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Chapter 5 - Resignation Refusal

Pepper quietly walked out of the bathroom. She had slipped back on her white gown that she had put on after the ladies' maids had bathed her the day before. It was truly, an odd experience. Looking back at it, the entire day was just mad. But, what else would she expect for a wedding day with Tony?

She walked back into her bedroom and smiled at him. Tony lay on his side, facing her, still sound asleep. She slipped back into the bed, next to him. He moved closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her waist.

She couldn't remember ever seeing him so relaxed. She smiled at him just as her phone beeped, next to the bed. She lay back and looked at it. How in the world did it pick up way out here?

She saw that she had several texts from Natasha and one from Happy.

'Pepper. Give me a call when you have a few minutes. I know you are busy, but I really need to talk to you about this "Tony" thing.' Happy wrote.

She sighed. It was time stamped that he had sent it yesterday. She decided to look at what Natasha had sent her while she thought of a reply to Happy.

Tony began to move next to her. He rubbed her stomach and took a deep breath. She asked him quietly, "Are you awake?"

He didn't open his eyes. "No."

She went back to her replying to Natasha's texts. Tony rolled over and ran his hands through his hair.

"You probably need to go over to your room. I'm not sure what time it is."

He groaned and laid his head on her stomach. She giggled. "This is not progress."

He hadn't opened his eyes. "Shhh…I'm still asleep."

She ran her hand through his hair. He kissed her stomach.

"This looks like awake-"

"Not awake." He insisted and laid his head back on her stomach.

"You need to test your palladium-"

"I'm not doing that."

"Tony. You need to see what it is."

He sighed without opening his eyes. "I don't want to know what it is."

"How does it feel?"

"I'm sure it's high. It always is."

She looked back at her phone and ran her hand through his hair. "Ignoring the problem is not a solution."

"Is that Irish wisdom?" He teased.

"Common sense."

He groaned. "I'm still asleep. I'll check it later."

Pepper continued to look at her phone. "You are awake. The Stark Expo is going to bump three concerts-"

He didn't open his eyes. "Tell them they can play for the closing ceremonies."

Pepper rose her eyebrows and nodded, "That's a good idea. Alright. Umm…MIT wants to know if you can come speak to the students."

He groaned, "Ask if they would rather have Rose. I have some pull with that."

She replied to the message, "Alright. I also have four people lined up for you to meet."

He didn't open his eyes and reached up to take her phone from her hands. "Stop working. You're relaxing."

She groaned. "Tony. You're relaxing. I need to get this stuff done."

"Let someone else do it." He told her as he held her phone far from her reach behind him. Still without opening his eyes.

She groaned. "Happy texted me. I don't know how to reply."

Tony opened his eyes and looked at her. "What did he say?"

She pointed at the phone. "It's just there. You can read it."

Tony rubbed his eyes and looked at the phone. "Tony thing? I'm a thing?"

She crossed her arms. "It's not any of his business."

Tony was already replying to the message.

Her eyes got huge. "Wait! What are you saying?"

He rolled over to keep the phone out of her hands. "He thinks I'm you. You just told him that you're someplace that has terrible phone reception, but you can text."

"Tony. Give me that."

He handed it to her just as it dinged a reply. She read it and sighed as he lay back on her stomach.

"Gosh."

"What is it?"

She shook her head. "It will piss you off."

"Alright. Well….I'm prepared."

"He says: 'I would like to talk to you. Dating your boss is never a good idea. Especially, him. When will you be back in town? We'll go out for a drink and talk this over.'"

"He's not going to win the president's chair of my fan club with an attitude like that." Tony insisted.

Pepper was exasperated. "Is he asking me out? Is that it?"

"Why is this any of his concern?"

Pepper groaned. "I don't know."

Just as Tony was about to take the phone back from her to tell Happy to go to Hell, they both heard the unmistakable sound of the door open to the flat where they stayed. Both of them scrambled to find a place for Tony to hide since there was no way he could get back to his room without being spotted. He first started to climb under the bed, but it was too narrow for him. They both looked around. Pepper quickly opened the wardrobe's door and motioned for him to climb inside. He hesitated, which made her almost panic.

