Next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know! As always thanks to everyone who read the last chapter and left a review, those always motivate me to keep going!
The song to this chapter is 'A Million Dreams' by the cast of the Greatest Showman.
I don't own the characters or places!
Pepper
On our way back to the hotel, Phil was quiet for some time. To be honest, I didn't mind. My thoughts kept wandering back to the day with Tony Stark and I wasn't in the mood for a conversation anyway. Even if we didn't know each other that well, I already missed his presence. Which was quite a surprise for me. Normally, I thought that interactions with other people – except for Phil, of course – were rather exhausting and most of the time, I was glad to be alone again afterwards. This time, however, it was completely different.
I still wasn't completely sure what to think of Tony. At times, he was very nice and I enjoyed being with him very much. But then I remembered why I'd met him in the first place and suddenly, everything wasn't so easy anymore. To me, it also seemed as if he had to remind himself about what I could do to his show constantly, because sometimes, his mood suddenly changed from completely relaxed to tense and guarded.
Most probably, spending time with him was a really bad idea. However, deep inside I knew that I wouldn't be able to stay away from him. As soon as he'd offered to make a trip to the countryside again, my heart had started to beat faster in my chest and I'd accepted without thinking about it twice. What was this man doing to me? A quiet voice inside my head kept whispering that this was magic, but I ignored it sternly. It was never good to have hope since most of the time, you would only get disappointed. I wasn't sure how many more times I could stand that before I gave up my search.
In my mind, I saw Tony again, sitting right next to me in the sand. His hair had been dishevelled by the wind and there was a slight smile on his lips. His brown eyes had been shining when I made the comment about him being far too vain to sit down in the sand like this. In that moment, he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen and the urge to touch him had been nearly unbearable. Holding back had been the hardest thing I'd ever done in my life.
Talking to him helped, but the desire to touch him was still there. It was something I'd never felt before. This strong urge to be close to another person. It was a little confusing. Somehow, I already knew that the feeling would be back as soon as I saw Tony again.
Inwardly, I sighed and decided that it was time to think of something else. So I turned to Phil, who was still looking lost in thoughts. "The man you talked about was part of Tony Stark's show, right?"
For a few moments, I thought that Phil didn't hear me, but then he nodded. "The archer." He said simply and a smile lit up his face. "I met him while I was waiting for you. Apparently, he saw me standing outside all alone and thought that I could use some company."
"You seemed to get along well." I noted, remembering both their expressions while they'd been talking.
"He's very nice. And skilled in his job. I've never seen something like what he's doing before." He already mentioned that after the first time we saw the show, but I decided not to mention it.
"Will you be meeting him again?" It would make me happy to know that Phil found a friend here in New York. However, as soon as those words left my mouth, a guarded expression appeared on Phil's face.
"That depends." He muttered, suddenly sounding unhappy.
"On what?"
"On how long we'll be staying here. I know that you want to write the article as fast as possible."
To be honest, I didn't think of the article the entire day. A wave of guilt washed over me, but I ignored it. Instead, I smiled at Phil. "I'm sure we'll stay here for a few more days. Maybe you can meet him again soon."
"When you will be leaving the city with Tony Stark once more?" Phil raised his eyebrows.
I shrugged. "It was a nice day. You know that I don't enjoy being in those big cities that much."
"I didn't want to suggest that it's a bad thing that you spend time with him." He threw in quickly. "I trust him to behave correctly around you." It sounded as if that realization surprised him. "And it's good that you get some distraction. As I said before, you're working too hard."
"Maybe we shouldn't go directly to the next city once we leave New York." I said slowly. "Some time for ourselves would be nice, wouldn't it? Just the two of us, having a look at the beautiful places outside the cities. The summer is getting closer, so we could use it."
Phil smiled softly at this. "I would like that."
I kept telling him about my day with Tony Stark a little more until we arrived at the hotel. To our surprise, the owner, Mr. Turner, was already waiting for us.
"A letter arrived for you, Ms. Potts." He greeted me with a smile and handed me an envelope. "It was delivered about an hour ago."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Turner." The paper looked familiar, as well as the handwriting. I already knew who'd sent this letter. From the way Phil looked at it, I knew that he'd noticed it too.
We headed to my room and I opened the letter carefully. As expected, the paper within was covered with flowers. Truly expensive.
Dear Ms. Potts,
we would like to invite you and your uncle to the theatre with us tomorrow evening. There is an excellent play at the moment which we know you will enjoy very much. A carriage will be waiting for you tomorrow afternoon at your hotel.
Sincerely, B. and E. Carlyle
I exchanged a look with Phil after I read out the letter. "A little presumptuous to assume that we would just accept this invitation." I noted dryly.
"For them, it isn't an option that we don't accept." Phil said thoughtfully. "After all, this is an honour."
