Well here is yet another update; I thank everyone for the reviews and continued support of this story. It's going to get a little bumpy at the end here so be warned.

Chapter 10

Tony was up and dressed waiting for Pepper by the car. Happy was leaning on the front fender of the Rolls next to Tony. They stood next to each other in silence until Tony couldn't take it any longer. "So, is it you and Katie, or you and Natasha, 'cause I'm a little confused here?"

Happy stood unfazed by the question. "I'm just getting some more training from Natasha."

"Oh…well um, and Katie?" Tony observed his friend and watched him stiffen slightly. "That answers that question." The door opened stealing his attention. "Hey, about time girls."

Tony sat with Pepper in the back seat while Natasha joined Happy in the front as he drove. It was mid-morning, but Tony demanded he assist in setting up for the party that evening. Katie was already at Stark Industries getting things organized.

When they arrived Pepper went to assist her assistant and Tony retreated to his office. Happy followed his boss while Natasha stayed with Pepper. "We need to do a little bit of research Happy." He sat down heavily in the chair behind his desk.

Happy pulled a chair around to sit next to Tony. "Research on what?"

"Bikes that go fast." His fingers began flying over the keyboard.

Pepper and Katie had everything set up and as DJ AM was finishing his sound checks they went to change for the evening. Happy didn't require a complete change of clothes as he stood in the office as Tony retreated to his bathroom to change into a pair of simple black slacks, and a dark tank top under a button down shirt that was similar in color as the red of his suit. After ensuring the reactor in his chest wasn't visible he stepped out smiling at Pepper as she waited.

"Well, you look nice." He smiled at her comment. "Shall we."

They went down to greet the employees that were arriving. Tony had the large demonstrations building cleared and set up with an array of tables and chairs with a large clearing in the middle to allow dancing. As people were entering and getting food and drinks, Tony smiled to Pepper. "All these people work here?"

Pepper shook her head. "Yes, and this isn't all of them."

Ryan walked in with his brother. "Mr. Stark."

"Ryan." He shook the man's hand as did Pepper. "Pepper, this is Randy, Ryan's brother and possibly my new advertising investment."

"Randy nice to meet you." She shook his hand being sure her facial expression didn't mirror her thoughts on the idea.

"And who is this beauty following you?" Tony picked up the woman's hand and lightly kissed her knuckles.

"Mr. Stark, this is my girlfriend, Lana Brooks." Ryan introduced her.

"Pleasure to meet you." She greeted and Tony noted both of them were obviously nervous.

"Well, there's plenty of food and drinks. Randy, we'll meet in a few hours." Tony stated and watched them walk into the crowd that has gathered. After greeting a few more guests, Tony walked over towards the DJ as he was playing some music mix from the late nineties. "Microphone please maestro." The music died off and the people talking and mingling quieted and turned towards their employer. "Welcome. I'm actually surprised so many showed up, but hey, who doesn't like free food and booze?" The crowd laughed. "Any way, all I can say is have a good time, Goldstein takes requests if you want to hear anything particular otherwise he'll just drop a good beat to dance to, so eat, drink, and be merry." Tony stepped away as the group applauded him and he went to the bar to get himself a drink with Happy on his tail.

Pepper found herself visiting with several people from marketing that she had worked with often and had become friends with. It was nice to be able to mingle and not discuss work. Tony walked around shaking hands and sipping his scotch. He only stopped briefly to talk to several engineers that were in attendance, and was listening to some crazed idea about rockets when he found who he was looking for.

Tony sat down heavily in a chair next to Randy. "So, I'm ready whenever you are." Randy looked at the man standing behind Tony. By the way he was dressed may have suggested he just walked off the set of 'Reservoir Dogs, and he didn't know if he was supposed to be intimidated by the man. "Don't mind him; he's like a shadow that doesn't go away even in the dark." Randy nodded and even his girlfriend had stopped what she was doing to pay attention to the conversation. "Okay, here's the deal, I'm going to let you pick a bike that suits you; a demonstration will be arranged for middle of next week. In the meantime, you need a crew of more than one, so if you know or have anybody in particular…"

"Actually yes." Randy replied quickly and Tony's eyes went up. "There are a few guys that were on my last crew that knew their stuff and we all really clicked."

