Hello, again!

I'm glad you guys are back for more holiday cheer this year! I had a blast writing "A Very Pepperony Christmas" last year, and can hardly wait to tear into this one. I hope I can make it feel just as warm and cozy and I tried to make that one feel, only in a very different setting this time. I couldn't shake the idea of Tony and Pepper being in a situation like this one, especially for Christmas. So, here we are! I hope it's as much fun for you to read as it is for me to write!

Happy Reading! :D

Tony went back down the hall and into a back bedroom to change clothes. He flipped on a bedside lamp, and proceeded to unbutton his shirt. As he removed it, he realized how much of Pepper's blood had got on the front of it. He frowned at the sight, sorry that she'd gone through something so traumatic. "Poor kid," he muttered, laying the shirt on a chair across from the bed.

He'd found a long-sleeved thermal undershirt, and a flannel outer shirt to wear along with a pair of navy blue sweats for bottoms, as well as some heavy wool socks, which he was eternal grateful for. He quickly changed, and left the bedroom in search of any first aid supplies he could use to clean up the nasty bruised gash on Pepper's forehead. He searched the bathroom cabinets, and found only a few small gauze pads, and a bottle of peroxide. "Better than nothing," he told himself. He left the bathroom, and walked back toward the living room with what he'd gathered to find Pepper asleep on the couch again. He smiled this time, as he could see her chest rising and fall with each soft breath. He set the gauze pads and peroxide on the trunk next to the sofa and sat down carefully at her feet so as not to disturb her. Pepper instinctively stretched her legs out and rested her feet over his lap in her sleep. He smiled again, and patted her ankles affectionately. Then he shifted in his seat so he could rest his head against the back of the couch. He closed his eyes, feeling the fatigue from everything that had happened seep into his body and start to lull his mind to sleep. His eyelids drifted close and soon he dozed off, the both of them in a soft slumber in front of the fire.

XxXxXxXxXx

The next morning, Pepper slowly opened her eyes to find herself stretched out on the sofa, her feet resting gently in Tony's lap. His hand was resting on her ankle, and he was still asleep. Her first instinct was to quickly pull her feet back and out of his way, but she suddenly thought the better of it, realizing she'd probably awaken him with any swift motion. However, as she slowly moved to sit up, he stirred and gradually opened his eyes to look at her. She gave him a sheepish smile, and he smiled softly back. "'Morning," he grunted hoarsely, reaching his hands above his head, and stretching his body.

She awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ears, and nodded. "Good morning," she replied. "I guess we both were feeling the affects of last night, huh?"

Tony finished stretching and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so," he said, with an impish grin. Then his eyebrows shot up. "Oh! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, suddenly remembering his findings in the way of first aid. He reached for the gauze pads and peroxide he'd found, and slid off the couch, coming to rest in front of her on his knees. Pepper watched as he opened the bottle and dabbed a piece of gauze over the opening. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "I figured a little cleanup was in order. No ointment or band-aids, though, unfortunately."

Pepper thanked him and graciously took the gauze, dabbing at the gash on her forehead. She winced at the pain, but continued her work, periodically looking at the dried blood she was removing from the area. "How's it look?" she asked him after a moment.

"Purple," Tony quipped, smirking. "And painful."

"It is," Pepper affirmed. "But this is helping, I think."

Tony moistened another gauze pad. "Here, Pep. Let me help," he said.

Pepper obliged him, leaning slightly forward so he could help to clean off the rest of the dried blood that had run down her forehead. She gazed at him as he worked, and when he was done, he gave her a proud smile. "There. Good as new. Well. Almost," he said, smiling warmly when he finished.

Pepper chuckled, blushing. She averted her eyes for a moment, before bringing them back to his. They held each other's gaze for a brief moment.

"Thank you," Pepper murmured. "Again, I mean. I owe you..."

"Nothing," Tony murmured back, humbly. "You owe me nothing, Potts. Don't give it another thought."

"Well," Pepper muttered bashfully. She took a deep breath, and looked around, surveying their temporary shelter in the broad daylight. The walls were hand-hewn stripped logs, with thick, white chinking in between them. The perimeter was almost all windows, with nearly a 360 degree view of the wilderness outside, though the bottom half of all of the windows were covered with what appeared to be hand-made, lace curtains that provided a filter for the light coming in. The ceiling was sloped, following the roof line, up to what she could estimate was around 15-20 feet at its tallest point. The floors were hardwood through out, and honey yellow in color, the planks wide and uneven in texture. A large, woven rug made from strips of fabric scraps covered the floor beneath the sofa in a wide oval, and what appeared to be a heavy, wood, square coffee table sat in front of it, which was in front of the hearth of the fireplace. The fireplace stood like a monolith as the center piece of the whole space, separating the kitchen and dining areas from the living area, its broad river-rock covered chimney reaching clear to the peak in the ceiling. It had a deep, slate hearth, perfect for sitting on to warm yourself from the cold. The living area was large, with an open-style kitchen at one end, and a dining area at the other, on the backside of the fireplace. A hallway was just off the living room that she could only guess must have included entrances to at least one bedroom and a bathroom.

