Hello! FINALLY! :D

It's been a LONG time, hasn't it? But more updates to come!

Thanks for hanging in there! Happy Reading! :D

I stood stone still in the streaming, hot water coming from the shower head, the bathroom quickly filling up with steam. I just stared straight ahead in thought, as the water rushed over my body, the heat feeling like a million little pin pricks, trying to bring my still-tranquilized muscles back to some state of function again. My mind, on the other hand, was far from functional at the moment. I could still feel Pepper's touch. The taste of her kiss lingered in my mouth, and I swore I could still smell the warm, sweet scent of her skin. God, how I wished it was her in the next room. I don't think I've ever felt the ache of Pepper's absence this bad before, with such desperate loneliness taking its place. All I wanted to do was somehow escape from this nightmare, and run away with her, just like in my dream, to some remote place no one would ever find us. Like another planet, I told myself. Right now, I'd take Mars over having to share this rock with Vanessa Matthews any day of the week.

I turned around and pressed my hands against the back wall of the shower surround, bracing my weight on my hands and letting the water pour down my back, trying to recall all of the events of last night. I remember being hauled out of the basement of Vanessa's factory and thrown in the back of a car, driven here by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. And I remember being in the ballroom on the top floor. Images of Vanessa's father in his wheelchair popped into my brain, and all over again, the hopeless, desperate look in his eye sent a chill up my spine. "What happened to him?" I muttered. I racked my memory for any recollection of news regarding his failing health in recent times, but came up empty handed. In our line of work, word travels fast. Somebody, somewhere, would have talked about it. Yet, mum was the word. Which lead me to believe that Vanessa was highly involved in the crumbling state of Marcus's well-being. She was the only one with nothing to lose, and everything to gain by depleting it. A great position for her to find herself in. And a terrifying one for the rest of us, as she was so adamantly demonstrating.

My last lucid memory was watching him go, and the look of frustration and disgust on the nurse's face that was wheeling him away. After that, I just remember guzzling the contents of whatever bottle Vanessa sat in front of me at that point, trying to numb myself enough to get through the evening. But there was something else. Granted, it had been a long time since I'd drank that much, and therefore been this hung over. But this wasn't just a hangover. My muscles felt heavy. Which, Vanessa said she had shot me up again with something else, but I couldn't recall when exactly. After I'd met Marcus, the rest of the evening was pretty much a blur. Which the made the prospect of what happened between Vanessa and I after we got back to the room all the more sinister.

My stomach turned, and I gritted my teeth at the thought of her and I...I couldn't even finish the thought. She disgusted me beyond words now. I couldn't stand the idea of her even laying a finger on me, especially as incapacitated as she'd rendered me last night. And God only knows what her intentions were, should she try to do this again. Which made my first question to her be- was there protection used? Suddenly, my heart jumped into my throat as doubt began to gnaw at me, and I, as quickly as I could, soaped up and rinsed off. Then, I cut the water and climbed out of the shower, yanking a towel off the towel bar to dry off and wrap around my waist. I hurriedly reached for the trash can under the vanity to look for any signs of last night. A chill ran through my bones, as I saw nothing that indicated we'd used any kind of protection. "Damn it!" I growled.

I slowly stood back up, as I was still somewhat light-headed. I steadied myself, with a hand on the counter, and took a couple of deep breaths before yanking open the door. Vanessa was where I'd left her, wrapped in a bed sheet and sitting on the bed. I scowled at her.

She smiled slyly back. "Feel better, darling?" she asked me, with a smirk.

I panted, trying not to blow up on her. "Tell me, that whatever we did last night, we at least used some protection?" I demanded sternly, looking at her with a cold stare.

She gasped, trying to look surprised by my inquiry. "Why, whatever do you mean, love?" she asked, trying to feign innocence.

I marched to her, and grabbed her upper arm. She flinched, and glanced between my hand on her arm, and my eyes, her nostrils flaring as she glowered. "Answer the damn question!" I seethed, through clenched teeth, my eyes blazing with rage.

She smacked my hand away and pushed me back. "Unhand me this instant!" she barked. "I won't have you man-handling me, like I'm..."

"We didn't, did we!" I exclaimed, wide-eyed with alarm. "You're trying to get pregnant, aren't you! Just so you can trap me all the more! You conniving little..."

"Oh for God's sake, Tony! Honestly! Do you really believe a condom is the only way to prevent any unwanted..." Vanessa stopped and huffed. "Circumstances?" she finished.

I looked at her blankly. "So what then?" I grumbled. "Are you telling me you..."

"We're safe," she assured. "God knows a baby would only complicate matters right now. How can I take over Stark Industries, and oversee a major corporate merger with morning sickness and swollen ankles?" She chuckled. I just watched her in silent trepidation, unsure of whether or not she was telling me the truth. She sighed. "But..." she purred, slinking up to me. My posture went rigid as she moved to coil herself around me again, a coy smile spreading across her lips. "I am flattered that you'd suggest it. So all I can tell you is soon, darling. The sooner all of the pieces fall into place, the sooner we can make plans for the family we want."

My head suddenly began to swim again, leaving me no choice but to believe her for the moment, and I backed away, pulling her arms from around my neck. She scowled. "That's never gonna happen," I stated, stumbling as I made my way to the window to sit in a nearby chair. "Just understand that."

Vanessa pouted. "Never? Tony Stark doesn't want an heir to his empire?" she asked hopefully.

