Late, yes. But, long.
Happy Reading ;)
And Happy Birthday to my good friend, nancyozz! Big hugs!
I heard Vanessa creep into the bedroom. My back was turned away from her, and I was lying on the bed, curled up into a ball, trying my best to fight through the symptoms that were wracking my body.
"Oooo, my poor darling," she cooed. I could feel her weight as she sat on bed beside me, but I did little to acknowledge that I knew she was there. My whole body was trembling, and I was doused in a cold sweat. I had squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth in a feeble attempt to steady myself, but it wasn't working.
I felt her lay a hand on my arm, which felt like she might as well have been driving tiny pins and needles into it, as my skin was crawling and every bone and muscle in my body ached. "D-don't t-touch me," I grunted.
She clucked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. I might have known this would happen," she replied.
"W-what the h-hell have you d-done to me?" I asked her, finally mustering enough strength to half-way roll over in order to look at her. She greeted me with a knowing smirk.
"It's a nasty little side effect, I'm afraid. A wonderful ride while it's at full dose, but a painful fall when it begins to wear off," she informed me.
I gritted my teeth, my nostrils flaring. My eyes blazed with rage as I mustered all the strength I had and, in one motion, managed to bolt upright on the bed. I grabbed her arm, yanking her to me. "W-why am I f-feeling this way, V-Vanessa? What the h-hell have you got me h-hooked on?!" I demanded. But I couldn't stay in this position long enough to wait for an answer. My insides seared with stabbing pain, and I fell back against the headboard, groaning loudly, my chest heaving. I was seeing stars and my ears began to ring. But somehow, through the din, I heard Vanessa's voice as she spoke. She was chuckling at me, which only enraged me more. But there was little I could physically do about it, so I just tried to block it out.
"You just rest, love. There's no sense in exerting yourself. Let Nurse Vanessa tend to you, and I assure you, soon you'll feel right as rain," she said.
I could feel her climb off the bed and I opened my eyes to a squint to see her rummaging through a small travel case. She produced a small, black, zippered pouch, and walked back over to me, laying it on the night stand.
I tried to shake my head. "No. Please. No more. Just let me rest. I don't want anymore," I begged in a whimper, but she wouldn't listen.
Instead, she shushed me, and I could hear the tinkling of what I could only guess was a glass vial in her hand, full of more of whatever the substance was I knew I'd become addicted to. "Shhhh, there, there," she purred. "Let me make it all better."
Before I could resist, I felt a pinching jab in my neck, and I winced, my strength instantly sapped. I couldn't form even the slightest bit of resistance against her at that point. A helpless moan escaped my lips, as, almost immediately, all of the pain and discomfort in my body melted away. And the feeling of being submerged into a pool of numbing warmth took its place. Despite myself, I sighed with relief, and I heard Vanessa chuckle again.
"There. Didn't I tell you, darling?" she asked smugly. "All better."
She patted my arm and turned to leave. "Now, sleep, love. And pleasant dreams," she cooed, her voice echoing in my head as I drifted off into the black abyss once again.
XxXxXxXx
I don't know how long it was after that I became aware that I once again wasn't alone. I had heard a very familiar, soft, female voice in the watery darkness. Tony, it had said softly, beckoning me back into consciousness. Then I felt delicate finger tips stroke my cheek, and I moaned, eager to awaken to whomever the gentle, comforting touch belonged to.
"That's it, Tony," the voice had urged.
I inhaled deeply and slowly opened my eyes to find Pepper sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled warmly.
I smiled back, relieved it was her. "Hey, you," I murmured thankfully. "How long was I out?"
She shook her head. "Not long," she answered. "Vanessa let me come in to see you. I was worried about you."
She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I closed my eyes, both surprised and delighted by her affection, and grasped her upper arms gently, keeping her close. She broke the kiss and smiled at my gesture, staying in place. I gazed into her eyes longingly. "Don't go," I whispered desperately. "Please, Pepper. Don't leave me here. Don't leave me with her."
"Shhh," she said, smiling. "It'll be alright, Tony. You don't have to worry."
I looked at her curiously. "I don't?" I asked. "Why? What happened?"
"I know everything," she explained. "Vanessa's told me her plan."
I frowned, and looked at her, apprehension steadily growing in my gut. "Oh, she...did, did she," I said suspiciously.