"Clicked, I like clicked. Call them and tell them what we're cookin'. Next, I like to keep my investments close. I'll get an area so you and the crew can set up a garage here at Stark Industries, and you can haul to a nearby track. There's a full gym on site here, use it to your advantage." Tony looked at the pair and both seemed stunned. "Oh, and Lana what is it that you do back in wherever it is you're from?"

The young woman was obviously shocked at the question. "Oh, umm, I just actually finished my degree in accounting."

"Brilliant…" Tony turned and looked for Pepper. "Happy, can you go locate a certain red head for me?" As he moved away Tony continued. "I can set you up in a two bedroom apartment not far from here, and once you get a crew lined out, let me know and I'll see about getting accommodations for them."

"What do you need now Tony?" Pepper questioned knowing he had something up his sleeve.

"Young Lana here is an aspiring number cruncher, do you suppose that there's a place for her here at Stark Industries?" Tony gave a slight wink at her hoping she would catch on.

Pepper smiled at the young blonde. "I'm sure we can find something for her."

"Great, tell Katie, and make it happen. So…am I missing anything?" Tony eyed the couple who was still in amazement.

"Okay, well, if anything changes let me know, otherwise Monday morning I'll have movers at your disposal to get you guys relocated." Tony stood and Katie was now standing where Pepper was. "This is Pepper's assistant Katie, give her your address and she can help make any arrangements you need."

As people began to loosen up with the help of the alcohol, a large group gathered as the beginning of the 'Cupid Shuffle' came through the speakers. Tony was standing next to the bar when Pepper approached him. "Not going to dance?"

"I think I'll catch the next one." He was smiling as the large group of people began all moving in unison with the music. "These crazy people work for me?"

Pepper laughed. "It's not that hard to dance to this." And she started dancing in place, swaying her hips to the music.

"Look." Tony pointed and when she saw Happy dancing with Katie, Pepper couldn't hold in a laugh. "He looks pathetic."

The song played through and Pepper grabbed his hand. "You said next dance."

Tony rolled his eyes and downed the remainder of his scotch. Pepper pulled him out into the crowd as the lights began flashing with the main beat of the song. His hands found her hips as she began swaying with the beat. It didn't take much before Tony was in tune with her as she moved her hips in such a close proximity to him.

You say you're searching for somebody that will take you out and do you right.
Well, come here baby and let daddy show you what it feels like.
You know all you gotta do is tell me what you're sipping on.
And I promise that I'm gonna keep it coming all night long.

Looking in your eyes,
While you're on the other side,
(And I think that shorty I gotta thing for you)
You're doing it on purpose, wind it and work it.
I can tell by the way that you're looking at me, girl.

I wanna make love in this club.
In this club
In this club
In this club

Tony felt as if they were alone. His eyes focused on her as they moved. His hands having a mind of their own moved down to grip her rear and his mouth fell to the side of her neck. Pepper's head fell back as they moved with the music. She knew it wouldn't be long before he'd want to leave.

Her assumptions weren't too far off and as the next song began, Pepper felt the tug on her arm and he whisked her away towards the back rooms of the building. Tony locked the door behind them as his lips attacked hers. His body pushing her back towards one of the drafting tables and he picked her up and sat her on the edge.

Pepper felt the urge surging within her and quickly unfastened his pants. Their lovemaking was quick and full of need to reach completion. Her head rested on his shoulder as they panted out of breath. "We haven't been very careful lately."

Tony's head slowly lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "Careful?" She pushed him back a step separating them. "Oh, that, yeah. Umm, we're supposed to still be…?" Pepper nodded. "Okay, well, you're going to have to keep me in line with this, especially when I've been drinking as much as I have, and you dancing all sexy on me…" He put his hands up in mock surrender. "What do you expect me to do?"

She shook her head as they straightened out their clothes to rejoin the party. "Tony, I have a hard time remembering myself. But from now on, we both need to be conscious about it." He gave her a half smile and they returned to the party.

Happy drove and talked softly with Natasha as he piloted the car towards Malibu. Tony was asleep sitting up with his mouth hanging open. Pepper was still awake, but since it was after midnight she was obviously exhausted. When they reached the mansion Pepper woke Tony, but it took Happy to help him to bed. Pepper removed his shoes and covered him up. Tony was asleep the instant his head hit the pillow. While Tony's light snoring echoed in the bedroom, Pepper had stripped down to her bra and panties and was looking at herself in the mirror. Questions began to flood her mind.

