Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter! As you can guess, there won't be any Pepper/Tony interactions in this chapter. This is 99% Pepper trying to get shit done. I hope you'll enjoy it! Again, thank you to everyone who leaves reviews, I can't tell you how much I appreciate them.
A HUGE thank you to my Beta and Nitpicker-in-chief, Lauren, who bears with my grumpiness when I have to rewrite stuff that doesn't make sense (which happens more than you think). Love ya girl.
Chapter 14:
Pepper leaves for the United States on a Tuesday. Her doctor at the military hospital in Germany finally released her after the end of her third week and Pepper couldn't be more relieved to be coming back to her side of the Atlantic Ocean. There's a lot to be done. Both Tony and Aurelia need her help and she arrives at Davison AAF, a military airport in Virginia, already on the warpath with several intelligence agencies and the American legal system. Happy collects her and they head directly to Washington DC.
In her hand, her blackberry is already heating up as she sends texts and emails to all her contacts in every branch of the government. Her other phone is put to use as well as she calls John Wanamaker to tell him she's landed and where she's going. There's no news from the FBI about Aurelia. John told Pepper that Aurelia was detained in a federal prison in upstate New York but that no one but his wife, Annalise - who is also her lawyer - was allowed to see her because of the National Security Act. Annalise had only been allowed one short visit two weeks ago during the arraignment and hadn't been able to see her since.
Pepper is relieved that Annalise is a lawyer and therefore allowed to see and help Aurelia when no one else in her family or friends can. Also, they seriously need someone with Annalise's expertise and connections. Annalise's former Harvard alumni are a wealth of information as to whom in the government Pepper should contact, both in Aurelia's and Tony's case. Two of them make up the rest of Aurelia's lawyers. John informs Pepper that they're the ones going through the red tape the FBI have thrown their way. A thankless task according to Annalise, but the only way to make sure that Aurelia has a fighting chance in front of the court. Annalise also provides her with a list of senators and generals to contact about Tony's search and rescue efforts.
After that first call to John, Pepper dodges calls from eager journalists and sends emails to confirm a meeting with various members of Emily's List – a committee supporting pro-choice Democratic candidates, to whom Aurelia has been incredibly generous over the years. The reply they send back startles her.
They are all relieved to hear Pepper has landed safely on American soil and are happy to meet her the next day at 1 pm. At Marcel's. One of the most expensive restaurants in DC. Not exactly the most conducive place to hold a meeting about a sensitive case like Aurelia's.
For a split second, Pepper wonders if she had been clear enough when writing the email she sent them. She shakes her head. Yes, of course, she has. Aurelia had saved her and is now in FBI custody, paying for her act of selflessness. She calls one of them, Elizabeth Windham, a Congresswoman, and a lawyer. She answers on the first ring:
"Pepper, oh my goodness, are you alright?" Pepper sighs internally. She's going to have to get used to people asking her that for some time.
"Yes, it's only a broken arm and some bruised ribs." And a punctured lung, Pepper doesn't say, but she doesn't want everyone to know the real extent of her injuries. Washington is already awash with gossip about her. Let's not add to the fire. "I just received your email. We're meeting at Marcel's? I don't -"
Elizabeth cuts her off before she can formulate the end of her thought: "Oh, yes! Alice booked us a nice table in the private area. We won't be bothered and we can keep this meeting away from prying eyes." Alice Porter is one of the few women at the head of a major law firm in Washington. Pepper and Aurelia have been supporting her candidacy to become Cook County's next district attorney for a little less than a year now.
"I see. But isn't this a bit... informal? I just... Aurelia is in real trouble and-" The line is cut and Pepper is left staring at her Blackberry. Did she just…? Her phone vibrates moments later and a text from Elizabeth appears on her screen:
"Sorry, we got cut. Terrible reception on the Hill, isn't that ironic? I'd love to discuss, but I need to run. I've got a hearing in front of the Commission on Energy and Commerce in fifteen minutes. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care!"