"Get in here!"

"Maybe they are the ones we should tell to go to Hell-"

"Tony!"

"They can tell when you are lying-"

"Get in there!" She grunted quietly to him.

He climbed inside quickly and she closed the door. Pepper had seconds to compose herself. "It's all in what you say." Spotting his clothes laying in the floor, she quickly kicked them under the bed.

One of the ladies maids walked into her room and smiled at her. Pepper noticed that the table had been cleared completely off of all food and drink. Apparently, it had been transported away.

The ladies maid smiled warmly, "And Ma'am Potts. Good morning. I thought I would have to wake you."

Pepper smiled. "No. I've been awake for a while. Is there breakfast?"

"Yes. It will be here shortly. Do you know if Mr. Stark is awake?"

"Oh, he's awake. I heard his voice."

The lady's maid nodded. "Oh. The door is closed to his room."

Pepper nodded, "He needs to get dressed."

The lady's maid smiled as she made up the bed. "Yes, ma'am. Well. Is there anything I can bring you?"

Pepper nodded, "You know. Coffee would be great. Do you have that here?"

"Of course. I'll step out and fetch you some."

"And Tony would like some, as well. He probably needs some caffeine this morning. I'm going to get…..cleaned up. And then, I'll be in the main room. I need just a few minutes though."

"Do you need help dressing, ma'am?"

Pepper smiled and shook her head. "I'm fine. Thank you."

The lady's maid walked out of the room and Pepper held her breath until she heard the door to the flat close. She opened the wardrobe and a nude Tony smiled back at her. "You are just, mind-blowingly good! Lying to a Rixalarian?"

"I didn't tell her anything that was untrue!"

Tony fell out of the wardrobe and spotting his clothing that Pepper had kicked under the bed. He gathered them in his arms and stood up.

He laughed, "I feel like teenager."

"GO!" She told him as she pushed him out her bedroom. As she saw his bare ass step through his bedroom's door, she laughed. He turned around and blew her a kiss as the main door opened again. His door closed quickly behind him and Pepper let out a sigh of relief. "Oh my God. Crazy man."

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The Doctor sat in the Control Room onboard his ship behind a panel. The large window was being used as a screen to a program he was running that was displaying star charts.

Pete Tyler's face was on another screen that displayed in the top corner. He wore an oxford and sat behind a desk. He was sorting through files of paperwork.

"Pete, it's late there. What are you still doing up?" The Doctor asked, not taking his eyes off of the star charts.

Pete groaned, "Ah. I needed to look over this stuff. Torchwood was always just a mess, but it really is a mess now."

"Jake?"

"Nah. He's mostly sorted it out. He's done a hell of a job, organizing the agents, their training, security. All of that. This is just….stuff I should have put to bed before I handed it to Lewis. If I end up with a broken arm over this, don't be surprised."

The Doctor chuckled. "That bad, huh?"

"Lewis is already wavering on taking this position. He had never agreed to it. He was just looking at it. Retirement for me looks to be an unattainable position."

"Maybe you should just realize you were made for that job. We'll just call you, 'The Director.'"

"Nope! I've got too many other things going on. Like this." He held up a file and nodded his head. "$56 billion dollars in this hospital deal."

"You're buying a hospital?"

"No. That would be more money. They are buying more of those machines that you made."

"That's just one hospital?"

Pete continued to look over his paperwork. "That's seven. They are owned by the same company. Huh. I should ask for more. That seems low. I better look at that again."

The Doctor shook his head in surprise. "Damn. That's the reason you handle that part, Pete. Wow."

"And I hear that you and Rose have left Torchwood completely. When were you planning on letting 'The Director Father in Law' know that, son?"

"Ah. Finally the purpose of this conversation." The Doctor nodded. "I was planning on telling you when we returned in a few hours."

Pete sighed, "That's not going to work. You know it won't. Although, I do love the idea of Rose being out."

"But, not me?"

"I don't understand that."