Her hand traveled over her flat stomach and her expression changed to worry. "Jarvis."

"Yes, Miss Potts."

Pepper hesitated but needed to know. "Could I be pregnant again?"

"According to your doctor you were not supposed to attempt to conceive until after you next menstrual cycle."

"Yeah well, try telling that to Tony." She smiled as she looked at him passed out on the bed. Jarvis didn't respond. "Can you tell me?"

"Indeed I can perform a scan."

Pepper pulled on a robe and made her way down to Tony's shop. It felt awkward but she let the robe slip from her body and held her arms out. She watched as several blue lights went over her torso before disappearing. Pepper pulled on the robe and waited.

"It appears there is no pregnancy present." Jarvis started and Pepper let out a sigh of relief. "There's no indication of ovulation which could be associated with the prior stress. With no ovulation, your cycle should start earlier than anticipated." Pepper slumped down in Tony's chair before breathing a sigh of relief. "Was this helpful?"

She smiled not quite expecting such an in depth reasoning of what her reproductive organs were doing. "Yes. Very much Jarvis, thank you." Pepper composed herself before returning to bed with an intoxicated Tony.

The week rolled through and with Tony excited about his new marketing scheme, it kept him out of Pepper's hair. She went about her meetings at Stark Industries while Tony met with the top sport bike manufacturers with Randy and Happy.

Each had a large trailer set up with displays and graphs hoping to entice the billionaire into using their bike to race. They looked over each one before deciding to test them out. Randy put on his helmet and leather jacket before climbing onto the waiting Yamaha.

Tony shook his head. "We need to get you to look more the part." Randy grinned before bringing the bike to life. He started off and stood the bike up on its back tire as he sped off down the empty runway. "Good God!"

All the bikes were tested and Tony began to get the urge to fly as well. He walked over to the large red cargo trailer and whispered to the men standing by the bike. With a nod he was taken inside. Happy noticed and before he could say anything to his boss, he pulled his cell phone.

Tony emerged with a helmet, gloves, and leather jacket on. Randy returned his run on the Suzuki and noticed Tony. "Have you ridden one of these before?" As Tony climbed onto the waiting Honda he shook his head. Randy rolled his eyes, but glanced at the man as the bike started and revved. Tony pointed at Randy then back at himself.

Randy smiled and rode off circling the trailers. Tony released the clutch and followed him getting a feel for the bike. As he began to get comfortable with it, he decided he needed one. Happy watched and stood by nervously keeping an eye out for Pepper's car. The two men lined up and began revving the engines at each other.

Pepper's heart was in her throat as Natasha drove her Audi to the runway. She saw the trailers, and two riders lined up as if preparing to drag race. The car had barely stopped when she jumped out and ran over to Tony. He noticed her out of the corner of his eye but kept looking at Randy and revving the engine. "Tony!" She knew he was purposefully ignoring her and she glanced down at the engine kill switch. Without hesitation she pushed it and the engine died instantly.

"Hey!" Tony turned and glared at her. "Just one down and back."

"No, you're going to kill yourself!"

"I am not. I just want…"

"It's always about what you want, you never think about what we, 'we' Tony, what we want, or need. You need to start thinking about that if you want this, us to continue on." She stepped back waiting for his reply.

Tony was slightly shocked but knew she was upset. He nodded at her before turning the switch on and restarting the bike. Pepper stormed away from him as his attention was returned to Randy. "Ready?"

Randy nodded and they took off. Tony let the gravitational pull of the bike lower him to hug the tank as he accelerated. He was well over 100mph and still had three gears to go. This was something he definitely needed. Randy took it easy not really wanting to beat his new sponsor but he didn't want to look weak either so he gave it all he had. They both made the corner to the taxiing side of the airstrip; Randy flew through it where Tony was more hesitant. He did all he could to catch up and when they made it back to the trailers they both stopped.

Randy smiled as he removed his helmet. "Not bad."

Tony was nearly out of breath as he took his off. "Wow! I need one of these. Can I keep this one?" The men just nodded. "Good. So which one did you decide on?"

Randy moved off the bike and approached Tony. "I'm kinda partial to the Hondas myself."

"Okay." Tony climbed off the bike and told the men representing Honda. "We'll need one more of these for him to ride on the streets, and two or so to race with."

"We can have his bike here by this evening, and the racers can be delivered the first of next week. Do you have a paint scheme in mind?" the man asked.

