betty and Jane were grinning as Pepper told her story.
"So what was it like first stepping into his house?" Jane asks. Pepper thinks back and chuckles.
"Everything I expected and a bit I didn't expect."
Pepper walks up to the door and slides her key card. She walks in when the doors opened and is immediately startled by the sound of a voice.
"Good evening Miss. Potts, Mr. Stark is expecting you."
Pepper looked around but couldn't figure out where the voice came from. She cautiously moved down the halls and looked around. She managed to find the kitchen, a living room, a staircase leading upstairs and downstairs, and a back patio with a pool. However, she couldn't find Tony. She looked around the living area and noticed a bra hanging on the couch along with a pair of heels. Pepper became very uncomfortable and had a moment of not wanting to find Tony.
"Umm… does he have company?" she asks out loud to see if the voice would answer.
"Yes Mr. Stark is entertaining a female guest at the moment and asks that you wait for him in the living room."
Pepper really didn't want to wait in a room where female clothing was spread out everywhere. She sighed and collected it with a frown and asked out loud again.
"Where is the washing machine?"
"Mr. Stark does not own a washing machine."
Pepper frowned. How the hell can he live without something to wash his clothing?
"Does he have a car that can have this… clothing sent out and cleaned?"
"I can arrange for one Miss. Potts."
"Thank you."
And so Pepper had the clothing sent out and it was assured to be back in two hours. She sat down on the couch and waited. She sat there for an hour and a half before Tony appeared. He looked as if he recently showered. He was dressed in a AC/DC shirt and jeans.
"If I have any meetings in the morning, cancel them." Tony says without saying hello. Only been a couple of hours and she is already aggravated.
"You cannot cancel the meetings Mr. Stark. You have a board meeting that you need to be present at whether you like it or not." Pepper says firmly and looks down at her paper. Tony frowns and walks over to her. He doesn't believe what he is hearing. He feels a bit angry, but she doesn't look at him.
"I said cancel the meetings." He says back. Pepper looks up and glares at him.
"No. You have a packed schedule tomorrow and after work you're buying a washer and dryer." She says. Tony crosses his arms and glares back.
"And you're the boss now?" he says while gritting his teeth. Pepper stands up. "And why do I need those things?"
"You want me to keep you sharp and in line then you do as you're told. You're reputation at the company is awful. As for the machines, if you're going to… have female guests over you wash her clothing before she leaves."
Tony looks around and is confused when he doesn't she the blonde's clothing around.
"Where…?"
"I had it sent out to be pressed and cleaned. It should be back in ten minutes."
Tony looks at her.
"You did that?"
Pepper nods. "With the help of some voice."
"Jarvis."
"Jarvis?"
"He is the AI I created to run my house."
"Oh."
"Be here by seven tomorrow morning."
"Will that be all Mr. Stark?"
"That will be all Miss. Potts."
Betty's eyes went wide as she listened to Pepper.
"Wow… I mean I read magazines about him but…" she says and trails. Jane nods. Pepper shrugs. Somehow she survived there and now she was going to marry him and give birth to his child.
"Did he ever get a washer and dryer?" Jane asks. Pepper nods.
"Yes, the first year I added all the necessary survival things needed in his house. Washer and dryer were just the beginning."
Betty gave a small laugh because she couldn't imagine what else could be wrong.
"For example?"
Pepper takes in a breath and ponders for a moment.
"Well, I learned within the first month his eating habits were horrible. He fridge consisted of alcohol, pepperoni, something green which I have still yet to identify, jelly, pickles, and more crap. The cabinets were just as worse."
"So what did you do?" Betty asks. Pepper smiles.
"I filled the kitchen with more reasonable foods, some I eat, and much more healthier foods."
Jane and Betty were a little stunned at how Pepper took control of Tony.
"Did you ever think you would be here with him as you are today?" Jane asks. Pepper laughs and shakes her head.
"Before he was kidnapped, no way. After… after it was hope and wishful thinking."
They sat in silence for a bit and Pepper closed her laptop. They watched their men think up a strategy to take down their enemies. Tony looked much better than he did earlier and he looked focused for once. The type of focus he puts into a new suit was the focus he had right now. She has faith he will get to the bottom of this whole mess. Tony looks over and notices her watching him. She smiles and he gives a small smile before returning his focus to the team.
"Okay, Natasha, Clint, and Steve are going to the guest rooms above," Tony says as they eat pasta for their dinner. They were all gathered around the bar eating and drinking. "And Thor, Jane, Bruce, and Betty can take the ones on the lower level."
They all agree as they eat their pasta. The ladies were nice enough to prepare dinner for the team. Tomorrow, Clint and Steve were going to check out a possible area in New York Loki may be while Bruce and Tony worked in the lab. Thor and Natasha would be working on facials around the world and active terrorist groups to see if they are a scam to hide the real threats. Normally, Clint and Natasha would work together, but this time since Thor doesn't blend in as well in New York they thought better if Clint went.
As dinner was clearing up, Pepper pulled Tony aside.
"I need new clothing, Tony." She says quietly. Tony didn't want to announce anything yet until Loki was caught for Pepper and the baby's protection and going into a maternity store would give it away.
"Can't you wear some of my shirts?" he asks. Pepper nodded.
"Yes, but I need pants Tony."
Tony sighed. If he had it his way she could walk around without pants on, but seeing as how there were guests he didn't feel she'd be up for that.
"What about your leggings?"
Pepper sighed. They would probably work for a little bit, but not long.
"Alright, but soon Tony."
Tony nodded. When he found out she was pregnant he vowed to make sure she always had what she needed no matter how much or how far. He pulled her close and kissed her forehead.
"I'll figure out something soon," he says and kisses her lips softly. "Maybe Jake could get some things?"
Pepper chuckled and looked up at Tony.
"Can you really picture him in a maternity store?"
Tony thought about it for a moment and then smiled. Pepper slapped his arm playfully. The others soon retired to their rooms for the night as did Pepper and Tony. Tony, of course, had other ideas on his mind. Once they were finished, Pepper fell asleep on Tony's chest and he soon followed her into sleep. For once, he would not have a nightmare.