"What empire? It's all about to fall to you, remember?" I said snidely. I yanked the chair around to face more toward the window and plunked down in it, putting my face in my hands as the room spun around me again.

I heard Vanessa chuckle darkly. "Oh, yes of course!" she cooed. "It will all be mine, won't it!"

I took a few deep breaths to try to steady myself. "God, what the hell was that stuff?" I asked her.

"What stuff, darling?" Vanessa asked.

"Whatever it was you shot me up with again. Or for the first time, or...I don't know," I mumbled. "I can't remember much of last night. But all I know is it's messing with my head, and I don't like it."

Vanessa chuckled again. "You seemed to like it last night!" she chirped. "It's only the pesky side effects that aren't that fun."

I rolled my eyes and tried to look back at her, but I couldn't focus. So I just slumped down in the chair, and stared out the window. I felt Vanessa's hands snake down my chest. "Oh, my poor dear," she cooed.

I scowled. "Don't touch me," I grumbled though, the weakness in my muscles was matching the fogginess in my brain closely. So I didn't fight her. But luckily I didn't have to. A knock came at the door, and Vanessa left me alone to answer it. I heard a familiar voice when she opened it. Pepper, the voice in my head told me. I knew she couldn't have done anything to better the situation at that point in time, but just the thought of her presence there was of some comfort to me. I lumbered to sit up in my chair, and tried to focus on the scenery outside for a moment, to steady myself.

"Tony?" I heard Pepper say, her voice sounding muffled and watery. I sensed her come to my side, and I slowly turned my head to look up at her, which felt like it was in slow motion.

"Oh, hey, Pep," I said drowsily, trying to smile, like everything was normal. "How'd your date go?" I asked. I reached for her hand, needing to know she wasn't just a fantasy this time. I squeezed it gently in mine, relieved that it really was her standing in front of me.

She didn't answer my question. Instead, her eyes searched my face, the concern in them growing by the second. My acting must not have been that convincing, as she slowly shook her head and muttered, "What's wrong with you? What's happened?"

I wanted so desperately to tell her, but Vanessa quickly came up from behind me, and ran her hands back down my chest. "He's just worn out, the poor baby!" she purred.

Pepper huffed and stood up abruptly. "He's never like this, and you know it!" she retorted. "So I wanna know why he's.."

I reached for Pepper's hand to stop her from prodding Vanessa any further. "Pepper, stop. I'm fine. She's right. I'm just...tired," I replied, patting her hand. My speech sounded delayed and warbled in my head, like if you slowed down the rotation of record on a record player.

Suddenly, Vanessa chirped something about us getting engaged, and Pepper pulled her hand from my grasp to step toward Vanessa in order to survey the bobble on her left hand. "You're...engaged?" I heard her say, through gritted teeth.

I smiled sorrowfully to myself. Why? Aren't you happy for us, Pep?, I thought darkly as Vanessa blathered on about how I supposedly couldn't wait to marry her, and that we'd be leaving that afternoon for a wedding in the Cayman's.

I turned my head in the direction of her voice, but kept my eyes trained out the window. "No need to wait," I muttered out loud, my voice distant, and void of emotion. "Aren't you happy for us, Pep?" I asked her hopelessly.

Pepper spluttered and stammered, and then excused herself from the room. The last thing I heard was her storm out, and the door slam behind me, promptly followed by Vanessa giggling darkly to herself. My heart sank. Don't go, Pep, I pleaded desperately in my mind. Please don't go. Then I sensed Vanessa walking toward me. She swiveled around beside me, and threw herself cross-ways into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Some people find it so hard to share in other's joy, wouldn't you agree, love?" she cooed, grinning.

I just silently shifted my hopeless gaze from outside the window to her devilish eyes. I slowly shook my head. "It's too soon. We have to wait," I protested, pleadingly.

Vanessa frowned. "But we can't, Tony. We simply can't. We musn't!" she informed me.

I shook my head again, this time with a bit more vigor. "No, Vanessa," I begged. "Listen to me. The press is going to eat us alive. It won't look legit."

Vanessa looked at me skeptically. "Legit?" she said, in a mocking tone.

"Legitimate, Vanessa," I stated.

She pursed her lips. "I'm familiar with the term legit, Tony," she sniped. "I mean, why would that matter to us? To our plan?"

Thankfully, this latest bout of dizziness was starting to subside, and my mental clarity was beginning to come back. "Because," I said, shifting her in my lap and straightening up in the chair. Even thought it sickened me, I put a happy-go-lucky smirk on my face. The only way out of this mess was to play like I was a willing accomplice. And I knew I'd have to give an Oscar-worthy performance for Vanessa to even be remotely convinced that I was beginning to see the light. "You want our adoring public to see just how much we're in love, don't you?" I cooed. "I mean, you do want to be the closest thing to royalty, right?"

A sly smile graced Vanessa's lips, and she surveyed me for a moment. "Are you saying you're actually starting to..." she began.

"All I'm saying is," I said, taking both of her hands in mine and looking deeply into her eyes. "I think we'll both benefit from all of this if we can reach some kind of...understanding."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "An understanding," she repeated. A smirk slowly spread across her lips. "Well, well, Mr. Stark," she purred. "I must say, I am surprised you're willing to play ball."

We both smirked at each other and chuckled coyly. She walked a couple of fingers up my chest. "Just, um, what, exactly, did you have in mind?" she asked, flicking her eyes back up to mine, and looking at me intently.