Pepper seemed oblivious to my worry. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, she did! She told me how she has plans to merge the companies together, and how you've agreed to start exploring new applications for nuclear energy. And I have to tell you, for what it's worth, I'm thrilled that you've decided to do this! I think it shows a lot of vision and forward-thinking on your part," she chattered hopefully.
I gave her a weary smile. "Yeah, okay. If you say so," I said doubtfully. I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Did, uh...did she say anything else to you about what's happening?" I asked, trying to keep my cool so as not to alarm her.
Pepper frowned and looked at me. "Oh, do you mean...about the marriage being...a sham?" she asked cautiously. Her face remained sincerely inquisitive.
I gasped, my worst nightmare confirmed. "You...know? She told you?!" I whispered loudly. Vanessa showing her full hand to Pepper could only mean one thing. Pepper's value to her was quickly depreciating, for whatever reason. I was failing to see where any of this would give me a reason not to worry.
She smiled and nodded, but I detected some sorrow behind her eyes, suggesting she either knew more than she let on, or was just trying to be brave. Or both. She cupped my face and looked at me intently. "Tony," she said. "She and I have reached an agreement. She's explained that I have no place here any more, and I realize now that I need to let you go. So, out of the kindness of her heart, she's given us one last night together."
I frowned. "Okay. First of all, what do you mean exactly by 'one last night together,' " I asked. "And second, why are you letting her dictate where you belong, anyway? That's so not like you."
Pepper's eyes filled with tears, but she quickly blinked them away, and smiled sheepishly. "Never mind that," she replied. She stood up off the bed, and quickly began undressing. "All that counts is how you and I spend this moment," she informed me.
I sat up, with my hands up defensively. "Whoa, Pepper. Hold up a second," I said. "Don't think I don't want this, okay? I do. But come on," I reasoned. "I feel like I need some more information here."
"Oh?" she said, peeling off her skirt, and popping each of her blouse's buttons open. Despite the obvious mystery as to what exactly was happening here, I whimpered to myself at the sight. God, she was beautiful. And after failing miserably at hiding my admiration of her nearly-naked body, my gaze ran back up her body and rested once again on her eyes.
"Yes," I insisted firmly, renewing my resolve. "Like why you're so willing to comply," I remarked. "You're my assistant. Mine. And, come hell or high water, I'm not letting you go. Especially if we finally get to..." I trailed off, uncharacteristically averting my eyes away from her. The subject of sex has never made me blush. Ever. But something about finally getting to be with Pepper in that way had suddenly got me all tongue-tied and bashful.
Pepper smiled, noticing this, and sauntered over to me in her underwear. She straddled my lap to face me, and brought her lips to mine, kissing me deeply. I moaned into her mouth defenslessly, lightly brushing a stray lock of her hair behind her ear before cupping her cheek in my hand. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself into my body. Slowly, the kiss broke, and we gazed into each others eyes.
"You can't be married to her, and love me, too," she murmured softly, knowingly.
I looked at her in surprise. Was I that obvious?, I wondered. Then I nodded in admission. "I do. I do love you, Pep," I whispered. "And now it's obvious that you know I do. But it's more than that. If you're by my side, I know you're safe. If you leave, there's no telling..."
"Shhhhh," Pepper said, cutting me off, gentle resting her finger tip on my lips to quiet me. "Let's not talk about that, now. Let's just enjoy each other while we can. Please, Tony?" she murmured. She softly kissed my lips, and I felt her grind suggestively against me. "Please? Let's just...make love," she whispered softly. "We may never get the chance again."
I nodded helplessly in agreement, and kissed her hard, the taste of her kiss as sweet and divine as anything I'd ever had the pleasure of tasting. Her scent enveloped all of my senses, and it was almost like making love to her wasn't going to be enough. Like even devouring her, if I could, wouldn't have been enough. No matter what we did, I'd want more and more of this woman. But as that thought passed, it was replaced by a new one. Was the first time making love to Pepper really going to be the last time, as well? This made a knot of regret grow in my stomach at all of the missed opportunities from our past.
We began to move together, to breathe together, to gaze into each others eyes wantonly and needfully, the unfaltering urge to taste every inch of her skin, to bury my nose in her hair, and to whisper a million "I love you" 's to her all at once almost too overwhelming. With her, I felt safe. And protected. While, at the same time, that's all I wanted for her, too. To feel safe and protected with me. Not to mention happy. I wanted to see her smile, every second of every day. I never wanted to see her cry or be in pain ever again, and I wanted to be the one to give that to her. She was all I cared about. It was undeniable to me now.