"Humans need to grow up and solve their own problems. As long as I….hold their hand….nothing will ever get better. They need to make their own decisions, both the good and the bad."

Pete nodded his head. "I see your point. But, I don't agree with it."

"You don't have to agree with it for me to resign."

"Actually, I do."

"And….?"

"I don't."

The Doctor dropped his head, dramatically. "Damn it. Pete!"

"If I'm stuck with this…so are you." He pointed at him forcefully.

"Well, that's just….shit. Hang on. You can't tell me what to do. I quit!"

"You don't."

"I do!"

"I'll expect you in the office in the morning." Pete told him.

"I won't be there."

"See you then!" Pete waved at him and ended the transmission.

The Doctor groaned and rubbed his face. "Rose is not going to like this."

The door hissed open and Genie skipped in the room. She wore her favorite purple jammy jams and had her hair wrapped up in a towel. He turned around and smiled at her. "And there she is!"

She handed him a brush. He pulled her into his lap and sat her on his knees. "Did you have a nice bath?"

She smiled, "Yes. Mummy told me that I smelled like flowers."

He unwrapped her hair and started to brush it out. "You do. You smell lovely. Did you have fun playing with the other children?"

"Yes. My legs are sore."

"That's from running so much. That's good for you."

"That's what Mum said. We need to go to Lenox's more. I think he is the richest man I've ever met."

The Doctor rose his eyebrows. "Lenox? Why do you say that?"

"He has a lot of places to play. Three suns during certain times of day! And so many children. Wow. It's amazing."

He smiled. "Oh, the mind of a child is truly remarkable. I think you are right. Lenox has to be the richest man I've ever known. He has it all."

"The children said he even has a ship. Does he?"

He continued to work though her hair. "Yes. He does. It's just over the hill. He doesn't like the children getting near it. He's a Quauhtin Primus."

"Like you!" She giggled.

He smiled. "Yes. Like me."

"Is that the reason you have a ship, Daddy?"

"One of the reasons."

"Then why doesn't Lewis have a ship?"

"Huh. I haven't thought of that."

"Maybe Lewis doesn't like to fly. I don't know. He says he likes Earth. He wants to stay here."

He nodded his head. "It is nice there."

"Have you spoken to Legate?" She asked.

He smiled, "Legate misses you, too."

"Why didn't he come with us?"

"He was with Ginger when we left. It was a quick trip out. You'll see him in a few hours."

"He said it's snowing at Grand's. He loves snow."

The Doctor smiled, "Does he?"

"He went outside and let me see. We're going to have a grand snowball battle with Tony when we get home!"

He laughed at her excitement. "Soli would probably like that, too."

She covered her mouth and giggled.

He smiled at her silliness.

"What are you doing?" She pointed at the star charts.

"I was looking to see if the stars were all in the right places."

She shook her head. "That's mad. Why wouldn't they be?"

The door hissed open and Rose walked into the Control Room. "There you are. Genie, tell me where you are going next time."

"Sorry."

The Doctor finished her hair. "Alright. You are all brushed out and clean."

"Can you put it in a braid?"

He nodded, "Sure." And started to twist her hair into a braid.

Rose sat down in a chair at the panel next to them. She pointed at the screen with the star charts. "What is this?"

Genie answered her, "Daddy is looking to see if all the stars in the right place."

"The right place?"

"Yeah." He told her. "Some of them are a bit different here than they were in the Prime Dimension."

"Really?"

"Yep." He popped.

"Have you been to everyone of them, Daddy?" Genie asked.

"I have. More than once in several cases."

She smiled, "Which one is your favorite?"

"Each one has something….unique. Like…umm….this green planet over here." He pointed to the screen. "It has a water slide that will take you over an hour to get down. You slide through the jungles and mountains."

Genie giggled. "That sounds fun."

He finished her hair and changed the image on the screen. Then he pointed at it again. "That red planet, just there….you bounce as if you are on a trampoline because of the gravity. It's great fun."

Rose smiled at Genie's laughter. He changed the screen again. "And this one here. It's the small one. They say if you drink from the pond there, you will live forever, and never age."