I rolled my eyes. "For them, but not for us."
"So we won't go?" He raised his eyebrows and I could see concern in his eyes. Of course Phil was already considering what that would mean for my reputation.
I sighed. "We will accept. Which doesn't mean that I will enjoy it." To be honest, I didn't want to spend time with the Carlyle's once more. It was tiring to know that they just wanted to spend time with me so I could destroy the life of their son. And of Tony Stark, of course.
"Maybe the play isn't so bad." Phil said thoughtfully, obviously trying to cheer me up.
It turned out that Phil was wrong. The play was even worse than expected. It was some kind of romance story that made me nearly fall asleep after half an hour. It took all my strength to keep my eyes open and focus on the plot, knowing that the Carlyle's surely wanted to talk about it afterwards. They'd invited us over to dinner at their house after the play and first, I'd been tempted to decline that offer, but in the end it was Phil who accepted for us before I could even open my mouth.
The play was nearly three hours long, with a short break in the middle. During that time, most of the people started to talk about it and had a few drinks. I only smiled and shook my head when I was offered a glass of champagne.
"Wonderful play, isn't it?" A voice behind my back asked and I turned around to see a tall man with grey hair stand in front of me. He looked somewhat familiar and it took me a moment to realize that this was the man I'd seen together with Tony Stark at the gala about a week ago.
"A little uneventful so far." I said simply. I wasn't sure why, but I knew that I could be honest with him. "But maybe that will change in the second part."
The man laughed. "I fear not. But I forgot to introduce myself. Obadiah Stane, at your service." He held out his hand and I took it.
"Virginia Potts." I introduced myself.
"I've heard quite a few stories about you, Ms. Potts." Mr. Stane said with a smile, though his eyes narrowed slightly.
"I hope only the good ones."
"They say that you're here because of Tony Stark's show." So I was right and I had indeed seen them together.
"Are you a friend of Tony Stark?" I asked, already knowing the answer to that.
He nodded. "I've known him for most of his life. I took over the railroad from his father when Howard died." So this was the close friend Tony had told me about.
"Because Mr. Stark rather wanted to do something else in his life." I muttered before I could stop myself.
Mr. Stane raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You talked to him?"
I nodded. "He invited me to his theatre a few days ago." Somehow, I felt that it wasn't wise to mention our day together outside of the city.
"Interesting." Mr. Stane muttered. He already opened his mouth to say more, but suddenly, Mrs. Carlyle appeared next to him. She beamed at me and Mr. Stane used this moment to excuse himself and vanish in the crowd. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk to her.
"Ms. Potts, I hope you are enjoying the play so far!"
I forced a smile on my lips. "I do." I replied simply. "I've heard that this is based on a famous novel."
She nodded, but it looked like she didn't really listen to my words. "How is your work going? There are rumours that the article will be published within the next days."
I kept my expression neutral, not sure who had started those rumours. After all, I didn't even start writing yet! "That is interesting to hear." I said with a smile. "Those news haven't reached me yet."
Her face fell. "So those were indeed just rumours." Her voice sounded flat.
"It seems to. But I am working on the article. Those things take time." I smiled kindly.
She nodded, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Of course they do, my dear. Of course." She looked around in the crowd. "If you would excuse me? I have to talk to my husband before the play continues. We can continue discussing this over dinner."
I smiled when she left and breathed in deeply, not sure how to survive this evening. In fact, the whole day had been exhausting. We'd stayed at the hotel most of the time and I'd tried to write the article. Which seemed to be impossible since I wasn't able to form any words about Tony Stark's show. And now we were here, once again surrounded by those sharks.
"Ms. Potts?" Another voice behind my back asked. I expected another person who wanted to talk to me about Tony Stark and his show, but to my surprise it was an employee of the theatre. He smiled at me shyly. "This message for you arrived and I was asked to hand it to you."
I looked at him in surprise and took the paper he handed me. As soon as I'd thanked him, the young man had already vanished in the crowd once more. The message was a simple folded piece of paper. I looked around quickly, but at the moment no one was paying attention to me.
When I unfolded it, I held my breath. Even if I'd never seen his handwriting, I knew that the message was from Tony.
Meet me tomorrow morning at the theatre. Wear something comfortable. - T
A wide smile appeared on my lips when I read the message and I folded the piece of paper again quickly, hiding it in the sleeve of my dress. I didn't want anyone else to see it, knowing that it might surely cause a scandal if anyone found out I got a message from Tony Stark.
If I wanted this evening to be over as fast as possible before, it was nothing compared to the impatience I felt now. When the bell announced that the play would continue soon, I sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long evening!