Tony shook his head. "That's still in the works."

Randy left in the car with Happy as they trailed behind a speeding Tony on his new bike.

Pepper was back at home before Tony and Happy. She didn't bother to eat as her appetite was nil since his decision to play verses her concern for his wellbeing. She slammed the door to the bedroom and promptly locked it. Her chest heaved with frustration and decided to soak in the large tub to ease her stress.

Happy sat in the car outside of the mansion. Entering without knowing where Tony was at the moment was almost a certain death warrant signed by Pepper Potts. So, he decided to wait it out. Midnight rolled around and Tony finally returned home. The revving engine woke Happy and he then felt comfortable enough to go inside and to bed.

Tony parked his new toy in the middle of the workshop and pulled off the helmet. "Whatcha think Jarvis?"

"It looks very fast sir."

"Oh, yeah. Real fast. Is Pepper in bed?" Tony climbed off the bike and unzipped the leather jacket before finding a place to store his stuff.

"Miss Potts is indeed in bed. And I'm to inform you that she's locked the door to the bedroom, with strict instructions to not let you in." Tony stopped and glanced up to the ceiling as if he could look straight through to where Pepper lay. "She was very upset when she returned home."

Tony shook his head. "Yeah, she's pissed about the bike. Not a huge deal to dress up in a metal suit and go flying around the world in, but getting a motorcycle really set her off." He said sarcastically as he waved his arms around.

"Both items are extremely dangerous." Jarvis made an attempt to take his creators side.

With a groan Tony sat at his desk and smiled at the bike. "We need a color scheme to go on a similar bike."

"Are you thinking blue and white as with the formula race car?" the AI offered an option.

Tony sat and considered the options. "I suppose a Stark Industries sponsored racer should have the company's colors, but I was thinking more along the lines of Iron Man." He smiled.

"Indeed a tough choice sir."

With a shrug and a yawn Tony replied. "Give me three good design options for the plastics, and I'll pick one in the morning to send to Honda to fabricate. I'm gonna go to bed."

Tony knew attempting to get into his own room was useless, so he pulled a blanket from one of the cabinets and curled up on the couch near his desk. Jarvis dimmed the lights in the shop as he had the computer screens busy with the designs. "Goodnight sir."

"Night Jarvis." Tony yawned again before falling asleep.

Pepper woke the next morning and found herself still mad at the situation Tony had put her in. She was dressed and off to Stark Industries before even seeing if he was home. At the moment she didn't care. Happy was more than willing to drive her which left Natasha at the house to babysit Tony.

She went down the stairs and peeked through the glass and noticed him sleeping soundly in what appeared to be an uncomfortable position on the couch. Natasha shook her head and went back upstairs to email her weekly report to Director Fury.

Tony woke around ten and stretched. He pulled the blanket off and walked to his desk in a haze. Blinking his eyes several times he looked at the blank screens in front of him. "So Jarvis, what did you come up with?"

"I my research of what you were talking about last night, I came up with three options that also include possible designs for the riders leathers that would match the motorcycle." The first design appeared. "This is similar to the color scheme of the race car you so skillfully destroyed earlier this year." Tony rolled his eyes as Jarvis continued. "Blue and red on white, with black writing. It's difficult to project as the plastic pieces on these machines have multiple holes to allow for air flow."

"Yeah, but it's like painting a mural then cutting out the holes later."

"So, there will be letters missing?" The AI asked.

Tony shrugged. "That's how they look."

"Very well." The adjustments were made rather quickly and Tony could only shrug.

"I'm not digging it, next." The screen changed to the next design.

"Here I have changed the color to incorporate that of Iron Man, with the company logo."

Tony eyed the colors carefully and noticed how the leathers the rider was to wear closely resembled the design of the suit. "I like the idea for the leather suit. Keep that idea handy." The screen changed once again and Tony's eyes lit up. "Project the image onto the large screen." He stood and walked around the desk to where the life size picture waited for inspection.

The bike appeared hot rod red with gold trim as his Iron Man suit, but subtle details gave it the look of riveted metal sheets together to form the body work. The company name was written on both sides and just the name 'Stark' stood boldly across the front where the headlights would be.

