Disclaimer: No profit is being made from this writing, thusly, I am painfully aware that the Ironman characters do not belong to me.

Chapter 9: Winging it

Tony's blood ran cold. Every muscle tensed as his assistant's scream of pain echoed down the hallway.

"Pepper!" No longer interested in Max, Tony switched direction, grabbing the front of Andy's shirt and pushing him away - absently feeling the shock of pain from pretty much everywhere. Andy stumbled back, nearly falling as he tried to keep his footing. Tony noted that Andy seemed to be already turning away, distracted and responding to Pepper's scream.

No such luck with Max. As the sound faded and Tony lunged for the door, he saw Max had stopped his panicked yelling and was moving to cut him off. No! He glanced to the right. Andy was there, also heading for the door.

Tony realized that he could head for the door, try to find Pepper or…. he could reach Max before Andy could stop him. Tony didn't doubt he would be able to take Max down. This was a chance to get the upper hand. This may be the best chance he'd have. But his mind replayed the sound of pain in Pepper's voice…and before he consciously made the choice he'd broken into a sprint. The screech of his bruised body scraped at him as he headed for the door to the hallway.

He had to get to Pepper now.

As Tony reached the door, hand outstretched, Andy stepped in front of him. The kidnapper's gun was drawn and pointed down. "Max! Hurry up!" Anxiety etched every line of Andy's face, but there was no uncertainty there.

Max moved to Andy's side, his face still red from the apoplectic fit he'd just had. Andy's gaze was hard as he said, "Mr. Stark, back up. I can't let you leave this room." There was warning in his voice.

The gun made him pause…but Tony had no intention of stopping. Ignoring the look that Max gave Andy, Tony spit out, "Get the hell out of my way." Apparently seeing his resolve, Andy backed quickly through the door – with Max in tow – as he reached out to close it.

"No!" Tony lunged. His mind screamed a warning even as he did it, obviously realizing the danger of threatening two men - one panicked and one with a gun. In slow motion, he saw Max take in the sudden movement … watched the man's face contort in panic as the terrified man twisted and clutched at the gun in Andy's hand, yanking it towards Tony. The two men at the door struggled for a breath in time before the gun suddenly went off. Tony saw it coming – could almost feel the ratchet-click of the mechanism as the hammer was pulled back and struck. A sudden cold hit his shoulder, followed seconds later by a shocking pain that exploded outward, stealing all the air from his lungs. He fell to his knees, bracing with one hand as he tried to clear his head, tried to breathe.

"Max, God dammit!!" Andy twisted the gun out of the other man's hand, and with a quick shove pushed his boss further into the hallway. Andy ran back in to Tony.

"Oh shit, Mr. Stark." He knelt down. "Let me see." Quickly, Andy examined the wound. The bullet had struck Tony's left shoulder. It was bleeding badly, but from what Tony could tell, Andy seemed more upset then worried. "Shit," the kidnapper said again, and grabbing at the first aid box, he pressed rags against the wound. "Hold these here, tight, Mr. Stark. I have to go see what's happened to Ms. Potts."

His shoulder started to throb, and red was flashing behind his moved as if to stand, but Andy's hand on his other shoulder pushed him down. Mouth tightly closed, Tony shook his head. Fuck, no.

"Yes, Mr. Stark."

Tony's vision was going gray around the edges. He heard Andy curse under his breath and then say quickly, urgently, and with an almost pleading note to his voice, "I'll keep my promise, Mr. Stark, I swear. But you have to stay here." Not waiting for a response, Andy took another quick glance at the red stain spreading across the rag pressed to Tony's shoulder, stood up and sprinted for the door.

The door shut, the lock slid home. One bare minute after Pepper's scream and the sound of a gunshot, Tony was left alone in the near darkened cell.

* * *

Pepper had dozed off finally, curled on her side facing the wall, but that was all too short-lived. Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the lock on the door. Self-preservation made her want to look over, see who it was, but she knew it must be Andy to pick up the trash from the food she had left mostly uneaten.