Somehow, she has the feeling that calling the others will have the same result. So she calls her assistant in Malibu to ask her if her suite at the Four Seasons is booked, as well as her medical appointment at John Hopkins.
Four hours later, Dr. Madeira gives Pepper a new prescription and advises her to 'take it slow' for at least a week. Pepper nods automatically, not telling her she isn't about to sit idly by while her lover is still a hostage and her closest friend is in prison for a crime she committed to save her life. Dr. Madeira also prescribes her some painkillers, some anti-anxiety pills and some other pills to sleep. Pepper has no intention of taking the last two but she nods nonetheless and thanks the doctor before leaving.
She and Happy arrive at the hotel less than an hour later. They stay in adjoining rooms and decide to meet a little later for dinner and to call Rhodey together. Pepper briefly entertains the idea of a nap as she's completely exhausted but ultimately decides against it. She feels too wired to sleep. Also, her painkillers are starting to wear off. She starts the shower and swallows two pills. She then carefully takes off her clothes, her ribs and arm still hurting her. Thankfully, her cast had been taken off just before she left. Facing the bathroom mirror, she takes in her reflection. It's the first time she completely sees herself since being rescued. Naked, she couldn't help but stare at the multiple bruises and the marks the stitches have left across her ribcage and her shoulder.
She's painfully thinner than she was when she left, even with the hospital food. She looks a little closer at her injuries. The swelling has mostly gone down, but the light purple and bluish coloring still tell a story that makes her heartbreak. Images of Tony lying on the cot with a hole in his chest flash in her mind. She puts her hand above her heart, bracing herself above the bathroom sink with the other, fighting a losing battle against her tears. The tremors are next and she digs her nails into her skin, trying to make her body ache more than the guilt, the fear and the loss that are threatening to drown her. All the thoughts and questions she's been trying to ignore these past few days are coming back to her.
Where's Tony? Is he alright? Are he and Yinsen still alive? Are they torturing Tony? Did they tell him about selling her to the highest bidder? Does he know she's still alive? What's going to happen to him when he's done what they've asked of him? Every question is an ice pick that goes straight to her heart. The guilt is eating at her. Why did she get out? Why did she get to escape while Tony is still captive and Aurelia is paying for her selflessness? She curses at the world and the gods above for taking those she loves from her. She's angry, absolutely furious at the injustice of it all. She wishes she could turn back time. Go back to the fourth of July. Go back to that night on the yacht. Go back to the first night, in Tokyo and never let him go. Yes, that's it. She remembers now, the feeling that she was abandoning him that night. That somehow, the stranger in the bed was silently begging her not to go. And she did it anyway. Over and over again. She always left. Even when he was the one to leave, she let him go. She failed him. She failed him. And now, she was even failing Aurelia.
Eventually, she stops trying to rein it in, letting go. She steps into the shower and sobs against the injustice of it all. She thinks of the last time she cried in a bathroom and Tony's arms around her, comforting her, and never leaving her side. She remembers his warmth and how the scalding water of the shower still appreciate her cold. She thinks of him, so far from her, fighting for his life.
Nothingness comes next.
XXXX
"Miss Potts!"
Someone is shaking her.
"Miss Potts! Wake up, Ms. Potts!"
She feels something soft and warm covering her. Why is she so cold? Her eyes blink open. Happy is looking at her, crouching near her lying form. Another man is talking to one of the hotel maids.
Happy is speaking to her: "Miss Potts, are you alright?"
She looks down and sees a bathrobe covering her body. She tries to sit up but dizziness prevents her from doing so. She groans at the pain shooting up her head.
"What happened?" She asks.
Happy visibly relaxes as he hears her voice.
"I heard a loud noise and a thud, and when you didn't answer the door, we came in. We found you on the shower floor, unconscious."
Pepper tries to sit up a second time and succeeds with Happy's help. She rests her back against the wall behind her. She asks:
"Who's the other man?"