The furniture was an eclectic collection, clearly ranging in style from the 1950's to the 70's, probably from generations having contributed to it over the years, she guessed. Vintage pictures and decorative wall hangings adorned the walls of the room and hallway, giving it a warm, personal touch. In short, it was a very homey, and comfortable space, brightly lit from the outside light coming in, and she imagined that many happy summers had been spent there by the family who owned it. "It's certainly...cozy, isn't it," she remarked thoughtfully, bringing her eyes back to Tony, and smiling.

He nodded and looked around as well. "Yeah, as cabins go, I guess," he said. "Not a bad place to be in these circumstances, anyway."

Pepper shook her head in agreement. She glanced out of the windows, and frowned. "It looks like we're in for the duration, too," she commented, nodding toward the weather outside, which was still a frigid blizzard.

Tony glanced to where she was looking, and frowned. He nodded. "Yep, sure does," he agreed. "Funny. I heard nothing about a blizzard coming. If we'd have known, I would have insisted we stay somewhere closer to the symposium. And you would never have had that accident," he said, regretfully.

Pepper smiled softly. "What's done is done, Tony. Don't blame yourself. There's no way you could have known," she assured him. She surveyed herself, and took a deep breath. "Well," she said resolutely. "I'd say it's time I get changed. You said you'd found me some clothes?"

Tony nodded and stood up, handing her what he'd found from where he'd laid them on the back of the couch. She graciously accepted them, and moved to get up. "After that, I think it's time we scrounge up some breakfast, huh? What do you say?" Tony asked, holding out a hand to help her up.

"Sounds fantastic," Pepper replied, accepting his hand and moving to slowly come to a standing position.

Tony helped to steady her. "You got it? You good?" he asked. Pepper nodded and smiled warmly. He smiled back.

"See? You're already on the mend," he said hopefully. "Go change, Potts. And I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Pepper smiled in agreement, and Tony winked and smiled back at her before leaving her side to head for the kitchen. Pepper smiled to herself once he was out of view, and headed down the hallway to the bathroom to change.

XxXxXxXxXx

Tony began opening the cupboards to survey their supplies. There were a few canned items, mostly consisting of things like beans and canned fruit. Tony furrowed his brow, and worked his jaw as he took inventory of their stores.

A few moments later, Pepper joined him, dressed in a heavy grey hoodie sweatshirt that hung past her behind to the tops of her thighs, and some waffle-cut thermal long john bottoms, which were a bit big, and bunched together at the ankles, but would certainly do. She, too, wore a pair of heavy wool socks, the second pair Tony had found in a dresser drawer- all much warmer than the green evening gown she'd had on, and she appeared contented with his findings.

Tony smiled at the sight of her, and she smiled happily back. "Much better, right?" he said.

Pepper nodded. "Yes. Thank you," she affirmed. Tony nodded and then resumed searching the cabinets, and Pepper joined in to help.

"I found some flour," she said optimistically after a moment, as she opened an aluminum canister she'd found. She then set it on the counter, and went back to her search. A moment later she let out a happy "Ahhhh. There we are," and Tony looked over his shoulder at her to see what she'd come across.

She proudly held up a yellow box with red writing to show him. "Pancake mix," she purred, with an excited smile.

"Oh, Potts, you are awesome," Tony cooed gratefully. They both chuckled, and Pepper began searching for a bowl, a skillet, a measuring cup, and a spatula. It didn't take long to find the needed implements, but when she went to fill the measuring cup with some water to make the batter, the faucet spluttered and hissed, with nothing to show for it. "Uh-oh," she said, frowning with momentary worry.

"Let me take a look, Pep," Tony urged. Pepper stepped to the side to allow his access to the cabinet beneath the sink. Tony twisted the valves open on the hot and cold water, but nothing happened.

"Gimme a sec to find the main water shut off. This place was probably winterized," he explained, crawling back out from inside the cabinet to a standing position. He disappeared down the hall, and Pepper stood there, listening and watching for any sign he'd found it. A moment later, she heard the sound of a valve being opened, and the clicking of breakers being flipped. The faucet began to splutter again, and soon, clear water was flowing from the tap. "Got it!" Pepper called out.