She was tired and angry, and the bruises and scrapes from Moreau hurt. And her chest ached. It had hurt to leave Tony again, bruised and beaten, to come here and be alone with her thoughts. So she stayed the way she was, brooding, and tried to drop back to sleep.

She had a second's warning that it wasn't Andy, as a quick shuffling that didn't sound like Andy's step at all snapped her eyes open. Before she could react, rough hands grabbed her - one on her arm, bruising, the other in her hair, brutally pulling her back. Eyes tearing, she tried to get her feet under her, scrambling to get to her feet.

"Hello pretty." Sean's voice was rough in her ears and came with the powerful whiff of alcohol. Pepper tried to stay calm as she felt her heart stutter, going from groggy to shockingly hyper-aware. By then the stinking kidnapper was pressed up against her back.

A nightmare realized.

Sean. Drunk. He was going to hurt her, and her heart, after its brief stutter, was pounding in her chest. She had to keep her head. Reaching up, she grabbed the hand that had her hair, holding it tight to her head. She wouldn't be able to think if he kept yanking at it. She couldn't do anything about the hand on her arm, and lacking leverage, she did the only thing she could think of – and pulling her arm out as much as she could, she cranked her elbow into his stomach. She hit something solid; the shock went up her arm. Bone…his sternum? He cursed violently as his breath went out in a woosh. She followed that up by stomping on his foot, praying desperately that the heels of her tennis shoes would do some damage. I'd kill for my Jimmy Choo's! Please let me break something! But he still had her hair, and her stomp did nothing but piss him off. She felt something building in the man behind her and knew it was coming a second before it happened. Sean's hand tightened painfully on her arm right before he wrenched her hair back viciously, his stream of curses burning in her ears. The pain was excruciating. She screamed.

Rather than deter him, her scream seemed to galvanize him. He fell silent, and her heart leapt to her throat. Instinctively, she knew things had just gone from bad to worse. He let go of her hair, cruelly twisting her arm as he turned her around. He backed her up against the wall. Her arm was beginning to go numb where he held her. She had to get him to let go.

Sean was either disregarding her entirely, expecting he could easily overpower any attempt at escape (and based on the these last few moments he wouldn't be far off), or was so intent on what he was doing that he didn't bother to secure her other arm. Her struggling was getting her nowhere; so she reached over, pulling on his hand, trying to grab a finger - to twist it, to yank it back, anything, find some weak point to break free. No luck there either; his hand was like a vise. He was mumbling something; she couldn't make out the words, but it didn't sound good. And he was now so unbearably close she could smell the stink of sweat and beer on him. Disgusted, Pepper couldn't help but wonder if the man ever bathed. Drunk or not, his intention hadn't changed. He started chuckling as, with his free hand he grabbed at her blouse - she heard the thin cloth tear. No, no, no. From the corner of her eye, she had a glimpse of grimy teeth as he grinned.

It was then without warning that the sound of a gunshot blasted through the room. The sound - jerking Sean's attention away from her and overloading Pepper's ears - made her gasp. Pepper seized the opportunity without thinking, reaching out and clawing him across the face. He let out a grunt as he let her go, his hands going to his face. "You bitch!"

He stumbled back, but Pepper's triumph turned sour when she glimpsed his face. Three ugly red marks showed the result of her desperate attempt to protect herself, creating a madly skewed "x" on his face where they crossed the existing scar. There was no reason left in his expression now, and she didn't imagine there'd been much to begin with. He was still blocking the doorway; she had no way out. She looked around frantically for a weapon, any weapon.

"Sean!" Moreau ran into the room, face red and wild-eyed. Sean's head snapped around and Pepper would swear he growled. Taking advantage of the distraction, she backed away, putting as much space between her and the two men as possible.

Sean rushed Moreau, and Pepper honestly thought the man was going to kill his boss. He threw a punch into Moreau's midsection and another to his jaw. And as quickly as that, Moreau dropped with a thump just inside the doorway.