"He's with the hotel security, he's the one who opened the door for me."
A third man arrives, visibly from the Emergency Services. He kneels in front of her.
"Miss Potts? You're awake, that's good. My name is Kamal, I'm the Emergency Medical Responder. How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts, I'm feeling a bit nauseous. And I feel a bit… dizzy."
Kamal nods. "Okay, do you know where you are?"
It takes a few seconds for Pepper to remember. "I'm at the Four Seasons. In Washington DC."
Kamal smiles. "That's right. Now, I'm going to examine you. Maybe your friends could wait in the other room?" He turns to Happy and the man from security. "You can leave the door open, I just need to ensure the patient's privacy."
They silently agree and exit the room without closing the door.
Kamal takes out his equipment and starts his examination. It takes ten minutes in total as he tries to determine what happened. Pepper doesn't tell him much. If he's seen the news, he knows who she is, where she's been and what happened to her. She just tells him she hasn't eaten much and that her sleep pattern has been greatly disrupted. Kamal nods, looking at her bandages and making sure nothing got infected.
"Do you think you can get up without assistance?" He asks.
Pepper nods: "I think so. Could you- could you turn away, so that I can put on the robe properly before I get up?"
"Of course." Kamal stands and turns away.
Pepper puts on the bathrobe, wincing at the pain when she has to contort herself to put on the right sleeve. She takes hold of the towel rack and carefully gets on her feet. Her legs feel a bit shaky but she manages to remain standing nonetheless. She ties a knot in front of her bathrobe and puts her hair behind her shoulders.
"Thank you." She says, signaling to Kamal that he can look back.
He turns. "No problem. Do you need assistance to walk to the living room?"
Pepper shakes her head. "I think I'm fine. Just… stay close."
Happy is alone when she comes out of the bathroom, the hotel security guard having left already. She moves to the living room without too much difficulty, holding the wall a little but not relying on it too heavily either. Happy leads the way and Kamal is right behind Pepper, making sure she won't fall without crowding her. She sits on the couch while the two men remain standing.
"Is she alright?" Happy asks the EMR.
Kamal nods: "I didn't find any sign of concussion so I don't think there's any head trauma. But Ms. Potts light-headedness and nausea worry me a littleI'd like her to accompany me to the hospital for further analysis."
Pepper shakes her head. She's had enough of hospitals. "No." She says categorically.
"That's your decision, but you need to know that it's against my medical advice. And you'll need to sign a legal form saying you've refused to go to the hospital before I go."
"Do you have that legal form on you?" Pepper asks. "I'd like to rest."
"Yes," he replies. He fishes a StarkPad out of his bag, searches through it and hands it to her with the stylus. Pepper is slightly taken aback at the sight of the device. She'd forgotten SI doesn't just do armaments. Her mind goes directly to Tony and she freezes, her hand in the air.
"Ma'am?"
"Pepper?"
Both Happy and Kamal look at her, visibly concerned. Pepper blinks, her mind refocusing on what is asked of her and tries to take the pad, but Kamal hangs on to it.
"Ma'am, are you sure you don't want to come with me to the hospital?"
She sighs. "Yes, quite sure." She signs the form and hands the tablet back.
"You need to eat, Ms. Potts. And sleep. Has the dizziness subsided?" He enquires.
"Yes, I'm feeling a bit better, but still slightly nauseous," Pepper says truthfully.
"That will be the hunger. I'd suggest some rice or any bland food. And a good night of sleep. I know…" he hesitates. "I mean… I've seen the news. But you need to sleep for your body to recuperate. Don't fight it. And if your light-headedness comes back or your nausea worsens, you should go back to the hospital."
Pepper nods reluctantly because really, what else is there to say?
Kamal leaves advising Happy to stay close to her tonight.
Happy stands awkwardly, not sure on how to proceed. The proverbial ring of her phone saves him from saying anything, at least for the moment.
