Virginia 'Pepper Potts was always responsible. It's the main reason that she was chosen to be his personal PA. She was good at keeping track of things and making sure her boss was on track. Pepper rarely involved herself if her boss' antics. No parties for her.

That's why the pounding in her head was foreign. Secondly was the fact that she was very much naked and in a bed the certainly wasn't her own. It took a minute but the memories flooded back. The party, the laughter. She was supposed to be a professional but Mr. Stark insisted she at least have one drink and a little fun. Saying something about running after him all the time and she deserved one day to have fun.

Pepper carefully untangled herself from the blankets, trying not to jostle the bed. She started gathering her scattered clothing. She avoided eye contact with the man asleep on the other side. This was bad, so so bad.

How could she have much such a monumental mess of everything?

Tony Stark shifted and Pepper held her breath. He only turned over and she blew out the air she'd been holding. She wasn't ready to face him about this yet. Pepper finished buttoning her shirt and put on her black heels. She presses her hands down the fabric of her skirt and pencil skirt.

She was breathing too fast. In. Out. In. Out

All the thoughts in her head were overwhelming. What's she's going to do now?

Job hunting was the worst, but she couldn't remain Mr. Stark's PA after this. It was completely irresponsible of her to end up in this situation. To be the sort of woman who sleeps with her boss. Pepper feels her face heat with shame. Any professionalism she had before was long gone now.

How could she remain working for him when all she could think about is what they did. No. She would have to resign. Luckily she'd saved back money so she won't run behind on her bills while she's searching. Pepper opens the bedroom door and slips silently out. Making a beeline for her purse which sits on the couch she fumbles with a pill bottle. First thing's first, get rid of this mind-splitting headache and then deal with the rest later.

...

Obadiah Stane tries to talk her out of her resignation.

"You're one of the few people who can keep Tony on track," he said. "Not many people can do that. What started all this?"

Pepper didn't tell him the reason. That was private, for now anyway. Not that she thought Tony Stark would go bragging about sleeping with some lowly PA. All she knew was that working for Mr. Stark was no longer an option and that's all there was too it.

"I just need a change, that's all." She lies through her teeth.

...

Pepper's chest feels as though she'd had a professional MMA fighter kick straight into her ribcage. Her hand shook with a force so great she feared her neighbors could hear it from here. If she had any color left it would've already fled from her stark white skin.

Terror seized her. This was... oh man. How the hell could she have been such an idiot? It's one thing to screw up your own life by having to find a new job after sleeping with your boss, but this? This was a whole new level of stupidity.

The small white stick in her hand told her that.

Pregnant. She was pregnant. As in she, Pepper Potts who had to quit her job, was going to be giving life to an entire human being. What the hell? It wasn't that she never wanted to have kids but she'd hoped to maybe later on. When she was settled into a career and married.

A baby...

She had a small little being inside her that was made of half of her DNA. Pepper froze. That's right, only half of her. There was the father too. She'd have to tell him, tell Tony about this. Pepper turned towards the toilet and promptly puked up her lunch.

How was she going to tell him? What would he say? Is he going to want to be involved or will he pay her off to keep the kid far from him? Not to mention he wasn't the most stable of people. Sure he could be caring when he wanted too but those moments were few and far between. He has such an ego and can be so damn frustrating. He didn't do romantic relationships and the most stable friendship he had was with James Rhodes.

And what about what she wanted. Did she want a baby?

It wasn't like she got out much. She didn't have time for romance and love, but she's not getting any younger and at the rate she's going this may be her only chance to have a family. Placing her hands over her abdomen Pepper's sighs. This was a mess.

...

From: ObadiahStane

To: VirgininaPotts

Date: May 26, 2000

First I'd like to thank you for being so discreet about the current situation. It wouldn't do for the news hounds to find out. They would make everything ten times more complicated. I intend to speak to Tony later this afternoon and would prefer to meet up with you say, tomorrow afternoon to discuss everything.

We will of course require a test. It's all for legality sake. Everything will be sorted out Ms. Potts and I hope we can all come to an agreement on what is best for the... situation.

Send me your phone number and I'll call you soon.

Pepper had read and reread the email at least thirty times since she'd received it in her inbox yesterday morning. Obadiah Stane should be calling her anytime now and she was dreading it. What if Tony didn't want anything to do with the baby? Then what? Her baby will always wonder why its father never wanted it. She'd have to explain that to them. To say that what happened between her and him was just an accident.

She winced at the harshness of the sentence. The baby would feel like it was a mistake, not wanted. No, Pepper shook her head. What happened was an accident but the baby could never be allowed to think it's a mistake. She has at least ten years to figure out how to explain all this if Tony doesn't want to be involved.