Prodding Moreau's unconscious form, Sean quickly felt through the man's pockets before pulling out his wallet and cell phone. His actions seemed very focused; it surprised Pepper. Apparently, Sean hadn't been as insensibly drunk as she'd thought.

Stunned at the quick turn of events, it had just dawned on Pepper to try to push past Sean while he was preoccupied. That was about the time he remembered she was still there.

Smiling nastily, he stood up and walked towards her. "Now, where were we?"

"Sean."

Pepper looked up. Andy stood just inside the door, gun pulled and pointed. Angrily, he took in the unconscious form of their boss, and Pepper's condition. "What the hell are you doing?" He took a step further into the room, nodding towards the left, told Sean, "Back away."

The other man complied, slowly. Pepper hoped Andy saw the murderous look on Sean's face. But Andy's attention had shifted to Pepper. "Ms. Potts. Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" And before Pepper could do or say anything, Sean was charging across the room at Andy.

"Look out!" Later, Pepper would wonder why she said anything at all. Andy was one of the bad guys. Andy had kidnapped her, chloroformed her.

Andy turned quickly, but not in time to stop Sean, who was apparently only planning on escape. Putting his shoulder into Andy's right side, he pushed out into the hallway and disappeared. Pepper heard his footsteps fade and a door clang in the distance.

Seemingly as shocked as Pepper at this turn of events, Andy stood silently a moment before he spat out, "what the hell." He was obviously surprised and frustrated, and seemed to be trying to decide whether to follow the other man or not.

Watching Andy hesitate as he stood at the doorway, Pepper saw him step into the hallway and quickly considered doing a "Sean" and trying her chance at escape. Just as quickly, she dismissed it. Even if she managed to get past him (and his gun) and find her way out, she couldn't leave Tony. It was moot a breath later, when Andy returned. But still, her mind noted the direction Sean had fled, and how long it had taken before she'd heard that distant door slam.

Looking unhappy, Andy took a look at Moreau's crumpled form and stepped over to check him. Pepper saw him roll his eyes as he gave a snort of disgust. Standing up, Andy moved quickly over to her. "Ms. Potts." He grimaced, and Pepper felt her stomach drop at the tone of his voice. "The gun went off. Mr. Stark's been shot."

"…What?"

She remembered now. The distraction, the gunshot, that unexpected opportunity in her struggle with Sean. She felt cold. At that moment, Tony had been shot. Please… no. "What are you saying? Andy, what are you saying?" She heard the hysteria rising in her voice. Andy shook his head and she took it for the worst.

"Ms. Potts!" Andy was still shaking his head. "He's all right. But I need you to come with me. I've got to make sure he doesn't lose any more blood, and Max is out cold." He muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch, but he was looking angrier by the second. Angry at Max, the situation, or her, Pepper wasn't sure – didn't care.

Tony was alive… "all right" as Andy put it. But in what condition now? How could he take any more after everything else he'd been through?

Andy heaved a deep breath, and said, "Look, I don't want 'a tie you up. Just don't pull nothing, okay?" His voice harsh, he continued, "I don't want any more crap right now, and if you want to help your boss, you'll come quietly or," he added darkly, "he just might bleed to death."

Fearfully, silently, she nodded. Turning quickly, Andy stalked out into the hallway. Nearly running, it only took a moment to reach the now familiar door with the new lock. Pepper's stomach churned. Opening the door, Andy reached back and guided her into the room.

She wasn't sure what to expect; nightmare images had flashed through her mind as they'd rushed down the hallway. Andy spoke as soon as they stepped inside. "Mr. Stark?" Pepper nearly cried when her eyes adjusted to the light in the room and she could see that Tony was awake, aware, and watching them come in, worry and pain etched on his face.

Kneeling next to him, her eyes were immediately drawn to the rag he held tightly to his shoulder. "Tony, oh my God. What…" Again her voice was rising, hysteria creeping in around the edges, though she was desperately trying to stay calm.

He shook his head, frowning. "Are you okay?" She could hear the effort in his voice.