It's Rhodey. She answers.
"Pepper! Happy left me a message, said he found you unconscious." Pepper gives Happy a dirty look and he shrugs. "Are you alright?" Rhodey asks.
"Yes, I'm fine. I just got light-headed, that's all. There's no need to fuss."
"No need to-. I swear, Pepper, you're worse than Tony sometimes. Of course, there's a need!"
Pepper groaned.
He continues: "Look, I'll be there tomorrow. We need to discuss what's going to happen about Tony and the rescue mission. Apparently, there's another military organization on the job with the US Army, but I'll know more tomorrow. I'm meeting some higher-ups in the morning. I'm flying out tonight. I'll see you after the meeting. Probably after 1400, okay?"
"Okay, I'll see you then." Pepper hangs up.
"Rhodey will be here tomorrow." She tells Happy. "There was really no need to call him, Happy."
Happy sighs: "Look, I know Mr. Stark isn't here but that doesn't mean there isn't a job to do. Right now, the job is making sure you're well enough to bring back Mr. Stark and free Mrs. Wanamaker. And Mr. Stark would have wanted me to call Colonel Rhodes if I couldn't reach him."
Pepper looks away. She knows he's right. She just hates being so vulnerable. Sensing that Pepper needs some space, Happy tells her he's going to order room service and leaves the room with the spare key to make the call. Ten minutes later, Happy comes back to find her wearing sweatpants and an oversized sweater. They watch the news while waiting for the food to arrive. An hour later, after having eaten some rice and chicken, Pepper heads for the bedroom while Happy snores in the armchair. She knows he won't head back to his room, not after the EMR said to keep an eye on her.
Pepper exhales. Well, the evening has been more eventful that she'd originally planned. She takes her medication and gets in bed, waiting for the sleeping pills to take effect. She falls asleep, wishing in her last moments of consciousness that she could awaken the following morning with Tony's arms around her.
She thinks disappointment has never felt so raw when she awakes in the morning. But she never thought that it could get worse.
It does.
XXXX
Sitting in one of Marcel's private rooms, Pepper looks at the women in front of her with a nauseating mix of crushing disappointment and disgust. Including herself, there are five of them: Elizabeth Windham, congresswoman, Ae-Shin Cho, team leader at the UN for Southeast Asia, Alice Porter, a lawyer and candidate for Cook County's district attorney, and Pavlina Stevens, head of a women's rights organization. All incredibly qualified women, breaking the glass ceiling every time they take a step forward. All, indebted to Aurelia one way or another. All, unwilling to help.
She finally understands why they've insisted on meeting in a semi-public venue.
The scene playing in front of her feels surreal. Her arm is in a sling and she cannot seem to find a comfortable position in which to sit in. Even her clothes, a white pantsuit and Prada flats she hasn't worn in ages, seem to be ill-fitting. The women in front of her are deep in conversation, arguing which course of action would be the most sensible while throwing worried glances and reassuring smiles at Pepper, who is being eerily silent. Her strawberry parfait, which she has barely touched, is slowly melting in front of her. Washington DC is enjoying a relatively warm spring and Pepper, after suffering the heat and the impossibly dry air of Afghanistan, has welcomed the tempered weather of the East Coast. Needless to say, it's the only thing she is enjoying at the moment.
"Pepper, it's a difficult time for all of us. We're stretched thin and we just can't afford to make mistakes right now." Alice justifies.
Pepper huffs. "You mean it's an election year and you're afraid to make your party look bad if you try to help Aurelia with her legal troubles."
"Legal troubles? You make it sound so frivolous!" Elizabeth interjects. "She gave money to a terrorist organization, Pepper!"
"In order to save me!" She cries, slamming the table with her one good hand, startling the women sitting around her.
