A/N: Many thanks to everyone who commented on the last couple of chapters. :D I feel comforted about the angle I've chosen to take with that and I'm glad the Natasha/Clint fans approve. ;) That was a big concern of mine.

So, now we've had some story line laid down for Nat/Clint (?CliNat ?NaCl – extra salty ;) LOL ), we've had some adventure, we've had some comedy, we've had some JH time and now it must be time for some more Pepperony. I have a kind of a rhythm in my head for how all these elements should go together and like to try and keep to it as to what kind of scene needs to come next. It doesn't always work as some stuff waffles on, but I do try.

So, the next couple of chapters are mainly Pepperony with some Happony thrown in for good measure. Hope you have fun with it. :D

Chapter Nineteen

Happy looked over the top of his cards at Pepper. "Your turn."

Pepper was gnawing on her bottom lip, staring blindly at the cards in her hand. It was almost three o'clock in the morning and she was still waiting for Tony and the others to return from the Havana mission. The first report she'd gotten was that Steve and Tony had gone missing just before the bugs had been destroyed but then no one had been able to contact them since. Pepper had spent seven nerve wracking hours waiting for word about what had happened to them and when the call had finally come that both Tony and Steve had been found safe and sound, she hadn't been able to hold back the tears. The sound of Tony's voice over the phone had been the sweetest sound Pepper had ever known. He'd told her that he was fine and there was nothing to worry about. That was an hour ago, and there was no way she was going to be able to go to sleep until she could put her arms around Tony and see for herself that he was okay.

"Pep, your turn."

Happy's prompt had her blinking a little distractedly and then focusing on her cards. She laid them down. "Gin."

Happy looked taken aback. "Wait, we're playing gin? I was playing poker."

Pepper wrinkled her nose. "I don't think either one of us has their mind on the game right now."

"He's okay, Pepper," Happy reassured her.

Pepper fixed a brave smile to her face. "Yes, this time he's fine." She looked away abruptly, knowing there was no answer to this problem. This was always going to be how things were. Pepper could only pray that these waits would get less nerve wracking but she suspected the opposite was going to be true. She felt Happy's large hand cover hers.

"I know this isn't easy for you."

Pepper looked back at her friend's concerned face and forced a brave smile to her face. "What's so great about easy things, anyway?"

Happy's lips quirked. "You mean, apart from them being easy?"

Pepper smiled. "Yes, apart from that, of course." She knew Happy understood her quandary but there was nothing either one of them could do about it. They both loved a man who systematically put himself in harm's way whenever he got the chance. It just was what it was.

"The shuttle is approaching, Ms. Potts."

Pepper tensed at Jarvis' message. "Thank you, Jarvis, we'll meet them on the roof," she said quickly.

"Take a coat," Happy mothered her, "it's chilly out there."

The last thing Pepper was thinking about was the weather as she hurried over to the elevator and pressed the button. "I don't need a coat, Happy."

Happy was already picking her jacket up and putting it around her shoulders as they waited for the elevator to arrive. "Humour me."

Pepper gave in, not interested in arguing about it right then. The elevator arrived and they stepped in, Pepper immediately pressing the button for the roof. The doors closed too slowly for her liking but then they were being whisked up to the roof. The doors were barely opening when they arrived at their destination when Pepper was hurrying out of them. She and Happy watched as the hatch of the shuttle opened and Thor walked out with Tony, seeming to be holding him up. Pepper's heart leapt into her mouth as she feared the worse as she rushed to his side. "Tony!" she called out anxiously.

Tony's face lit up at seeing her. "There's my girl," he said happily and pulled free of Thor's helping grasp and held out his arms to her to only promptly fall backwards and land on his back on the ground.

Pepper was immediately by his side, kneeling down and cradling his head. "Tony, what's wrong? Are you alright?" she asked fretfully.

"I'm fine," said Tony easily as he smiled up at her. "Did you get more beautiful while I was gone?"

Pepper wasn't interested in flirting right then. "Tony, you fell down."

"Oh yeah," said Bruce blithely as he helped Steve out of the shuttle, "he does that now, they both do, in fact."

Pepper's lips thinned in impatience. "Is someone going to tell me what is going on?"

Nick Fury stepped out of the shuttle and finally answered Pepper's question properly. "Captain America and Iron Man have been hanging upside down for some time now. They're just having a bit of trouble getting their equilibrium now they're the right way up."

"How long is some time?" asked Pepper in concern.

"Long enough to go through the alphabet fifteen times while playing 'I Spy'," said Steve in annoyance, still leaning heavily on Bruce.

"Which I won," said Tony in satisfaction.

"It came down to a tiebreaker and I still say sex appeal isn't a thing," countered Steve immediately. "The game is called 'I Spy' and you can't see sex appeal."

"You can when it comes to me," said Tony with a smirk. "I ooze sex appeal."

Steve snorted. "You ooze annoying."

"They were upside down for about seven hours," translated Fury casually.

"Seven hours!" Pepper exclaimed. She looked Tony over. "Are you sure you're alright, Tony?"

"It's just a little overload of blood to the head," said Tony dismissively as he sat up and then toppled forwards this time. His voice was muffled against the ground. "I'm fine."

Happy eyed the way Tony was face planted into the concrete. "You look fine," he commented, straight-faced.

"You need to get to bed," said Pepper firmly. She looked at Steve. "You both do."

