I think my muse is ill or something. She's been unusually quiet recently so if this chapter sucks, I'm really sorry. I'll make sure she does better next time.
There was a long, drawn out moment where the world ceased to turn and civilisation ground to a halt whilst the shock wore off and the dust settled. And then Bruce was moving. He was out of his seat like a bolt and darting after Tony only to end up outside the locked door of his lab, being told by a somewhat sympathetic Jarvis that his access had been revoked.
The doctor sensed more than heard Steve come up behind him, a reassuring presence at his shoulder.
"He won't let you in?"
"No. He knows I'm here but I don't think he wants to see either of us right now. Coming here was a bad idea," he lamented, turning away from the door slowly and making his way back up the stairs.
"No it wasn't," Steve reassured him, following him away from the door. "We can't just ignore this. This is something we have to sort out ourselves."
"And what happens tomorrow morning when we get kicked out of the house? I don't doubt that Tony will follow through on that threat." Steve grimaced at the doctor, worry and concern etched into the lines on his face.
"No, neither do I. But we can't just leave him. You saw him, he's a wreck right now and there has to be something we can do to help him."
They reached the living room and settled themselves in the open space, both casting furtive glances around the room subconsciously, suddenly aware of how many cameras were likely focussed on them in that particular moment. They not been to the mansion before and it was strange to be somewhere unfamiliar; they'd gotten too used to the tower and the helicarrier.
"So what do we do? If Tony isn't going to listen to us..."
"I honestly don't know." Steve hesitated, looking torn. "Bruce, I hate to ask but... Do you know what he was on about? What he thought we'd said?"
"No!" Bruce snapped back, doing his best to contain his anger at the accusation; he was already rubbed raw by how wrong this whole scenario was and he could feel his tremulous control slipping. "I didn't even see you that day until we knew Tony had been taken!"
"I know. But I just had to make sure."
"I take it you said no such thing either?"
"Of course not! I don't even think that, let alone voice such an opinion."
"So what happened? Tony was probably overtired but hallucinations seem unlikely. Jarvis? Can we see the records from the tower the day Tony was taken?" The AI beeped softly as he processed the request before:
"Forgive me Dr Banner but Mr Stark has locked all surveillance from that day. I do not have sufficient authorisation to unlock the files."
"Captain Rogers! Dr Banner!" Pepper sounded genuinely surprised, an unusual tone for her; it took a lot to catch her off guard.
"Miss Potts! Sorry for the intrusion," Steve apologised, standing as she walked into the room, a frown marring her pretty face.
"I had no idea you would be coming down here. Tony hasn't exactly been... communicative recently."
"Actually," Bruce corrected apologetically, "Tony didn't know we'd be coming. We... Well. He left without warning and given recent events we were worried about him."
"He didn't tell you he was coming here? Why not?" A look passed between the two Avengers and they shared a silent communication; Tony trusted Pepper with anything and yet he hadn't told her about his suspicions which must mean he either wasn't entirely sure of what he had heard or this was a bigger problem than they realised.
"We're not exactly sure Miss Potts," Steve told her calmly, no trace of a lie in his voice. "We want to talk to him but he won't let us into the lab."
Pepper didn't say anything in response to that, just sat down in one of the chairs and stared into the distance, looking concerned and upset and completely heartbroken. Bruce found himself looking away to give her this moment in peace, seeing Steve do the same out of the corner of his eye.
"I'll go and talk to him," she said eventually, sounding more weary than they had ever seen her. "I can't guarantee anything. But whatever this is - and whatever you're not telling me - it's important. And I can't stand to see Tony like this." With that she rose and strode out of the room, leaving the two Avengers staring after her in awed surprise.
"Pepper, I know what you're going to say and no I'm not going to talk to them."
"Something's not right here Tony and I'll be damned if I'm going to just sit here silently and watch you torment yourself day after day!" The billionaire flinched at the edge of hurt in his girlfriend's voice and felt guilt swell up within him. His eyes dropped to the metal scraps strewn across the workbench between them.
"I can't do it Pep," he admitted softly. For a second she looked like she was about to argue back but then she sighed and rubbed at her eyes tiredly, reaching across to squeeze his hand comfortingly.
"Tony they're part of your team. I don't know what they did to you, and I'm not going to ask. This is between you and them. But I can still remember the month after you came home from Afghanistan and I will not watch you spiral down like you did then. I almost lost you so many times and I can't bare it anymore Tony," she told him, her voice soft but firm and Tony felt the guilt amplify at the idea of just how much he hurt her.
"If I go up there and face them... I honestly don't know if I'd walk out of that room the same person Pepper," he warned, making eye contact for the first time. "There's too much... I can't deal with this. Not right now."
"You have to deal with it Tony, it's not just going to go away. Listen to me." She stepped around the edge of the workbench and gripped his shoulders with slender fingers, forcing him to face her. "I have been at your side for more years than I can count and I have sat by silently and watched you overcome everything you have ever faced. You survived Afghanistan when anyone else would have just given up and as soon as you got back you threw yourself into Ironman and a new direction for Stark Industries, and then on top of that you had to deal with Obadiah. And Tony, you survived. When Hammer turned on us it barely made you blink. Even after the hell of New York you bounced back, learned from your scars instead of letting them take you down. And now there's this." Her voice became very soft and she stroked his cheek softly, her eyes swimming in barely contained tears. "You can do this."
