It's November! And time to start decorating for Christmas! (No, I'm serious! And YES! I AM one of those crazy Christmas people, LOL!) So what better way to welcome in the holiday season than to update my Christmas fic? ;) Hope you enjoy it. Some very tender moments take place. (GOD, I miss these two!) Anyway, thank you as always for your continued support! Your feedback means so much! :D

P.S.- I thought I'd share what I'm listening to as I write this one. Check out Ronan Keating's "Winter Song". It paints the overall feel I want to convey for this story pretty well, IMO. At least, in my mind. Let me know what you think, if you take a listen! Music has been such a great tool for me to use when I write! Plus, it doesn't hurt that I'm a giant fan of all kinds of music! :D

Happy Reading! :D

Pepper watched from her seat on the couch as Tony added wood to the fire, stoking the flames. Soon, the fire grew again, and bathed them both in warm, orange light. "There we go," he said approvingly, before he turned to smile at her. "Got room for one more?" he asked, noticing her spreading the blanket out around her.

She gave him a coy smile. "Of course," she purred, and patted the seat next to her.

He grinned, and joined her on the sofa, turning his back against the arm rest, and stretching his legs along the length of the cushions. He motioned for her to come to him to lay against his chest. "Come here," he said.

Pepper obliged, laying her upper body against his chest, and positioning her lower half between his legs. Tony curled his arms around her protectively, and moaned in approval. "Ohhhhhhh, yeah, " he purred, wiggling to settle into his spot with her. "That's the stuff." Then, he gave her an affectionate squeeze, and kissed the top of her head lovingly.

Pepper snuggled further into his embrace, pulling the blanket up around them. "Mmmmm hmmmm," she cooed back. "This does feel pretty nice, doesn't it?" she replied.

Tony smiled, thrilled that she was enjoying this as much as he was. "Yeah, it does," he cooed happily. And then he began gently combing his fingers through her hair, sending sparks shooting up and down her spine.

She closed her eyes and moaned. "And that feels even better," she said, her voice dreamy.

Tony chuckled, and continued stroking her hair. "I love it, too," he replied.

"I know," Pepper said. She turned her eyes up to his, and he tilted his head to look at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" he said, with a curious smirk.

Pepper smiled, turning her body so she could look at him squarely, while resting her chin on her hand at his chest. Tony kept stroking her hair. "I mean, I know you like it when somebody runs their fingers through your hair. But only when it's not full of product, and been freshly perfected," she teased. "Or you're too drunk to care," she added.

Tony chuckled, and nodded, but then looked at her curiously again. "Well, you're not wrong. But I'm just trying to remember exactly how you would know that?" he asked.

Pepper furrowed her brow, but then realized he honestly didn't recall what she was speaking of. So she shrugged, and dismissed it, turning back around. "Nothing. Never mind," she said softly, perfectly willing to dismiss that he didn't recall what she was referring to. It isn't any wonder why he doesn't remember, she thought. He was FAR from sober.

But Tony's curiosity was getting the best of him. "No, Pep. Tell me. I wanna know. When was it that you've...wait," he urged, but suddenly halted his speech. Pepper turned to look at him again, and saw the gears in his mind working to recall what she was talking about. His eyes met hers once more, and she cocked a questioning eyebrow at him.

He gave her an embarrassed smile, and nodded to himself. "Yeah, never mind. I...uh, I remember now," he told her, his voice soft and his eyes wistful.

XxXxXxXx

"Hey, everybody! Pipe down, would'ja? This is important!" Tony slurred loudly into the microphone he'd yanked away from the singer of the band after banging loudly on the side of his tumbler full of Scotch with a spoon in front of most of Stark Industries's staff had failed to get their attention.

Pepper grimaced and lowered her head. "Oh, God. Here we go," she muttered under her breath.

"My lovely assistant, Pepper, told me I should make a toast!" he announced. "It's supposedly the right and proper thing for the president of a company to do at a function such as this," he blathered, trying to sound very official. "So here I AM," he finished flippantly.

Pepper could feel the icy scrutiny of all of the eyes in the room staring the both of them down. She instantly admonished herself for ever mentioning the company Christmas party to him that year, as she knew the floodgates would be swung wide open for him to display any of his usual typically inappropriate behavior he always did at these kinds of events. She then offered an apologetic look in reply to the other nearby party goers for what they were about to endure, trying to convince them that it was certainly was NOT her idea that he needed to get up in front of the group and do ANYTHING. Instead, she'd secretly prayed that if he did indeed show up, he'd show up sober, shake a few hands in the room, and then promptly LEAVE sober. Or at least sober-ish. "Nice wish," she muttered to herself, before turning her eyes back to her very inebriated boss, her cheeks turning more and more crimson by the second, and watched him like he was a bomb ready to go off as he smirked at his reluctant on-lookers. She hurriedly tried to think of the best plausible excuse to use on him to get him away from the crowd as quickly and as quietly as possible. "Now, Tony, I never..." she started to counter, smiling and chuckling awkwardly.