Tony was still face down, as he held up an imperious finger and waved it in the general direction of Steve. "I'm not going to bed with that guy. I've just spent seven hours hanging upside down with him. I'm drawing a line." He made a line in the air. "The line is drawn," he said roundly.

"Like it was a dream come true for me," said Steve indignantly.

Thor shook his head. "I had hoped you two might have found a common ground to build a comradeship on with the time you have spent together. Verily, I see nothing has changed."

Pepper saw Steve and Tony briefly make eye contact and she thought she saw something pass between them but then it was back to the wisecracks.

Tony sat up gingerly, trying to steady himself. "That's not true, Thor. Before I suspected Steve was a jackass, now I'm certain of it." He blinked and started to tilt to the left. "Oh, here I go," he muttered. Pepper scrambled to stop Tony from hitting the ground too heavily, grabbing hold of the material of his t-shirt as he slumped to his left.

Pepper looked up at Fury worriedly and he shook his head at her. "He's going to be fine, Pepper, they both are. I've had them checked out and they've both been given a clean bill of health and this equilibrium problem should have gone away by tomorrow." Fury gave both Tony and Steve pointed looks. "When we'll be discussing, at length, the two of you going off by yourselves without telling anyone."

"Yay," said Tony with false enthusiasm.

Fury looked at the rest of the team. "I'll be doing a debriefing at 0900 tomorrow morning. I expect all of you to be there." His eyes narrowed as his gaze rested on Tony. "On time," he said ominously.

Tony looked at Bruce and spoke in a loud stage whisper. "Why is he looking at me?"

"I guess we'll never know," deadpanned Bruce.

"Tomorrow, 0900," Fury repeated and then he was striding back into the shuttle, the hatch closing promptly behind him and then the craft was shooting up into the air and heading back to the main carrier which loomed large over New York's skyline.

"Happy, can you help me get Tony to bed, please?" Pepper requested. She didn't care about tomorrow, she just cared about seeing Tony was alright now.

Happy nodded and walked up to Tony, squatting down and moving to throw him over his shoulder but Tony shook his head and then promptly fell backwards again. "I can't be upside down again today," he said unevenly from where he was now lying on his back on the ground. "I can make it."

"No, you can't," said Pepper firmly and nodded at Happy again.

Happy tried again, this time scooping Tony up in his arms.

"Be gentle with me, I bruise like a peach," Tony warned him as Happy bent down and picked him up in his arms.

Happy straightened up with a grunt. "My back can't take much more of this."

"Well, I can make it," said Steve decisively as he let go of Bruce and took a couple of steps, only to topple forwards onto his hands and knees. He tried to stand up again but kept on swaying too badly, so instead Steve opted to remain on his hands and knees, shuffling towards the elevator.

"Ohh," clucked Bruce, "dignified."

"You look ridiculous," Tony crowed from his vantage point of Happy holding him in his arms.

"At least I don't look like I'm about to go on my wedding night with Happy," Steve shot back.

"Hey, hey," protested Happy indignantly, "I've got standards, I'd never marry Tony."

Happy was treated with an indignant look from Tony. "You're fired."

"Still a better option than marrying you."

"Stop it, all of you," said Pepper determinedly. "Thor, could you please help Steve make it to his apartment?"

"I don't need help," Steve protested and promptly crawled right into a wall, bumping his head. "Ow."

"Don't argue with me, Steven Rogers," said Pepper, her tone brooking no more discussion on the matter.

"The maiden has spoken," said Thor, walking over to help Steve to his feet, "and I for one do not wish to tarry in carrying out her commands."

"Don't pick me up," Steve warned him and Thor simply put his arm around the other man to steady him. Steve jabbed an uncoordinated finger at Happy and Tony. "I don't want to look like that."

"Happy likes carrying me around," Tony countered. "It makes him feel useful."

"No, I don't and no, it doesn't."

"Alright," Tony backtracked, "I pay you to carry me around if the issue comes up."

"You just fired me."

"You're rehired."

"Can I renegotiate my wage?"

"What, you want to be paid less?" Tony shrugged in his arms. "Weird, but okay."

Happy treated him with an unimpressed look. "I want my health cover to include physio if this carrying business is going to be an ongoing thing."

"Not going to happen."

"I need to join a union," Happy grumbled.

"Would you two please stop carrying on like idiots?" Pepper demanded in mild frustration. The truth was the easy bickering between the two made her feel a little better, that Tony really was alright, but she would still feel better with Tony safely tucked up in bed.

"Fine," said Happy, "I'll just carry the idiot instead."

Tony glared at him. "You're fired."

"Easy come, easy go," said Happy philosophically.

Pepper looked over at Thor and Bruce. "Are you both alright?"

"Thank you for your concern, Pepper Potts," said Thor with a little inclination of his head, "but I was unharmed during our encounter with the flying creatures."

"Bruce?"

"I'm fine, Pep," said Bruce but then gave Tony a pointed look. "Just so you know, I'm going to wait until you feel better tomorrow and then I'm going to be kicking your ass for pushing me out of that plane."

"It's a date," said Tony cheerily from over Happy's shoulder, "shall I just dress smart casual or do I need to break out the tux?"

"Just wear something that blood comes out of easily," said Bruce menacingly.

"Latex it is," said Tony breezily. "Boy, it's been awhile since I've been on that kind of date."

Pepper shook her head and followed them all as everyone piled into the elevator. "God give me the strength," she muttered under her breath.

Today had been a long day and it wasn't over yet...