"Yes, yes…I'm fine." She felt a flash of annoyance that he was worried about her. Couldn't he see she was fine? She completely ignored that she was avoiding all thought of what she'd just been through. Can't he see I'm fine? Even as she tried to push the thought away, in a small place in the back of her mind she told herself she was being unfair; of course he was going to worry. And looking into his face a moment later, the last of her annoyance melted when she saw some of the strain leave his features at her response.

Andy, hands full, interrupted at this point - asking her to step back. At Tony's nod, the kidnapper began cleaning the wound. Stomach churning, Pepper could see that the bullet had gone completely through the muscle. Looking around in the dim room, she looked for the telltale bullet-sized hole in the wall, but it was just too dark.

She bet it hurt like hell, particularly after he'd been through the last few days. But other than his stressed breathing and the tension in his body, Tony gave no other outward sign of how poorly or 'okay' he was doing. Inwardly, Pepper sighed. Men. Andy produced some pills and said at Tony's question, "vicodin." Pepper didn't bother asking where Andy had gotten them.

"Mr. Stark." Andy's voice startled her. She looked back at the two men. "I aint a medic. The best I can do is help you keep pressure on it. Get it clean and bandaged. It really needs stitches."

Assisting Andy, it was quick work for the two of them to get the site cleaned, wrapped and a sling done up for her boss' arm. Pepper was more practiced at emergency first aid than Andy might think, after helping Tony on other occasions...but this kind of injury was new for her. Pepper realized anew how much the suit protected Tony on his frequent outings - she'd never had to deal with more than bad bruises, contusions and cuts/lacerations of varying severity from the inner workings of the suit (often due to dents from blunt impact).

The two were mostly silent; Pepper knew from Andy's dark expression and curt requests that much as she wanted to, now would not be a good time to be asking, "what happened?" Besides, it might be better to not have the details. Her mind was already whirling with anger and fear after the assault from Sean, and now this. She blinked quickly to keep the tears from starting again, angry at herself for not being able to keep it together.

When Andy turned away, putting away the remains of the gauze and other supplies, Pepper stood up, hesitating. Anxious and fearful, she knew she couldn't go back to that other room. Over and over in her mind she felt herself being pulled to her feet, hair feeling torn at the roots and feet scrambling. No, no, no. She looked at her boss, pale and tired looking, but his eyes were clear. She realized he was watching her, and she knew instantly that intent expression meant he'd seen her distress.

"Andy." The other man turned at the tone of Tony's voice. Tony may be exhausted and sore, but Pepper recognized that voice. That was the voice he used when an employee was in trouble; not anger exactly, but it was a tone that wouldn't be denied. And Andy reacted to it? Pepper wondered what had happened between the two men.

At Andy's look, Tony continued, "give us a few minutes, will you?" Andy hesitated, looking like he wanted to deny the request; but under the other man's steady gaze he faltered. Pepper noted the kidnapper's hesitation. Clearly, the balance of power had shifted. She wondered if it had ever truly been in question.

Obviously attempting to salvage the situation, Andy said sharply, "make it quick. She's gotta get back to her room." Andy left then, stepping out into the hallway.

At Tony's nod, Pepper sat down near him on the mattress. They were sitting face to face now and her boss was looking at her. Pepper's heart sped up. She knew that look – she could see, quick as ever, the gears whirring, assessing, judging. It surprised her. Her mind felt fuzzy with the wear of adrenaline, stress and fatigue pushing in on the edges. It was amazing that he wasn't in worse shape after just being shot.

He must have read the thought. "It hurts like hell, but the vicodin's starting to kick in. I can almost say I prefer it over this all-body bruise, believe it or not."

Pausing, seemingly at a loss for words, he finally said, "Pepper. You screamed." His eyes were on her blouse. She glanced down, suddenly aware of the tear there, seeing the edge of her bra peeking through, the strap shockingly white against her skin. Self-consciously, she pulled at the material, somehow managing to pull it together near her collar. She knew it was fruitless, the shirt was ruined; there was no way it was going to stay.

