A/N: Life and work is still crazy, but managed to get this chapter done somehow. Thank you to all who are reading, favouriting and commenting. You are all complete and utter legends. :D

A couple of people have mentioned that Cap can't get drunk and I'm planning on addressing that in later chapters, so stay tuned. ;)

Okay, running between 12 other jobs right now, so I'm going to post and run. Hope you enjoy the first part of how Pepper and Tony first started to date in this particular reality. :D

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Do you know what is the most annoying thing about you, Tony Stark?"

Tony stared into the angry blue gaze that was just inches from his own. "That despite what I do, my hair is always perfect?" he offered up brightly.

"No!" Pepper Potts snapped. "It's the way you get me involved in things without telling me what it is and then when I do find out I wish I didn't!"

"Oh, come on now," said Tony dismissively, "give me an example, Potts."

"Now!" said Pepper through gritted teeth, so close to him that he could feel her hot, sweet breath on his face. "Right now, Tony, this is an example. You have me holding a bomb!"

"Ah, now to be fair," said Tony distractedly as he continued to try and manoeuvre the delicate wires in the metal casing, "it wasn't a bomb when I first asked you to hold that wire for me." Tony had been working on some improvements to his miniaturised arc reactor that currently kept his heart safe and sound and had asked Pepper to hold some wires for him because he didn't have enough hands and quite frankly didn't trust any of his automated devices. The work was too fine and delicate, so he'd called Pepper down. It had all been perfectly safe as he'd worked away, soldering this to that while Pepper held that away from this. The truth was that Tony could have worked it out that he didn't need Pepper but he liked being this close to her, liked having an excuse to have her soft perfume in his nostrils and feel the warmth of her body close to his.

Tony had intentionally taken longer than he needed to get the job done but that was when things had started to deteriorate rapidly. He'd actually been working out some kind of segue into bringing things around so he could ask Pepper out on a date. Tony was extremely nervous about asking because of two very good reasons. The first was the extremely high possibility that she'd say no, Pepper having already made her feelings very clear about becoming one of 'his girls' as she'd put it. Pepper would never be like that for him but Tony could understand that he was a hard sell to a woman like Pepper Potts. The second reason he was so nervous was that there was a minute possibility that she might actually say yes to him. Pepper was the most important relationship in his life and if he screwed it up Tony knew he'd lose her forever which was just something he couldn't even begin to contemplate.

"But it's a bomb now," said Pepper anxiously.

Tony stopped what he was doing, suddenly serious brown eyes meeting hers. "Sometimes a change can be a good thing, Pepper. Maybe things changing isn't something we should run away from." It had been a question he'd been mulling over for awhile ever since his feelings for Pepper were starting to demand action from him.

Pepper gaped at him in disbelief. "Explain to me how something life saving transforming into something life threatening is a good thing, Tony?"

A slight frown touched Tony's brow. "What makes you'd think it'd be that awful?" he asked in a hurt tone.

Pepper was looking at him like he'd gone insane. "Um, because it's a bomb," she bit out.

Tony blinked and then looked down at the arc reactor. "Oh right, we're talking about this and not that, okay."

"What that?" asked Pepper in confusion. She closed her eyes in frustration. "No, don't answer that, just concentrate on not getting us killed."

Tony snorted disdainfully. "We're not going to be killed." To demonstrate his point he tugged on the wire he'd been trying to isolate and held it up triumphantly, showing Pepper how he'd managed to neutralise the situation. The arc reactor wasn't on board with Tony's showmanship though, because it started to emit a high-pitched squeal that was steadily getting louder and more frightening sounding. Tony looked down at the device in surprise. "Oh."

"Oh?" repeated Pepper anxiously, still holding the casing of the reactor steady with her hands. "Oh, what?"

"Oh, that's disappointing," Tony noted. He looked at the wire in his other hand and then back at the reactor. "Why didn't that work?"

Pepper was looking at him with real fear as the reactor's shrill cry became even louder and more intense. "Tell me you've dismantled the bomb, Tony," she pleaded with him unevenly, "and that's the noise this thing makes when it's perfectly safe."

Tony gave her an uncertain look. "Is this one of these times where you'd like me to lie to you so you feel better?"