"Oh, Tony!" she moaned happily, as we kept moving in unison, my hand resting protectively on the back of her head, the other arm wrapped around her waist. We'd moved to a horizontal position and she was underneath me, our bodies intertwined and working with each other simultaneously.
"Oh, Pepper," I moaned back. "God, I want you. I need you, baby."
I closed my eyes as we continued to move in tandem, feeling every inch of her I could. I reached for her hand, and interlocked our fingers, trying to soak up each second with her and deposit it into memory.
And it went on like that. For several uninterrupted, blissful hours, Pepper and I passionately made love. We explored every square millimeter of each other, fulfilling each one of each other's deepest fantasies, bringing each other to dizzying ecstasy-filled heights, and thoroughly exhausting our libidos in the process of making it a night neither of us could ever forget. And when we were done? We fell asleep, her head nestled in the crook of my shoulder, and my arms wrapped tightly, protectively, around her. And it felt spectacular.
At what could only be barely sunrise, there was loud knock on the door, startling the both of us awake. We froze, and looked at the door, the grim reality of our time together ending suddenly came crashing over us like a tidal wave. "I'm afraid time's up, my little love birds!" we heard Vanessa chirp loudly in a shrill voice from the other side. We looked at each other with alarm.
"No," I murmured, shaking my head. "No. I'm not going to let her do this. We belong together, Pepper. She can't force you to quit."
Tears filled her eyes, and her chin began to quiver. She shrugged. "Who said I was quitting?" she asked.
I frowned. "Isn't that what she wants?" I asked, bemused.
Pepper shook her head. "No," she said. "Me quitting isn't what she wants, Tony," she explained. "Not exactly."
I fell silent, trying to process what she was telling me. But it wasn't long before Vanessa barged in the door with Thing 1 and Thing 2. "Alright, my dears! The love-in is over! Ms. Potts! If you please! A deal is a deal!" she demanded, gesturing for Pepper to leave my side and stand up.
Pepper nodded and got up out of bed. I reached for her, but my grasp fell short. "Pepper, don't!" I exclaimed. "Don't do this! You don't have to do this!" I pleaded. I scrambled to get out of bed, but Vanessa pushed me back down.
"You stay right where you are," she demanded. "I had to endure enough noise from you two last night. I'll be damned if I'm made to endure more. Bid your lady love goodbye, darling! You won't be seeing her again." Then she nodded at one of the gorillas, and he grabbed pepper forcefully around the waist from behind, carrying her backwards out the door. Pepper began to hysterically sob as she fought against his grip in futility.
Once again, I climbed off the bed. And this time, I had my chance as Vanessa followed her goons out the door. I swiped my clothes off the floor and hastily threw them on as I followed the group down the hall to the main part of the cabin. I could hear Pepper sobbing, but I was kept back behind the two suits, and out of her reach.
Finally, I had a clear view of Pepper again, I saw they'd marched her in front of the emergency exit door. And my heart virtually stopped when I drew my morbid conclusion. Pepper was right. Vanessa didn't want her to quit. She wanted her to die. Right here. Right now. At 30,00 feet in the air.
I gritted my teeth and glared at Vanessa, seething. "Let. Her. Go," I demanded.
Vanessa smirked at me, but ignored me. She turned her head, and nodded at one of her thugs. He grabbed Pepper by the arm, and made to start opening the door. Pepper shrieked, terrified.
"No! Wait,wait,wait! Don't! Don't do this, okay? Come on!" I pleaded. The goon stopped what he was doing, and looked at Vanessa, and then at me.
Pepper looked at me, her eyes pleading for me to save her. And I tried to give her a look of reassurance back, but doubted it provided any kind of comfort at all. Vanessa had me over a barrel. Unless...
I admit, it was a dismal option. But without me, Vanessa's plan of stripping me of everything went to shit. No telling how her plans of world domination via nuclear weapons sold to maniacal dictators would hold out, but I wouldn't be able to be blamed for any of it, anyway. I'd be dead.
I took a deep breath and gave Vanessa a pleading look. "Give me just one more moment with her. Please," I begged.
Vanessa huffed. "And why in bloody hell would I do that?" she exclaimed. "You've already spent all of last evening with her, only by my good grace."