"Pepper…" Tony said her name again, and she heard the question there, dimly recognized the emotion under it. Fear. He was afraid for her. She needed to reassure him. But Pepper couldn't bring herself to talk about it. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball, somewhere clean, warm and safe. And go to sleep.

So she said the only thing she could. "I'm fine, Tony." He shifted closer to her, his eyes searching hers. She heard his breathing … agitated, and so different from how calm it had been a moment before when they were dealing with his injury.

"I'm fine," she said again. Please don't push me on this. "Please." He reached over and took her hand, his fingers warm and strong.

She could feel his eyes on her as he pulled her closer. He put his arm around her with his injured arm trapped between them. Sighing, his voice was soft in her ear as he murmured, "okay, Pepper. Okay." She put her head on his shoulder, faintly smelling the tattered remains of his cologne. His answer surprised her, actually. Tony usually didn't stop when he wanted the answer to a question. She'd seen him work at a problem for days, obsessively. After Obadiah, she'd seen him in the boardroom, stepping up as leader and working exhaustively to fix the PR mess that Stane had left. No, he wasn't one to leave a question unanswered. So she could appreciate how much it took him to let it go (for now), and felt the almost physical effort it cost him not to press her on it.

But she also sensed he had something else on his mind.

It was a moment later when his voice came again, quietly. "Pepper. Still with me? We only have a few minutes before Andy comes back."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, knowing he'd feel it, and not feeling much like speaking.

"Good." She felt his shoulder tense under her cheek, and his voice was urgent as he asked, "do you still have the earbud for the com?"

Before her mind fully registered the question, before she could wonder why he asked, she gasped - her hand automatically trying to reach for the tiny piece of equipment she normally wore in her right ear. His hand caught hers, stilling it. It wasn't there anymore, hadn't been for some time.

He groaned softly. "Gone?"

"Yes." She whispered. The tiny device was so light - she could and had at times worn it for hours without feeling the need to remove it. It was so small people could hardly see it. Despair pulled at her. It must have fallen out when they'd been taken. "It could be anywhere." Even not knowing why he wanted it, she knew the loss of the earbud communicator must be catastrophic. He wouldn't have asked for it, otherwise.

Confirming her guess, he hissed through his teeth. "Shit." Then remained silent, thinking. Finally, apparently determining something, he nodded to himself. She felt more than saw that he was keeping a tight eye on the doorway. "Have you been in the same room the whole time?"

"Yes….I think so….at least since I woke up." She pulled back, wanting to look him in the face. Guessing already where this was going.

He saw she was following him and gave a small smile. "Okay, then we have a chance. Pep, I need to you to try to find it. Get it, hide it. Bring it back, when they bring you back to me."

"But…" Pepper tried not to panic, but this whole situation was just getting worse, going downhill. Pepper remembered the scene in her cell with Sean, looked at the rough blood-stained bandage on her boss … the pattern of bruises across his chest. The walls were closing in on her. What if I can't find it? What if they catch me looking for it? What if they don't bring me back here?

Again, it seemed he followed where her thoughts were going. He shook his head, wincing as his shoulder jarred with the movement. "Ah! Damn that hurts." He grimaced, closing his eyes a moment, breathing. Reaching out, he gently turned her face up so he could meet her eyes. "Pepper, stay with me. We can do this. Trust me." Under the words, Pepper heard uncertainty. It made her heart trip … what did that mean? Was something worse coming? Caught up in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear him ask, "you can still trust me, right?"

She looked up in surprise. She nodded.

"Yes … of course I trust you." At those words, something relaxed in the man beside her.

She just didn't see how a tiny communicator designed to speak with currently dead and dismantled armor could do anything at all to help them. Dimly, she heard the scuff of Andy's shoes as he approached from the hallway. A heavy feeling settled in her chest. Time's up.