Pepper groaned and closed her eyes. "We're going to die."

"We're not going to die," said Tony calmly. "I'll just reattach the wire and everything will be fine." He did just that and the noise immediately stopped. Tony grinned at the relieved looking Pepper. "See, nothing to worry about." Just as quickly as the arc reactor had stopped, it suddenly burst back into life, this time making an even scarier noise. Tony pouted. "Well, that's not right."

"What do we do?! What do we do?!"Pepper looked at him with wide, terrified eyes as the sound of the device became even more urgent, obviously building to something.

"We should-" said Tony slowly, belying how quickly his brain was working out all the possible scenarios and what he could do about it.

"Yes, yes!" exclaimed Pepper anxiously.

"-run away," concluded Tony thoughtfully as all of his extrapolations came to the same conclusion.

"Oh my god," Pepper gasped weakly but Tony had already grabbed her hand and was dragging her towards his roadster.

They both clambered in, Tony immediately switching on the engine and throwing the car into reverse. There wasn't enough room and certainly not enough time by the high-pitched scream his creation was currently making to rectify that, so Tony simply looked over his shoulder and floored it.

"We're going backwards!" yelled Pepper.

"Duly noted, dear," said Tony through gritted teeth as he used all of his skills to manoeuvre around all the work benches and various other pieces that cluttered his work shop until they were going at break neck speed down the tunnel that led out to the road outside. They screeched down the winding tunnel, Pepper holding on tight to the dashboard. All of Tony's concentration was on the task at hand as he worked hard to get them both to safety. He knew what kind of bang this was going to be and it wasn't going to be pretty. An indescribably loud explosive noise came on the heels of that thought. The sound rolled down the tunnel, shaking the car and loosening concrete above them.

"Tony!" said Pepper loudly and he didn't need to turn around to see what she was crying out about.

Tony could feel the heat of the fire ball heading their way even without taking his eyes off the road behind them.

Pepper, of course, had a front row seat to the enormous orange beast that was snapping at their heels, intent on swallowing them alive. "Bad," she whimpered watching it edge ever closer. "Bad, bad, bad."

Tony's brow furrowed with concentration, knowing they weren't far from the opening of the tunnel now. He just needed to get them there before that fire ball caught up with them and their tank full of fuel. The red roadster shot out of the tunnel entrance like a bullet from a gun, just as the tunnel erupted behind them. The force of the blast lifted the front end of the car up, but Tony just kept his foot pressed down on the gas pedal and eyes on the road. The car thumped back down to the ground and Tony drove them a safe distance away before pulling up on the side of the road. "So," said Tony after a moment as they both stared ahead for a long moment, catching their breath, "I feel like Chinese. How about you, Pepper?"

Pepper looked at him wide eyed at his casual question, clearly still trying to come to terms with what had just happened. "No," she said hoarsely, "I don't want Chinese, Tony."

"Thai?" offered up Tony hopefully. "I'm in the mood for noodles. It has to have noodles."

Pepper just shook her head in disbelief and tried to get out of the car. Her still shaking hands fumbled with the door handle and in the end she ended up spilling out of the car, landing on her back on the dirt below.

"Are you alright?" asked Tony in concern, moving over to her side of the car and leaning down to check on her.

Pepper's legs were still in the car while she lay flat on her back on the ground. Her face was deathly pale, making her freckles stand out particularly noticeably. "No!" said Pepper, some strength returning to her voice. "No, Tony, I'm not alright. We almost died."

"But we didn't," he pointed out brightly. "So, that's good, right?"

Pepper turned her head and looked up the road from where they'd just escaped what would have been certain death and then looked back at Tony. "I hate you," she announced raggedly.

Tony smiled, finding her particularly adorable in that moment. "No, you don't."

"Oh, yes I do!" exclaimed Pepper as she tried to untangle her legs and get out of the car properly.

"You're just a little overwrought," said Tony, trying to help her but getting a few kicks in the face and chest for his trouble, most likely intentionally.

"Overwrought," muttered Pepper to herself as she shakily attempted to stand. "I'm always overwrought around you, Tony Stark!"