Genie turned and looked at him. "That sounds like a story."

"It does, doesn't it? But, isn't everything a story?"

She smiled, "It is."

He bopped her on the end of the nose. "Just make sure it's a good one."

She giggled and hugged him tightly around the neck. "I love you, Daddy."

He held her and kissed her cheek. "I love you. My sweet Sara Gene."

She sat up and smiled at him.

"Now. You've slept all day, but…you probably still need to rest."

"Mummy said I could watch telly."

He looked back at Rose. "She did?"

Genie nodded her head. "But, Jack thinks he's going to watch a football game. I told him to go to his room."

He smiled. "Good girl. Alright. I'll be in later. Relax. We'll be home in a little while."

She jumped off of his lap. "Alright, Daddy." She waved at Rose. "Bye, Mummy."

Rose smiled at her. "I'll be in there in a bit."

Genie walked out of the room and the door hissed behind her. Rose looked at the Doctor just in time to see him sigh. "And you are shielding me from that. Baby, don't mourn her before she's gone."

He nodded, "You're right."

"We still have years."

"They are so short, Rose."

She nodded. He reached over and turned off the screen's star charts. Rose saw the streaks of stars go across the window.

"I spoke to Lance earlier. Gave him some advice with Jane."

The Doctor sighed. "And that didn't go well."

"You're kidding."

"Your advice was great. He….just….managed to stir himself directly into finding out that her family died during the Cyber Invasion. She became upset and well…..I think I walked him through it alright. She's sleeping now."

Rose looked confused, "So, you told him to knock her out?"

He grinned and shook his head. "No. To draw her a lovely, warm bath. She's asleep in Lance's bed with him, at the moment."

Rose nodded. "Well, alright."

"Onto Plan C with that."

She shook her head. "Poor Lance."

"Lance has a beautiful woman sleeping next to him."

He looked back at her face that immediately looked cross.

He nodded, "You're right. Poor guy. It's a terrible life for him."

She rolled her eyes. "Cheeky. But not as bad as you normally are."

He shook his head.

"What's wrong?"

"I spoke to Pete. And…I wasn't completely honest with you before."

She sat back and crossed her arms. "I'm sure there was a good reason. What happened?"

"I gave Pete your resignation-"

"But?"

"I didn't give him mine. I gave it to Lewis. I knew Pete would fight me about it."

Rose nodded her head. "I knew that all was too simple. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I felt that I could make him….see my point. See why, I wanted out."

"He doesn't."

"He doesn't. He loves the idea of you not being there. But, he still feels he will need my help."

"Well, I'm sure he will. But, we agreed."

He closed his eyes. "We did. And it's the right thing to do."

"No. There's something else."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "You know. Sometimes this….being joined….is…..ummm…"

She smiled, stood up and sat down in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. She could feel him relax.

"Being joined is what?" She asked.

He smiled, "Nice."

She laughed, "That's not at all, what you were about to say."

She could feel his hands rub her bum. "It's what I should have said. Rose. I think I've stumbled onto something."

"What baby?" She asked him.

He looked away and nodded. "I need to talk to Jake. Something isn't right there."

"How do you know?"

"I've…..seen…..something."

"A vision?"

"A glimpse. I don't know if that's what it was. I need to talk to him. Then, I can….feel better about this Torchwood resignation."

Rose nodded her head. "I can accept that."

"Are you sure?"

She smiled, "Yes. Completely certain." She leaned down and snogged him. She put both of her hands on his cheeks as they kissed. He held her bum tightly and thought that she had agreed to that entire arrangement way too fast.

He stopped kissing her and looked up at her. "What's going on? You should be cross about this."

She smiled and quickly bit her lip. "I need to get back to the children."

She stood up and he didn't let go of her hand. "Rose. What?"

She giggled at him. "I won the bet. I knew you hadn't left. You forget, we're joined, and I know you better than anyone else."

He rolled his eyes as she walked out of the door. "Damn Quauthin have corrupted my wife."

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