She looked back up, into Tony's face, hoping to find some reassurance there. What she saw was Tony's eyes, dark and unreadable, pulling her in. She didn't realize how close they'd gotten until softly, his lips met hers. He pulled back just slightly, eyes meeting hers again. Then he laid another soft kiss on her cheek. She closed her eyes. "Find it, Pepper," he whispered, so quietly she almost didn't hear it. "Don't worry, they'll bring you back to me."

She barely felt it as Andy pulled her gently to her feet. "Come on, Ms. Potts. I have to get you back to your room."

She glanced back into the room as they stepped into the hallway. Tony was watching them, his expression thoughtful in the near darkened room.

What did he have planned? "Find it, hide it. Bring it back."

Pepper could still feel his lips on hers. She could still smell his cologne. His words echoed in her mind, making her heart ache.

"You can still trust me, right?"

* * *

Those words were still spinning around her head, confusing and worrying her, when Andy's footsteps finally stopped in front of the door to her room. She looked in, her eyes taking in the aftermath. The mattress had been shifted away from the wall. She didn't remember that happening – it must have been when she'd scratched Sean. Moreau was still out cold and sprawled on the floor. Other than that the room was virtually unchanged. She didn't know how to take that, since those moments were some of the most terrifying of her life. Pepper's gaze landed on the kidnapper's leader, his face darkening with the bruise from Sean's punch. Pepper took a good amount of satisfaction from that. She had to resist the nearly overpowering urge to kick him.

She was saved having to put a lot of effort into it; Andy walked over to the unconscious man and started shaking him. "Boss. Max. Wake up, man."

Turning away from them, Pepper stepped further into the room. Her eyes scanned the floor. And as she'd dreaded - except for the grime the ground was bare. Where is it? She had no sense of when the communicator might have dropped. It was probably in the parking lot where they'd been taken. Her heart sank. She couldn't help it; her lips began to tremble and she blinked her eyes madly to clear the tears. She didn't want any more attention right now.

Maybe Tony could still do whatever it was he was planning without it. And maybe I'll find a gun in my back pocket. Her chest tightened and she tried not to give in to sucking despair. She had to sit. Give herself a moment to calm down. She looked up – Andy was having some success waking his kidnapper boss. Max was stirring. She glanced up at the camera. Was someone there now, in that room with the monitors? Watching her? She had no idea. No idea how many were between her and Tony and freedom; no idea how they could escape without the little communicator Tony had asked for. Or how they could have escaped even if she had found it.

She just wanted to curl up and go to sleep.

Finally, Max got to his feet. Pepper was careful not to watch too closely – the guy would undoubtedly be embarrassed and she had no desire to deal with a psycho's bruised ego. And she definitely didn't want him to see her distress. Hopefully, he'd just go away.

And that's exactly what they did. She heard low agitated tones, as they spoke quietly, then the door closed. Pepper didn't look up. After the latch of the lock, she stood up, intending to straighten the mattress…she'd definitely be sleeping with her back to the wall from now on. As she put her hands on the rough edge of the grungy thing, she gasped.

There it was. A tiny bit of metal and plastic, sitting in the dust and nestled up tight against the wall where the mattress had been, before Sean's attack. Pepper's hair had fallen in her face as she had leaned forward to push the mattress, and it was a good thing because she couldn't help the big smile that lit her features. Careful not to move too suddenly (you never know who's watching), she adjusted the mattress so it was directly next to the earbud, still slightly away from the wall. She lay down again, facing it, heart pounding. Casually, she rested her hand on the mattress and let it slip down into the crack, and it was no work at all to pull the precious bit of tech back up, grasping it tightly against her chest. Now. Where to put it?

Well, it was obvious where she should hide it. She glanced down carefully, slipping the little piece of equipment into her bra. Smiling, she rolled her eyes. She could already imagine what Tony would say about that. Wistfully, she thought, 'It's a shame it's not one of the lacy ones.'

a/n: thank you so much to everyone who's left reviews! they keep me going...and i'm so sorry it is taking so long between posts! real life has been kicking me around a bit lately. :P in any event, i hope you liked the chapter and thanks so much for reading! please review and tell me what you think.