"I think the ending of the play was so romantic." Mrs. Carlyle said with a smile. We'd arrived at their house some time ago and were all sitting around the small dining table. The dinner was excellent, of course. The Carlyle's served their guests only the best things.
"A little too uneventful for my liking." Mr. Carlyle threw in. "There wasn't even a fight. But most of the time, there never is in those stage plays."
"I think it wasn't that realistic." I threw in. "He thought that she was dead and poisoned himself because he couldn't imagine a life without her. However, in the end it turned out that she was just unconscious. So he died for nothing and they could have had a happy ending. If he would only have looked at everything more closely."
Next to me, Phil nodded in agreement. "It was the worst kind of misunderstanding." He agreed.
Mrs. Carlyle looked at me with pity in her eyes, just like I didn't understand what this play had been about. "But that's the point in all that. The drama. The heartbreak."
"I prefer stories with a happy end." I muttered and was glad that in this moment, the dessert arrived and it ended our conversation for some time. I was surprised to see that it was some kind of pudding. It tasted amazing. I felt the urge to find out what it was, but I held myself back.
"This is great. I don't even know this taste." Phil didn't seem to share my doubts and raised his eyebrows.
"It's vanilla and cinnamon." Mrs. Carlyle explained with a smile. "Both spices are hard to get."
"And they nearly cost a fortune!" Mr. Carlyle added with a laugh.
We joined his laughter, though I knew that we both felt uncomfortable. After all, money was a sensitive subject for us. Especially now, since we weren't sure how much longer we could afford staying in our hotel...
"So tell us about your article, Ms. Potts." Mr. Carlyle changed the subject and looked at me seriously. "They say that you've visited Mr. Stark's show twice now."
"We did." I agreed. "It is very impressive." Inwardly, I cursed. This was nothing I should say around those people!
"Mr. Stark has the ability to make people believe that." Mr. Carlyle nodded and exchanged a look with his wife.
"I didn't realize that there were so many acts." I threw in quickly. "Most of the time, it's only one magician. I didn't expect so many people to be involved."
"It's offending." He muttered, not trying to hide his disgust. "All those different people in one room. And people even enjoy it." The joy is real. Those words suddenly echoed through my mind.
"Those people should go back to where they came from." Mrs. Carlyle agreed. "Or they should leave the city completely."
"The city?" He shook his head. "The country! They only cause trouble." His wife nodded in agreement and I used this moment to exchange a look with Phil. His expression didn't let it show, but I could see in his eyes how much he hated this conversation.
"I think you wanted to ask about my impression of the show?" I threw in, not able to listen to their comments any longer.
Immediately, their smiles were back. "You said the article isn't finished yet, my dear." Mrs. Carlyle said softly.
"I thought you were faster." Mr. Carlyle sounded thoughtful. "That's what the stories said."
"It's different every time." I threw in. "Sometimes, I write the article in one day and then there are times when it takes a little longer."
"You should stay away from Mr. Stark." He warned me. "He will try to influence you. Make you write something good. He can be very charming when he wants, especially around women like you."
"Like me?" I echoed and raised my eyebrows.
"Beautiful and young women." He nodded. "He's got a weakness for those."
"He can talk anyone into doing what he wants." His wife added, apparently realising how uncomfortable those words made me feel.
"Like your son?" Phil threw in. "We noticed that he works at the theatre."
Their expressions darkened. "Just like Phillip." Mrs. Carlyle muttered. "But he will come back to us one day. I am sure of that." While she said the last words, she looked directly at me.
The next morning, I stood in front of the mirror and questioned for the hundredth time if it was a good idea to spend another day with Tony Stark. All evening and most of the night, Mr. Carlyle's words had haunted me. He can be very charming when he wants, especially around women like you. Was it true and all this was just a trick to make me write something good? A part of me refused to believe this. Because in all the time we'd spent together, Tony Stark never tried to talk about his show. And he also didn't try to convince me of something. Only once, when he showed me the people behind all this. Was this his way to influence me?
"Stop being stupid and just go. Those were just words and it's obvious that the Carlyle's hate him." I muttered to myself and grabbed my jacket. Since the message said that I should wear something comfortable, I'd decided not to wear a dress but pants and a shirt. I knew that we'd leave the city again and in these clothes, riding was much easier.
To my surprise, Phil decided to accompany me to the theatre. I suspected that it had something to do with a certain archer, but I remained quiet. My suspicion was confirmed as soon as the theatre came into sight. The archer, Clint Barton, was already waiting there, leaning against the wall casually. When his eyes fell on Phil, he smiled. Phil smiled back at him.
Tony was nowhere to be seen and I wasn't sure why, but I knew that he wouldn't show up any time soon. It was strange, being this sure about something. Before I could question it any further, Jarvis walked towards me. "Mr. Stark asked me to accompany you to his home where he will be waiting for you." He said politely and bowed his head. "He apologizes for not being able to meet you here today."