"I really like this look of riveted metal pieces on here Jarvis." Tony continued to walk around the picture. "I like it. Send this layout to Honda and we'll see what we get. Now, for the rider…"

"May I suggest using Alpinestars? During my research it was apparent the other riders wear that brand." Jarvis pointed out.

"Good to know." Tony went to make himself a cup of coffee in the small kitchen. "Make me copies of that as well. And get me a representative for Alpinestars on the phone."

Tony set up a fitting for himself and Randy, and he did more research on customizations that could be done to the bike sitting in the middle of his garage. He made several orders from the local stores and because he was Tony Stark, the items he wanted were going to be delivered to his front door. Knowing Pepper was upset about the motorcycle was enough to keep him hidden in shop keeping busy.

He proceeded to remove all of the plastics from the bike and the tail section. Tony had music blaring loudly as Dummy took the plastic pieces to be repainted. Jarvis announced that Randy had arrived and in a very short period of time the man stopped his bike short of Tony's.

"Damn, you don't wait to customize something do you?" Randy approached the stripped machine.

Tony grinned. "I need it to be more me. So, I've got parts coming and the people from Alpinestars should be here about…"

"They have just arrived at the gate sir." Jarvis informed him.

"Perfect." Tony went up the stairs and towards the front door with Randy close on his heels.

A large bus pulled up and two people quickly stepped out. "Mr. Stark, I'm Jim Graves, and this is Lisa Stanley, we represent Alpinestars on the AMA circuit."

Tony shook their hands. "This is Randy Sanders, my new investment."

"Wonderful. If you'd like to step inside and we can get Mr. Sanders measurements and the color ideas you have in mind." Jim stepped back and let them enter.

Tony and Randy were both measured for custom leather jackets and such. By the time they had finished, the parts Tony had ordered were being unloaded. They took the boxes down to the shop and began outfitting Tony's bike with the new exhaust, tail piece and lights.

It was early in the evening but Tony broke out the alcohol as they worked. They visited and got to know each other more in depth as the alcohol loosened them both up. Both being skilled at mechanics they managed to put Tony's bike back together while drunk. They flew through the first bottle of scotch and were almost done with the second as they finished the bike.

Randy sat down on the couch as Tony started the bike and revved the motor. The new exhaust gave it a deeper, louder sound and Tony smiled at the new sound. "I like it. Now I need to fix my helmet."

"What's wrong with it?" Randy's eyes began to glaze over as the alcohol soaked into his body.

Tony picked up the flat black helmet. "Black is so boring, and I need to…" He lost his train of thought as he pulled the helmet on over his head then went to take a drink. They both laughed as scotch spilled down over the front of Tony's shirt. As he laughed Tony stumbled back and lost his footing. He fell flat on his back laughing not realizing that if he hadn't been wearing the helmet he would have cracked his head on the concrete.

Randy slumped over on the couch and passed out. Tony rolled over onto his stomach. He crawled several feet before giving in to the alcohol. Jarvis scanned both men's vitals before dimming the lights in the shop.

The next morning Pepper woke up feeling more forgiving and went to the shop to talk to Tony. She entered her code and quietly walked in. First she noticed Randy still sleeping on the couch. Pepper knew already she wasn't going to like what she found as her eyes saw the empty bottle, and her nose inhaled the scent of scotch. As she advanced further into the shop, she noticed the motorcycle and the intricate details of the paint job and couldn't help but smile as Tony had created Iron Man on two wheels.

A groan caught her attention and she walked over to stand over Tony. Fully dressed wearing a motorcycle helmet while lying on the ground. "I should be surprised, but then again I'm really not."

He groaned again and managed to remove the helmet before rolling onto his back. His eyes squinted as he tried to focus on Pepper. "What time is it?"

"Morning."

"What day is it?"

Pepper scoffed. "I can't believe you. You knew I was upset about this…" She pointed at the bike. "So, you sit down here and get drunk off your ass instead of thinking about my feelings towards the whole situation."

Tony closed his eyes as the volume of her voice rang in his aching head. "What…?"

"You're impossible." She started walking away but as her frustration grew she walked back towards the man lying on the ground. "And let me make one thing clear here Tony, if you don't start thinking more about 'us', there isn't going to be an 'us' left." Pepper stormed out of the shop and Tony rolled over onto his side and groaned at his growing hangover.

Oh snap, Tony's done it now, and pissed her off. Keep the reviews coming I love 'em.

TDCSI

Lyrics: 'Love in this club', Usher.