"Vanessa, please," I begged again. "A moment to say goodbye. Grant me that, at least. After that, I won't try to stop you. I promise." Pepper whimpered at my apparent surrendering of her life, and I tried to give her a discreet, assuring nod.
Vanessa worked her jaw in thought. "Well, I'm not without an appreciation for ceremony," she mused. "No resistance, you say? I have your word?" she asked finally.
I nodded affirmatively. "I promise. No resistance," I repeated. I glanced nervously between Pepper and Vanessa, and my mouth went dry before I could form my next words. "I'll even...I'll even do it, if you want," I said hurriedly before my courage faltered and Vanessa saw through me.
"Tony?! What are you saying?!" Pepper cried, her eyes wide in astonishment and terror. She shook her head at me in utter disbelief. I steeled myself against watching her crumble, her shoulders shaking violently at the realization that I, the man who not hours before had confessed his love for her, and had shared the most spectacular night with her that I could ever hope to have in fifty lifetimes, was dooming her, by his own hand, to death. I set my jaw, forcing back the urge to run to her, to pull her into my arms to comfort her, as she mouthed breathlessly, "How could you do this to me? How could you?"
Vanessa spluttered and let out a devilish cackle. "Whahut?! You would be willing to off your precious Ms. Potts?! To what do I owe the sudden change of heart, might I ask?" she said, smiling at me in delight.
I shrugged. "You want her dead. I figure it's better she die than live under your boot heel. For once we're in agreement. Imagine that," I replied snidely.
"And just like that?" Vanessa asked. "You're willing to be rid of her. Why do I smell a rat?"
"No rat. I told you. I wanted Pepper to be away from this. Letting her go isn't an option for you. You told me that. So what's left. A lifetime of her having to live in fear? Or achieving..." I flicked my eyes to Pepper and held her heartbreaking gaze for a few second-long eternities. "Ultimate freedom," I muttered.
Vanessa folded her arms with righteous superiority, and nodded in approval. "Very well, Stark. Have it your way. You and your little tart can have your final tearful goodbye. I'll even give you a bit of privacy, as an act of good faith. But you have one minute. Then, you're safely back in hand, and your precious Ms. Potts is no more. Do we have a deal?" she asked, extending her hand.
I glanced at Pepper, who pleaded with me futily through tear-stained eyes, and then back to Vanessa. I forced a compliant smile and jutted my hand out to clasp hers. "Deal," I replied, nodding resolutely.
She nodded, and then motioned for her thugs to follow her. "Good bye, Ms. Potts!" she chirped from the hallway. "It's been such a pleasure!"
I watched as she disappeared from view, and then ran to Pepper.
"No! No, no, no, no! Don't touch me! Don't!" she barked through strangled cries, as she began beating her fists on my chest, but I pulled her tightly to me, and she relented, sobbing again against my shoulder. We collapsed to our knees, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to shore up my resolve against my own emotion.
"Hey, hey, hey. Come here, Pep. Come here," I said, stroking her hair as she cried bitterly. "Everything I said to you last night was true, okay? Everything we did. All of it. It really did mean something to me, alright? I do love you. I love you more than anything in this world, baby, okay?" I told her.
She slowly pulled back to look at me, her cheeks tear-stained and her eyes bloodshot. She shivered and sniffed as she took as deep breath. "Then why do you want me to die?" she asked, her chin quivering again as a pre-cursor to more tears.
"I don't, Pep. I don't want you to die. But she's not leaving us with a whole lot of options, either, is she," I said.
Pepper shook her head. "No," she said. "But Tony, I don't...I don't want to die, I don't! There has to be some way to..."
I frowned at her sympathetically. "I know, honey," I said, stroking her hair affectionately. "I know you don't. And I don't want to have to watch..." I said, the words getting caught in my throat. "To watch you die," I finished. "So, what if instead we...go together?" I offered.
Pepper looked at me in confusion, and shook her head. "What? No. No, Tony. I can't let you do this. I can't let you..."
"It's simple. We just pull the release, and we...go. And it's all over," I stated. "And she," I said, nodding in the direction of Vanessa. "Can't touch us after that. We're free. No more threats. No more deals. No more fake marriages. No more any of this. It'll be just you. And me," I said.
We gazed into each other's eyes for a long moment as we came to terms with the choice, the only choice, before us. Slowly, she began to nod. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. And then she opened her eyes and looked at me with new resolve. "Okay. We go together," she said.
