Bad news guys! Well.. not really. I think Tears for Your Long Lost Boss is coming to an end. I know, I'm a horrible person but I just can't think of anything else to add. But not to worry! I'll be writing a new Pepperony FF immediately! So if you enjoyed this one, I guess you're going to enjoy the next one HAHAH! Thanks for all your support!
Tony left her upstairs, making sure Pepper's sleeping form was covered with a soft blanket before he closed the door behind him. He leaned against its frame briefly, sighing happily. His heart felt full, almost ready to burst and the unbearable weight had finally left his shoulders. After all the battles he'd fought - some on his own, some with himself and some with her - Tony had finally reached the goal, his very own finish line.
He'd won her heart all over again. Now, all he could ever wish for was to keep her, in his life and in his heart. Forever.
It was dark outside now, almost nine o'clock at night and he wondered if he'd find his mum still awake. The lights were dimmed downstairs but he saw her silhouette sitting on the large couch, the TV flickering softly.
"What are you still doing down here, mom?", he asked, sitting himself next to her.
Maria looked at him with a smile. His hair was ruffled and he was wearing nothing but a pair of red shorts. But his eyes were sparkling and he was smiling his best million-dollar smile. Maybe she should have felt odd, knowing exactly what had put such a smile on his face, but her motherly heart was so full of pride and love, that no bad thought even crossed her mind.
"I wasn't planning on getting in your way again.", she laughed. "Once is enough for a day, for a lifetime actually. There are just some things a mother doesn't have to see."
"I'm really sorry about earlier…", Tony apologized, avoiding his mom's gaze.
Now, he wasn't her grown son, he wasn't the man that made his millions with witty comments and self-centered behavior on camera. He was her little boy, all bashful and innocent, clearly embarrassed with the tiny hint of a secret pride over what he'd done.
"It's okay, Tony. Nothing I have not seen before… or heard for that matter. I should have rang the doorbell.", she winked.
He chose not to answer, simply because there was no smart way to get himself out of this situation. They had been caught and he'd try to gracefully get over it now. Maria watched him bury his hand in the small pocket of his shorts, playing with an object that was invisible to her eyes. Tony was quiet, unusually lost in his own thoughts, a far-away look playing in his eyes now.
Finally, he pulled a small box out of his pocket and Maria needed nothing more than a quick glance to recognize what he was holding. After all, this tiny velvet box had been hers for decades. She said nothing as he turned and twisted it several times, until finally popping it open. The ring still made Maria's heart flutter, it still brought the image to her - the image of Howard on his knee, holding her hand and asking her to be his.
She had kept this ring when Tony had met Emma, one of his high school crushes. She had not given it to Tony when he'd been with any of his women. Just when she had decided that it would be hers forever, that she just couldn't bring herself to give it away, Pepper had come along. Sweet and bubbly, Tony's dearest friend and suddenly, his greatest love. It had been months since he had received the ring from his mother.
"This was going to be her wedding ring… until the accident."
Tony's mother placed a comforting hand on his knee, sighing. She hadn't known this and, frankly, she hadn't expected him to be so close to actually asking Pepper. Obviously, even months after her accident those thoughts had not left his mind.
"Why did you get it out again now?", Maria asked carefully.
"Because I still want to marry her. Mom… ", he said, looking at Maria intently. "… I need her to be my wife. She's it. She's my 'one'…"
"Then don't hesitate, Tony. Ask her!"
"How do I know she would even want to marry me? To me this might be a long relationship, but for Pepper it really just began a few hours ago."
"But she knows what you two had before her amnesia.", Maria reassured him. "And it seems to me that she wants to be with you."
He thought about his mother's words for a moment, knowing that she had a point. Pepper did know about their past, technically. But she didn't have the little memories that made it all so special.
"She told me that she loves me, mom.", he whispered. "Pepper wants us to have another chance."
"Then there is no reason for you to let it pass.", she told Tony, grabbing his hands. "Make her your wife, dear."
"What if she doesn't want to be my wife though? How do I know she won't tell me 'no'?"
"You don't know, Tony. You won't ever know unless you ask her. Do you know why you have this ring?"
He looked at his mother, his eyes full of questions.
"Do you know why my wedding ring is not on Emma's finger? Why it's not at home in my bedside table, hidden beneath the picture of your dad? I gave this ring to you because Pepper is the only one I could ever imagine on your side."