Will he pay her off? Pepper scowls. Like she'd even take any of his money if he did. Pepper will take care of this baby whether or not he wants to help and she won't take anything from him. Deep down she hopes he'll be excited though. She's had feelings for Tony for awhile now and only acted on them from too many drinks.

She'd thought, hoped, that he maybe felt something too. Even if he's on a course for sleeping with half the population of California.

A loud ringing makes her jump. She fumbles for her phone.

"Hello?" Pepper says, hand bouncing against her knee.

"Ms. Potts, good to hear your voice. It's Obadiah. I've made it to your apartment building but, for the life of me, can't remember which number you said."

"20A," she replies, getting up towards the door. Just as she unlocks it and pull the door open she step back to let Obadiah inside.

He's tall like she remembered and wearing, were those jeans? She'd never seen him in anything so casual like jeans and a blue t-shirt. He seems to notice her surprise as he laughs.

"Most people would notice me if I can here in a three piece suit that costs more that the building," he says, head motion towards the cream colored sitting chair by her window. Pepper nods and sits back down at the couch as Obadiah plants himself on the chair.

"So... what did he say?"

"Tony? Well he's not ready to be a parent yet."

Pepper feels her heart drop into her stomach. She shouldn't be surprised. He was Tony Stark after all. He had more than enough money and influential power to make her go away.

"And what happens now?"

"When the child is born a DNA test needs to be run to confirm the child's paternity," Obadiah says so matter-of-factly that Pepper can't help but wonder how many women he's had this very conversation with. Did he think she was lying? It didn't matter. She knew the truth and so would they.

"And should the test come back positive we'll arrange an account fund to which you'll be paid a monthly amount of money for you and the child. Mr. Stark doesn't want anything to do with it so you'll be required to sign an NDA and in the paperwork you'll be responsible for the child."

Pepper bristles at the look he's giving her. He thinks she's some money hungry slut who's making this up to get loads of cash out of a billionaire.

"The monthly payments won't be necessary. There is one thing I do want though."

Obadiah cocks his head, amused. "And that is?"

"A college fund. I found me a new job and I can take care of this baby on my own but I don't want it's future to be limited. Surely as rich as Mr. Stark is, he should know the value of a good education."

"So forgo child support in exchange for a fund to an ivy league school?"

Pepper nods.

Obadiah Stane waves a hand. "Easy. Of all the women Tony could've knocked up I'm grateful it was someone sensible like you. The child will be given a college fund to access when it turns of age."

"I want sole custody too."

"Of course."

"I don't want Mr. Stark to change his mind one fateful day and take my child away from me. He's has the money and resources to win a custody battle easily."

"Tony won't fight your for custody, but when we get the results of the DNA test I'll have Tony sign over his parental rights. Is that everything Ms. Potts?"

"I think it is, I'll show you out."

He holds up a hand. "I know the way. Good speaking with you Pepper."

...

February 10, 2001

The labor was long and hard. It took fourteen hours to give birth to her little girl. She was just over five pounds and was completely healthy. She certainly had a pair of lungs on her as she screamed and cried.

As they were cleaning her baby, they drew the blood for the DNA test. How Pepper noticed that when she was delirious in pain, she'd never remember. It wasn't really real until they set her little girl into her arms that it set in. She was a mother. Her daughter was in her arms at last.

Tears came to her eyes. She wished her own mom was here. To have someone waiting for her to get home with a baby in tow, but she was alone. Well, she looked down at the small girl wrapped in a blanket, not anymore. This little thing was her family.

Morgan Howard Potts.

The name came to her. Morgan after her eccentric uncle who'd always favored her over her other cousins. He promised to stop by as soon as he could get off work to help her out for awhile. Stating that adjusting to being a full time parent wasn't easy, especially alone.

The middle name Howard. Morgan deserved to have something of her father's even if it wasn't going to be his last name. So she bestowed her sleeping daughter with the name of her grandfather.

"Welcome to the world Morgs," Pepper whispers, pressing a kiss to her daughters forehead. "I'll protect you with everything in me."

They would be okay. Just the two of them against the world.

A/N:

Well I'm finally back... for now anyways. I got the idea for the fanfiction by the sheer lack of unique Morgan Stark fanfictions and so I decided to take one of my favorite fanfiction tropes and put a bit of a spin on it. So as you can tell this is an AU if Pepper and Tony had Morgan in 2001 instead of after the snap. There's gonna be some fun stuff I can do with this so hang tight while I work on it.

I just wanted to get this out and see what responses I get. Plus maybe we can get some more Morgan fanfiction because I need me a time travel story featuring her.