I smiled, despite the gravity of the moment, and nodded. I stroked her hair again, and rested my forehead on hers. " Yep. Together," I affirmed.
Pepper gasped, and flung her arms around my neck tightly. "Time's running out," she said. "If we're going to do it, then we'd better..."
I nodded firmly once in agreement. "Got it. Hold on tight, Pepper. " I said, wrapping one arm around her tightly, and reaching up to pull the release cord that would open the door, and suck us both out either in the into the atmosphere, and into the free fall that would lead to certain death, or into the path of the jet engine toward a violent end. Either way, it was gruesome to have to imagine, so I chose not to. Instead, I swiftly gripped the loop on the cord, and went to pull it, but Pepper shrieked and pulled back.
"No, no, no! Wait! I'm not ready!" she screamed.
"Honey, you said so yourself! Time's running out!" I reasoned.
"No, I mean, I can't go yet. Not yet. I need something first!" she argued.
I looked at her with a frown, not understanding. But without another word, she crashed our lips together, kissing me passionately, with everything she had in her at that moment. I kissed her back, taking in for the last time everything I could. How her body felt in my arms. How delicious her taste was. How intoxicated her scent made me feel.
Soon, the kiss broke, and Pepper pulled back, tears streaming. "I love you, Tony Stark," she murmured hopelessly.
I smiled weakly, my head still swimming from the kiss. "I love you, too, Pepper Potts," I replied back. "It is kinda of romantic, in a way, right? Dying together? Like Romeo and Juliet?" I offered after a moment, trying my hardest to lift her spirits.
She chuckled and smiled, as a few last tears rolled down her cheeks. "Cracking jokes right up to the end, in true Stark fashion," she quipped. We both chuckled. "But I think you're sweet for trying to make me feel better," she admitted.
I smiled, adoring the last smile of hers I'd ever see. Not wanting the moment to end, but reminding myself our time was getting very limited, I slowly took her back into my arms, and hugged her tight. I turned my head in toward her ear. "Ready, baby?" I whispered.
I felt her grip tighten around me, and she began to tremble as she nodded her head. "Ready," she murmured. Then I felt her body go rigid as, in one swift movement, I reached above me and yanked the release cord.
XxXxXxXxXx
"Yeeaahhh! Holy HELL!" I shouted as I jolted straight up in bed, breathless and sweating. My body tremored with the effects of the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "Oh my GOD! Oh my...Hoooo, WOW!" I exclaimed, taking in rapid deep breaths.
Vanessa sleepily sat up next to me in bed, grumbling. "What on Earth is the matter?" she groaned. "Did I give you too much, darling?"
"Stay away from me!"I choked out, scrambling out of bed. "Don't touch me. I just... I need to take a minute, okay? Jesus, that was..."
Vanessa pouted at me. "Oh my poor dear," she cooed. "What was it this time? Did Pepper do something to you? By the way you were talking while we made love, I could have sworn this time it was she who..."
"We what?!" I cried. "What the hell, Vanessa?! Okay, that's it," I said, swiping my hands in front of me in finality. "I can't sleep here tonight. I'm taking the couch. You're on your own."
"Oh, poo! Love me and leave me, darling? What's a poor girl to do?" she mocked.
"I'm sure you'll get by," I snarked back, yanking my pillow and the top blanket off the bed, and swiping the pants and undershirt I'd been stripped out of from off the floor. "Nighty night, Vanessa!" I sneered on my way out.
She grabbed her pillow and chucked it at me angrily as I left the bedroom, and it hit the back of the closed door with a dulled thud. I threw on my clothes and marched away, huffing, trying to gather my bearings.
The feeling of Pepper clinging desperately to me in those final moments still resonated heavily in my senses, and I knew it would take a while to calm down. But then my heart stopped, and I halted dead in my tracks. The dim light over the bar was on, across the way from where I stood. And none other than Pepper was seated on one of the stools, in her mid-thigh length satin nightgown, robe, and slippers. Her hair hung down her back in long waves, and she looked...delicious.
I concluded she must have heard the fight between Vanessa and I, because her eyes were probably on me long before mine had fallen on her. But then a warm smile spread across her lips when our gazes met, and, despite everything I was feeling, it totally disarmed me. And I smiled back.
"Drop the pillow and blankey, and come sit with me, Stark," she said softly, patting the seat of the stool next to her. "Sounds like you could use a night cap."