Tony ran back into the kitchen. "We got it? Good," he replied, smiling. "See? I'm a handy guy to have around, right?" he said, half-joking.

Pepper chuckled and nodded. "You are, Tony. You've more than earned your gold star, I'd say," she joked back, as she filled her measuring cup. "You've saved me, and now breakfast!"

Tony gave her a prideful smile, looking at her like he wanted a pat on the head, and Pepper giggled.

"I flipped the breaker on the water heater, too," he informed her.

"Good thinking. We'll need it for the dishes afterwards," she said, shutting off the faucet. She carried her filled measuring cup back over to her bowl full of pancake mix and slowly poured it in.

"I was thinking more along the lines of a shower," Tony commented, his voice a low purr. But he quickly back-peddled, as Pepper's eyes went wide with alarm, and she instantly stopped stirring the contents of her bowl to look at him, not being able to help a coy smirk from raising the corners of her mouth. He immediately spluttered and stammered as he held up his hands in defense, and gave her an impish smile. "Whoa, I didn't mean...not together, Potts. No. I meant, you and me...separately, showering." He cleared his throat awkwardly, and Pepper rolled her eyes and shook her head, grinning.

"I know what you meant, Tony," she assured, still smiling to herself in amusement at him stumbling all over himself to back out of his insinuation. She heard him let out a quiet sigh of relief behind her, which made her grin all the more. "See if you can find something that could pass for maple syrup, would you?" she requested, trying to easy them away from the awkwardness.

"Syrup. On it," Tony said. He rifled through the upper and lower cabinets as she poured and flipped pancakes. Finally, in the back of a corner cabinet, he found an almost empty bottle of maple syrup.

He held it up for Pepper's approval, but she frowned. "There isn't much left, is there," she said. "Oh, wait!" she cried suddenly, waggling a finger at him. She quickly spun around, and pulled open the refrigerator door to produce a jar of grape jelly. "This might do in a pinch," she announced, handing it to Tony.

He took it, tossing it in his hand. He looked at it, and then smirked at her. "Resourceful," he said. Pepper smiled proudly back, and Tony went to put both containers on the table. He took a seat in one of the burnt orange-colored, vinyl-upholstered, high-backed chairs tucked under the 50's era marble-patterned Formica table, and waited for Pepper to finish their stack of flapjacks. He watched her in admiration as she worked, not being able to help feeling very at ease and almost...happy they were together, in this place. It was only a couple of days before Christmas, and he knew they'd have to make a break for it as soon as the storm let up to try to get back to civilization in time for the holiday. But at this moment, it seemed time was at a stand still. And it was just him and she, there for the sole purpose of keeping each other company during this temporary hiatus from the rest of the world.

"Okay," Pepper said, as she finished the last pancake, and piled it on top of the stack she'd created. She turned off the burner, moved the skillet to the back of the stove to cool down, and grabbed their breakfast off the counter. She turned around and Tony purred with approval. "Looks amazing, Pep," he said, as she sat them down in the center of the table.

"They certainly do," she said in agreement. She left his side to find some plates, and forks and knives. She quickly returned with two of each and set the table. Tony immediately took hold of his fork and stabbed three of the large pancakes off the top of the stack, and hoisted them onto his plate. Then he began slathering grape jelly on each of them.

Pepper realized they'd found nothing to drink, and frowned. "We need something to wash this down with," she remarked.

Tony jabbed his fork in the direction of the sink. "Water," he said, simply.

She winced with apprehension. "Do...do you think it's safe?" she asked him.

He stopped and looked at her. "Well, number one, we're in the mountains. So, the water supply is from the snow pack up high, and it drains down into the river, getting filtered along the way. And since the river's right here, the water table's not that deep, so they've most likely dug a well, since we're nowhere close to any municipality to pipe it in from," he rattled off, matter-of-fact. "And number 2? I haven't spotted any evidence that they bring in an alternate supply. No water jugs, no storage tanks..."

"So...it's safe, then, you're saying?" Pepper asked sheepishly.

Tony chuckled and nodded. "Yes, Pep," he assured her. "It's safe. Safe enough, anyway."

Pepper softened, and gave him an appreciative smile. He shrugged and went back to his pancakes. Pepper walked back to the cupboards to find two water glasses. She quickly returned, her hands carrying two glasses, both full of tap water, and set them down in front of each of their plates. Then she seated herself across from Tony and loaded two pancakes onto her plate. She grabbed the maple syrup, and then looked at Tony questioningly.

"Since when do you not eat maple syrup on your pancakes?" she asked inquisitively, with a smirk.