That seemed as good an opening as he was going to get and Tony took it. "I'm always overwrought around you too, Pepper," he said sincerely, following her out of the car.

"Why?!" she yelled at him, arms flailing about. "I don't scare you half to death on a daily basis! I don't live to make other people crazy! I don't-." Whatever Pepper had been about to say was lost as she promptly fainted dead away.

Tony's heart lurched as he saw her fall, lunging forward and just managing to catch her in time before she hit the ground. Tony held her to him as Pepper's head lolled backwards, still alarmingly pale. She was clearly still in shock and between standing up so suddenly and yelling at him, it had been a little too much. Tony very tenderly lowered her to the ground, quickly slipping his coat off and putting it under her head. He urgently ran his hands over her body, worried that something from the blast may have hit Pepper and caused this, but she looked perfectly fine, better than fine actually. Tony grimaced as he became distracted by the feeling of Pepper's softness under his hands. "Not cool, Stark," he muttered to himself and quickly withdrew his hands. The last thing Tony wanted was for Pepper to come round and find him feeling her up. That would put a sizable dent in his campaign to have Pepper take him seriously. Tony wasn't exactly sure what to do next, so he patted her shoulder in an awkward attempt to comfort her. "Pepper, are you okay?" To Tony's great relief Pepper's eyelashes flickered.

"Don't you know anything?" Pepper mumbled as she came round properly. "When people faint you're meant to put elevate their feet, not their head."

"Sorry," said Tony wrinkling his nose that was very close to hers as he leant over her, "not much experience with fainting."

"Sorry I was such a girl," said Pepper unevenly, looking embarrassed now as she looked up at him.

"I like that you're a girl," admitted Tony huskily. "In fact, I like it very much."Their eyes locked and suddenly Tony felt himself unable to breath. He slowly began to lower his head, intending to kiss her then.

"You are unbelievable," said Pepper wide-eyed just before his lips touched hers.

"So are you," murmured Tony, his lips brushing hers as he was about to claim his prize at long last.

"Not in a good way!" she exclaimed, pushing hard on his chest and forcing Tony to roll off her.

"Careful," said Tony as she stood up and swayed badly. He reached out a hand to touch Pepper's leg and steady her but she shook it off.

"You tried to kill me and then you try to kiss me!" she yelled at him. "What the hell is that, Tony?!"

Tony scrambled to his feet. "I didn't try and kill you, Pepper. It was an accident."

His protests didn't seem to pacify Pepper as an angry flush finally coloured her cheeks. "Your life is just full of accidents, isn't it?!" she raged at him.

Tony hesitated. "Is there any kind of answer to that question that will stop you yelling at me?"

"You want me to stop yelling?" asked Pepper tightly. "Fine, this is me not yelling." She turned on her heel and stalked back to the car and got in. The key was still in the ignition and she turned it over, the car roaring to life as Pepper floored the pedal. The wheels of Tony's convertible threw up pebbles and dust as Pepper pulled hard on the steering wheel, intent on making a fast getaway and leaving Tony standing there.

oooOOOOooo

"Wait," said Clint in confusion. "This is the story of how you and Pepper ended up together? It sounds more like the story where she gets justifiable grounds for smothering you in your sleep."

Steve was nursing his own deep-fried onion flower now and he shook his head around a mouthful of the delicious treat. "Trust your courtship technique to involve bombs, Stark."

Tony held up a finger. "It was only one bomb," he reminded them. "And unfortunately it got a whole lot worse before it got better. The bomb was the easy part of the night."

Happy gave Tony a disgruntled look. "Oh yeah, because you were the one that suffered that night. I mean, you got the girl at the end of it all, what did I get?"

Tony's lips twitched. "A bitchin' tattoo?"

Happy held up a warning finger and looked a little desperate. "We said we'd never speak about that again!"

"Wait," said Bruce, intrigued despite himself, "where does Happy come into all this?"

Happy arched an eyebrow and treated Tony to a pointed look. "Should I tell him or should you, boss?"

Tony smiled and leaned back against the velvet interior of their booth. "I'll do it, you'll just get it wrong." He scratched his cheek. "So, where was I? Oh yes, Pepper was speeding away from me in the roadster-"