For a long moment, they were silent. The diamond sparkled softly in the dim lights of the living room and Tony could easily picture it on Pepper's slender finger. It would suit her well and it would always carry a lifetime full of meaning with it. He wanted what his parents had been lucky enough to share, even if their time together had been ended so painfully, too early.
"I want her to be my wife, mom."
"Then go for it, Tony. You got a second chance with her… you won't get a third one."
He nodded his head, looking at his mother. She was an incredible woman, with a wisdom that he admired. Her advices were usually right, they had proven to be his greatest help over the years and Tony knew that she was right yet again. Two chances with the woman he loved were probably already more than he ever deserved. Now it was his time to be courageous.
"Thank you, mommy.", he smiled, closing the velvet box carefully.
Taking his mother into a long hug, he tried to imagine Pepper's reaction when he'd ask her to marry him. Maybe, if he'd get so lucky just one more time, she would tell him 'yes'.
"What you two have is something that nothing can come between, I always believed that. This is no exception, Tony. You've gone through so much together in the past couple of months… most people don't have to deal with things like that in a lifetime."
They went upstairs together, Tony kissing his mother's cheek before she entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her, giving him an encouraging smile. He sighed, staring at his own bedroom door. Pepper was most likely still sleeping soundly and he didn't expect her to wake up before the next morning. Finally, he found the courage to walk into the master bedroom, holding his breath.
There she was, indeed asleep, not having moved at all since he had left her there. Her bare leg was sticking out from under the blanket and he admired her body, mentally ridding her of the blanket. Tony made his way to the bed quietly, the ring suddenly heavy in his pocket. Kneeling down by her bedside, he thought about all of the different ways he could propose to her.
He didn't want anything pompous, nothing that would seem over the top, even though he could undoubtedly afford the most candid of proposals. He didn't want her to feel like he didn't care about her family's approval, yet he'd rather be all alone with her when he would ask her. She deserved a wonderfully romantic set-up but he wasn't sure if he could go through all the preparations without losing his courage. Slowly, he pulled the ring out of his pocket yet again, this time opening the box right away. Pepper always looked peaceful when she slept, her natural beauty so obvious that it always made him ache to touch her. But this time he held back, not willing to risk waking her up. The engagement ring seemed sparkly even in the dark of the bedroom and Tony couldn't help but think how well it would match her eyes.
He wanted to ask her, he had no doubt about that now, but if he'd lose her over this, he would never be able to forgive himself. If Tony thought about all this rationally, then her denying his proposal seemed like the most likely thing to happen. Wouldn't it only be logical that Pepper would not want to marry a man she had just now fallen in love with?
Yet somehow, those thoughts did not make him falter in his determination. He was on a mission now, and come what may, he would not let himself get scared.
"You're a bloody mind sucker, love.", he whispered, pushing her hair out of her face.
He had always loved to rest his hand there, against her face, so he could stroke the soft skin of her cheek. She had the tiniest lines around her eyes and her eyelashes were long as they fluttered softly against her skin. Pepper let out a long, deep sigh and Tony felt the urge to pull his hand away and pray she wasn't waking up. When she didn't move again, Tony kept his hand in place, resuming the careful motion of his finger against her skin.
"Why are you awake?", she mumbled and he froze, his hand stilling together with his breath.
Her eyes were still closed, but he was too afraid to move the ring away, afraid she'd suddenly open her eyes and see the velvet box.
"I… I was just checking on mom.", he explained. "Go back to sleep, darling."
"Come back to bed…"
Tony carefully pulled his hand away from her face, ready to get up and crawl into bed with her again. She smiled, opening her eyes to be able to watch him join her under their covers. Almost as if she were moving in slow motion, her eyes fell to the small object in his other hand, resting right in front of her on the bed. Her smiled faded and Tony felt his heart drop. She stared at the diamond ring long and hard, then lifted her eyes to meet his. They were soft and begging, almost desperate now and Pepper brought her hand up to cover her mouth, shaking her head softly. Tears pooled in her own eyes, brimming on the edge, ready to spill over any moment.
It couldn't possibly be a good sign that she was already crying, shaking her head as a trembling hand covered her mouth. But he wouldn't turn back now, not that there was even any sense in denying the purpose of this ring. 'I can do this', he thought, remembering Pepper's words from earlier. 'If you promise to be by my side, I can do this.'
Would she really still want to be by his side after this?
"Marry me, Pepper.", he whispered, watching the first tears run down her cheeks.