Tony shrugged, and smiled. "Since this morning when I found out it was in short supply," he said, gesturing toward the near-empty bottle. "Plus, I wanted to give you the privilege, first. You're the chef, only because I'm all thumbs in the kitchen. Otherwise, I'd have you resting on the couch, and I'd be handling the cooking. So consider it an act of gratitude," he informed her, smirking back at her.

Pepper chuckled, and bowed her head graciously. "Well, thank you, and it's well noted," she replied. They both ate in silence for a few moments before either one of them spoke again, the pancakes quickly satisfying both of their voracious appetites.

Tony drained his glass of water, and stood up to get a refill. He noticed Pepper's glass was almost empty, and gestured to it, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. She nodded, quickly drinking the remainder, and handed it to him. He walked to the sink and refilled them both, and then returned to the table, setting the glasses down in their respective places. Pepper thanked him. He nodded and smiled, and went back to eating.

But soon he noticed Pepper's eyes were still on him. He paused, and looked up from his plate to meet her gaze. "What?" he asked her apprehensively, his mouth full of pancake.

Pepper blushed, and quickly averted her eyes. "Huh? Oh! Nothing. I'm sorry, I was just...I didn't mean to stare," she explained.

Tony looked at her curiously and smiled, and then went back to eating. Pepper shifted her eyes to look out the dining room window, watching the snow fall. Truthfully, she'd got lost in thought at how caring, and concerned, Tony had been for her since last night. It wasn't a secret that he was usually very self-absorbed, but, for whatever reason, that care and concern wasn't showing signs of stopping any time soon. She was lucky to be alive, thanks to his rescue, and was also lucky she only sustained a bump on the head. Clearly, she was up and around, and, like he'd said, apparently on the road to recovery, now. Yet, his looking after her was still in full swing. And, honestly? She was finding it hard not to enjoy it.

"Pep?" she heard Tony say. Pepper came out of her reverie, and turned her eyes back to meet his. He was looked at her expectantly.

She blinked and shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked.

"Um...yeah. I asked if you'd come across any coffee," he said awkwardly. Then her frowned, and looked at her curiously. "You okay? You seem...kinda distant," he remarked. "Your head hurting again?" he asked.

Pepper smiled, and put her hand to the bump on her head, which, oddly enough, had begun to throb again. "Um, y-yes, as a matter of fact. I suppose I should go lie down again," she said.

Tony nodded. "You bet. You go take it easy. I'll handle this," he said, gesturing to the remnants of their eaten breakfast.

Pepper giggled. "You? Dishes?" she teased.

Tony looked at her with mock indignance. "Hey! I've been known to wash a dish or two in my life time!" he teased back.

"In your whole lifetime, maybe," Pepper joked, as she got up from the table and made for the living room.

"I'll show you, Pepper Potts. I can be domestic when I wanna be," Tony called after her. "You just wait and see."

Pepper chuckled, and then went to sit down on the sofa, but paused, as she noticed the fire Tony had started the night before was just a pile of glowing coals now. She reached for a log to throw on to reignite it, but was met with a stabbing pain in her forehead. "Uh!" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut and falling suddenly to her knees.

Tony heard this, and came running. "Pepper?!" he called out to her, just before he saw her fall to the ground. "Shit!" he exclaimed, coming to her side in a panic. "Talk to me, Pep. What going on?!" he asked frantically, watching her with wide eyes.

"My head," she murmured breathlessly. "It really hurts. And...and the room is spinning, again."

Tony took her hand, and brushed her hair back behind one of her ears. "It's alright. Just take a minute, and then we'll get you to the couch, and you can lie down. Okay?" he told her.

Pepper nodded, closing her eyes as she took some deep breaths. Tony rubbed her hand in his, watching her trepidatiously. A few moments later, she opened her eyes to meet his, and he searched her face for some indication she was okay.

She smiled weakly. "Help me to the couch?" she asked in a soft voice.

Tony nodded, and then got to one knee as Pepper hoisted herself slowly up, keeping a hold of his hand for support. Tony put his arm around her shoulders once they'd both made it to a standing position, and then he eased her over to the couch, lowering her down onto the cushions once they'd reached it. Pepper moved to lay down, and Tony pulled the quilt he'd found her the night before back up over her shoulders. "That's it, Pep. Just take it easy," he murmured to her. Pepper nodded, and smiled weakly at him before closing her eyes, her breathing settling into a slow, soft rhythm as she dozed off. Tony watched her for a moment, his brow furrowed. When he felt assured she was okay for the time being, he turned to put more wood on the fire, before returning to the kitchen to clean up.