I smiled at him. "It's fine, Jarvis. Thank you." I said goodbye to Phil, wished him and Clint a nice day (which made both of them blush) and followed Jarvis to the carriage. Sitting in there alone felt somewhat wrong, but it also gave me time to let my thoughts wander again. The conversation from the previous evening was still nagging on my mind. I'd always suspected that the Carlyle's weren't nice people, but their conversation about Tony's employees proved how right I was about that. They were horrible. I understood why their son had left them.
We arrived at Tony's house after about half an hour. When Jarvis opened the door of the carriage for me and I climbed out, I was met with a sight that made me smile. Tony Stark was walking towards me, the reins of a horse in each hand and he grinned widely. When he took in my appearance, his eyes widened slightly.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't come to the theatre." He said after wishing me a good morning. "However, it was a long night and I really needed some sleep."
I smiled and took Flame's reins he offered to me. "It's fine. Jarvis took care of me."
Tony nodded with a smile and gestured for me to leave his property. Of course he didn't tell me where we were heading, but I didn't mind. While we were riding through the streets of New York, I glanced at him. He'd already mentioned that it had been a long night and I assumed that he didn't join me at the theatre because meeting me here gave him the opportunity to sleep a little longer. "You look exhausted." I said without really thinking about it. With him, it was so easy to forget everything else.
"The past days have been rough." He explained. "Lettie is sick and I had to take her part in the show next to mine."
I looked at him in surprise. "But she's dancing and singing."
He grinned. "Do you think I'm not able to do that?"
I shook my head. "I just didn't expect it." Suddenly, I felt the strong urge to watch the show once more. Simply to see him dance and sing.
He smiled, but he didn't say anything to that. After riding next to each other in silence for some time, he began to sing softly. "Every night I lie in bed, the brightest colours fill my head, a million dreams are keeping me awake. I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see, a million dreams is all it's gonna take."
I stared at him, amazed by what I'd just heard. "You have a beautiful voice."
He smiled slightly. "Thank you." He ran a hand through his hair, nearly as if it made him feel uncomfortable. "I'm sure you can imagine that it's hard to have two acts in the show every night."
"I have to see that." I felt my cheeks heat up at this. "I mean, I would very much like to see you dance and sing one day."
He laughed. "I think it can be arranged that you can see the show again."
I relaxed at this and smiled back at him. "But people will talk when I show up there again."
"They don't even have to see you." He said simply. "You can come in through the backdoor."
"They're only waiting for me to write the article. There are already rumours that it will be published soon." I wasn't sure why I mentioned this now. Maybe because I still wasn't convinced about him only using me?
"I've heard them as well." He nodded. "Who told you about it?"
"I assume you already know the answer to that question, considering that you sent me the message to the theatre last night." I replied simply.
As expected, he tensed. "The Carlyle's also invited you for dinner. I bet they had lots of things to say about us."
I nodded, not sure if I should explain what exactly they said. Most probably, Tony already knew the answer.
"They also told you that I'm only spending time with you to make you write a good article, didn't they?" His sudden question took me by surprise and I stared at him. "So they did." He muttered and suddenly, a sad smile appeared on his lips. "Did you believe them?"
We looked into each other's eyes for a few moments and I realized that his sadness was real. "No." The words were out of my mouth before I'd even realized it. This time, it was his turn to look surprised.
"You don't?" He echoed incredulously.
"I trust you." I did. After everything that happened between us until now, I knew that he wouldn't try to talk me into writing a good article.
He looked at me silently for a few more moments, but then the tension slowly left his shoulders. "I'm glad." His lips twitched.
"Me too." I whispered back.
"You'll not regret it." He made it sound like a promise. I believed him.
After that, we avoided to talk about the Carlyle's or the show for the rest of the day. This time, we didn't see the ocean but Tony showed me his favourite forest. Which was indeed very beautiful. I also understood his advise to wear something comfortable. Most of the time, we weren't following any pathways.
In the afternoon, we arrived back at the theatre and Tony promised to let us see the show again. Since Phil was already back at the hotel, I met him there and told him about my plans. He didn't seem to be surprised. After a bath, I slipped into one of my dresses and together, we made our way towards the theatre. Tony had explained to me where to go so that no one would see us and it seemed to work. At the backdoor, we were met by Steve and he showed us a space on the upper level where we could watch without being noticed. I held a piece of paper for my notes in my hand, just in case I would notice anything during the magic tricks. However, I already knew that I wouldn't use it.
When Tony stepped onto the stage to sing and dance, I couldn't stop watching him. The longing which had been there all day was now stronger than ever. While he was on stage that night, I realized something.
I was falling for Tony Stark.