"Pepper, you know we don't mean to diminish the trauma you've been through or the courage it took Aurelia to act." Pavlina advocates. "We truly sympathize with your situation and Aurelia's. But our hands are tied. If we try to help you, we'll just be giving ammunition to the opposition and we simply cannot afford bad publicity at the moment. You know Associate Justice Hanover is about to resign. It's exactly what we've been waiting for and we need the votes for the next Presidential election to be in our favor if we want the next Justice to side with us. I'm sorry but we can't let this opportunity pass us up."
Pepper is crushed. Everything she tried to put in motion to help Aurelia is falling apart. She knows that these women are her best hope to get Aurelia out of prison. Seeing her friends abandoning her just when she thought that her situation wasn't dire enough breaks something in her she's not sure she'll ever recover. And if she can't help Aurelia, how the hell is she ever going to save Tony?
They all leave one by one while Pepper refuses to return their goodbyes or even look at them. When she looks up, she's surprised to see that Ae-Shin is still there.
Pepper is at the end of her tether: "Do you have anything else to add? Because if it's another apology, I'd rather you keep it to yourself."
Ae-Shin smiles. "Oh, don't worry, I don't care for platitudes these days. I'm here because I want to help. And because I can, too. I just couldn't say that in front of the others."
Pepper frowns, slightly dubious. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know if I've ever told you, but I have a sister, Helen. She's a geneticist. Utterly brilliant. Genius-level brilliant. We both work for a few people I'm sure you'll find very interesting."
The door opens and in walk several people dressed in suits. And with them is Rhodey.
One man stops directly in front of Pepper and shows her his credentials.
"Ms. Potts. So nice to finally meet you. I'm Agent Coulson, from the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division."
What the hell is going on?
XXXX
Agent Coulson is an odd man, Pepper decides. He is now sitting in front of her, between Rhodey and Ae-Shin, and is telling her one of the most unbelievable stories she's ever heard as if it were the most natural thing in the world. If Rhodey hadn't been here, she'd think it was a prank. It isn't. Ae-Shin, a woman she's known for the past ten years, whom she thought she knew almost everything about, is a secret agent.
She infiltrated the UN with Aurelia's unwitting help and a few other organizations as well. Her sister, whom Pepper is certain her friend has never mentioned before, also works with that same government agency, although in a completely different capacity. It also turns out that Aurelia knows about Ae-Shin's sister and helped her get started with her lab in South Korea a few years ago. And now, Ae-Shin and Helen both helped set something up so Aurelia could strike a deal with SHIELD. Apparently, that's what it's really called. And apparently, calm, unassuming Agent Coulson is the man who's going to make it all happen.
"And what is the deal for Aurelia, exactly?"
Agent Coulson has a small smile: "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss the details with you. Just know that Mrs. Wanamaker will soon be placed under house arrest. She'll await her sentencing there. It should take a few weeks."
Pepper doesn't understand: "A few weeks? For what?"
"For her case to be dismissed. Sorry, we can't do it faster, but even government agencies like ours are powerless when it comes to expediting certain paperwork. And she did commit a capital offense. That's a lot of paperwork."
Pepper can't believe what she's hearing. They are going to release Aurelia? Just like that? With almost no due process, no lengthy trial or anything else? Just… paperwork. What kind of deal did the Cho sisters make with SHIELD?
Ae-Shin takes Pepper's hand. "I'm sorry we can't tell you more. Just know that this is our way to repay all that Aurelia and Andrew did for my sister and I. At least now, I feel that we've repaid their incredible kindness."
Once again, Pepper can't help the tears from falling as she takes Ae-shin in her arms. "How will I ever thank you enough?"
Behind them, Agent Coulson clears his throat. "Well, actually, we might have something in mind already…"
Pepper turned toward him. "What is it?"
"You're going to help us find Mr. Stark."
XXXX
Somewhere in the Afghan mountains, Tony Stark is startled awake.
It's Yinsen. "Mr. Stark, I've just secured the materials you need. We can start building it."
Tony has a furtive look at the camera in the right-hand corner of the cave wall. "Right, let's give them their weapon of massive destruction."
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