Tony stood there, emotions spilling out in all directions as he listened to the one woman who had ever touched his heart telling him that he was stronger than he realised. That he could weather this storm. That he was worth the fight. And it was all so much to deal with that he couldn't help but reach for her, drawing her slender frame into the shadow of his and holding on for dear life. She melted into his touch, softening into his curves while her face pressed gently into his neck, warm breath tickling his collar bone.
Neither of them moved from the embrace for a good few minutes, letting their emotions settle and enjoying the intimacy.
"I know that I'll never be able to tell you this enough but I honestly wouldn't survive without you Pep," he said softly, rubbing circles on her back. "I can never show you how much I need you. How much I love you."
"You don't have to," she told him, pulling back to look him in the eyes, a slight smile on her lips. "You're all I have too you know."
It wasn't even true anymore, for either of them - the Avengers had become family without anyone really noticing - but the old memory stirred and Tony found himself smiling despite everything.
"I'll talk to the others. I promise Pep."
"Thank you," she told him genuinely, hugging him again and pulling away. "I really think that it's for the best Tony."
When the billionaire walked into the room Steve couldn't help but think that Pepper was some sort of genius and definitely deserved a medal for her accomplishments. Tony was standing ramrod straight, looking as though he was in pain but despite the pale skin and tired eyes there was a fierceness in his stance that was more than a little frightening.
'So,' Steve thought, 'this is the sort of man that can escape captivity with no training. The sort of man that would fly through a portal to save a city.' A trickle of admiration ran through his system.
"I'll listen to what you have to say. Beyond that I make no promises," Tony told them in a clipped tone, everything about him screaming discomfort.
"Thank you for giving us the chance," Bruce told him sincerely but the billionaire just sneered slightly.
"Thank Pepper. Now say what you have to say." Steve nodded slowly, taking a deep breath for fortitude.
"Tony. We came here because we were worried about you. You just went through hell and then when you just disappeared without warning... You're our friend, and no matter what that isn't about to change."
"And what you heard the day they took you," Bruce put in, "we didn't say it. I swear to you. Whatever you heard, it wasn't us. I don't know how it happened or who did it but we would never say those things Tony. You're a valued member of the team and you always will be."
The genius didn't say anything in response, narrowed eyes flickering between the two of them, trying to spot the lie and desperately trying to crush the hope that swelled in his chest. They could be telling him the truth in which case he was being a colossal idiot but what if this was all just another charade?
"Jarvis?"
"Yes Sir?"
"Do your records indicate any suspicious activity from September 4th? Authorisation code alpha-2-2-5-delta." The machine whirred for a moment.
"I have no record of any tampering with surveillance Sir." There was a pause during which black rage filled Tony's gut and curled his hands into fists while at the same time disappointment flooded him. "However, there is a complication of data." All three Avengers looked at the ceiling in surprise.
"A complication?" Bruce asked the AI when it became clear Tony wasn't emotionally stable enough at that moment to speak.
"I am unclear as to the cause Dr Banner. There is no record of any data transfer from the day in question however there is a disruption in my files that indicate someone has accessed them."
"Accessed them from where?" Tony gasped out, falling into a seat heavily looking like he was inches away from a break down.
"I am unable to say Sir."
"If it was a hack they would have left a trace. Find it."
"There is no such evidence Sir," Jarvis told him firmly. "However if my server was accessed locally then it would not necessarily have been picked up on by my sensors."
"Your servers are within Stark Tower Jarvis. No one but Pepper and I even have access to that floor."
"Records indicate that the lift stopped at that floor twice on the 4th of September Sir."
There was a long moment of silence where Tony's eyes snapped to Bruce automatically, the only other genius in the room but he looked just as confused. Steve didn't really have any idea what was going on but he was catching up fast enough to work out that this wasn't exactly good news.
"Accessed by who?" The billionaire asked eventually, every muscle in his body pulled taught with stress.
"By you, Sir."
I don't much like this chapter. But we make do. It's also not very long, sorry about that. I just felt that I needed to post something.
Yay Pepperony. Consider this payment to the people who have been waiting for an update to Always You for what? Two months? I'm getting there, I promise.
Basically, I'm doing Nanowrimo but I'm bending the rules around. My plan is writing 60,000 words instead of the 50,000 plan but I'm splitting it up. Half on FF and half on my own manuscript. This is going to go so terribly. I'm already about 4000 words behind.
So, I'm going to come clean. This is one of the most popular stories I've posted on this site and frankly, it's terrifying. You're all being so supportive and lovely about what I post but the problem is that now when I'm writing I'm very aware that there is quite a large number of people that are going to read this and I don't know why but it makes me far more nervous than I should be. I think that's why this chapter took so long. I'll get over it I'm sure but please just hang in there. Thank you so much for being lovely readers. You're all brilliant.