"Yes, you did, Pep! Don't you remember? 'Tony, your adoring employees need to hear from their fearless leader!' " he chirped in a whiney, mockingly effeminate tone, obviously thinking this was a suitable impression of her. He laughed heartily at his own joke. But the room had fallen dead silent. However, he was oblivious, and continued. "Or SOMETHING like that anyway. Right, Pep? Pepper? Pepper Pitts?" he paused to teeter drunkenly to himself again. "Fuck. I can't even talk. I mean, Potts? THE one and only Pepper...Virginia Potts?" he babbled. "By the way, nice dress. You look hot. You look alllllll...sparkly," he slurred, waggling his fingers in her direction. Pepper looked down at the mother-of-pearl sequined cocktail dress she was wearing, and then averted her eyes from his leering, the sound of people's disdainful gasps and murmurs at his crass behavior echoing in her ears.

Alright. For the sake of all of us, I've got to put a stop to this, she thought. She huffed, squared her shoulders, and pasted on a polite smile, trying to appear the consummate professional. "Ewwwkay, I think it would be best if we just..." she said, quickly striding to him to attempt to get the mic from him, so she could lead him out of the room.

But Tony wasn't having it. He scowled at her, and dodged her attempts to grab his hand, like a fussy, squirming child. "No, Pepper! I haven't told them what they all wanna hear, yet!" he argued in a loud, drunken whisper, keeping the microphone just out of her reach. He turned to the crowd, and raised his voice. "So here it goes! The moment you've all been waiting for! The royal proclamation!" he stated, with a sanctimonious beller.

"Oh, hell," Pepper muttered under her breath, hanging her head in defeat. She suddenly felt like she was aboard a runaway train headed straight for a cliff. Anything could happen in the coming seconds, but one thing was certain. She could do NOTHING to stop it.

"Tony, please," she desperately pleaded one last time, but he ignored her.

"I just want you all to know, I appreciate what you do, day in and day out," he graciously began.

Pepper's eyes suddenly widened in surprise, and she raised her head back up to look at him. Could it be he was actually going to say something thoughtful, let alone coherent?, she thought. She stood stone still, anxiously awaiting his next words.

"Because that's the very thing that keeps the dough rolling in. Your work. Everyday, all day, you toil away. Punch that clock. Earn that dollar. You all do it so that I don't have to..." he stammered. He frowned, and wobbled a little on his feet. Pepper braced for the worst, but he managed to steady himself once more, and then took another swig from his glass before he continued. "...Because that's the only thing I'm good for, right? Signing those checks and throwing some kick ass parties? Isn't that what everybody thinks? That I'm just Howard's no good kid? Living it up? In my mansion on the hill? 'Cept when you need me to pay for a Christmas party, I guess. Or...give out raises? No, wait. I don't do that. That's..." he turned his head to back to Pepper. "Pepper, help me out here. Who handles raises?" he asked, with a confused frown.

This time audible gasps and groans erupted from the crowd. Pepper grimaced as she looked out over the sea of disgruntled faces. I know this looks bad, but you don't understand, she thought to herself. He doesn't mean any of this. He's just hurting. Badly. And he doesn't know how to deal with it any other way.

She turned her eyes back to him. "Tony," she begged weakly, but it proved futile once again.

He just waived a dismissing hand at her. "You're right. Never mind, it's not important. Doesn't matter. What I was TRYING to say was...yer right! You're all right. And Pop? My dad? HE was right about me, too!" he exclaimed. Then he started chuckling darkly. "I'm...just a...I..." He suddenly decided to stop talking and looked out across crowd. "You know what? Fuck it. I don't need this shit. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. Whatever. I'm out," he rattled bitterly, and shoved the mic back into Pepper's hands. People began booing, and hurling insults at him, calling him names like buzzkill, a scrooge, and just another rich asshole as he staggered away.

Pepper's heart broke as she watched him leave. But she found she couldn't bear to let him go off by himself, no matter how obnoxious he'd been. She knew, after so many years of seeing him like this during the holiday season, that the LAST thing Tony Stark needed right now was to be alone. So she quickly replaced the mic back on its stand, directed the band to play something upbeat to get the party back on track, and then ran after him.

Moments later, she found him in his office, sitting slumped down in his desk chair, his refilled glass in his hand. He had his back turned to her, and was staring out the window at the lights of the factory grounds outside. She knew he had to have heard her come in, but refused to acknowledge it with anything other than grunting, "What're you doing here? I'm fine," at her.

"Funny. You don't seem fine," Pepper replied, matter of fact. She walked quietly across the room, saving the rest of her remark until she rounded the chair he sat in. "In fact, you seem pretty miserable," she finished.

"Mmmmm Hmmmmm, well I AM!" he retorted. "Fine, I mean. Woo hoo, it's Christmas!" he chirped sarcastically, and raising his glass in the air, the liquid in it sloshing precariously from side to side. "There. See? All is well. So go home, Pep. Or go back to the party. You're off the hook," he told her, before gulping down another mouthful and swallowing it hard. He smacked his lips, and then held the glass up, pretending to carefully examine the remainder of its contents.

"Tony?"

"Ms. Potts?" he bitterly jabbed back. He shot her a looked that clearly indicated he was annoyed she was still standing there. But then he softened, unable to fake his ire with her any longer. "Please, Pepper. Just go," he murmured, begging. "You don't need to see this. NOBODY needs to see this."

But she just stood firm, denying his request. So they held each others gazes for several moments, until he eventually broke his away from hers, and turned his eyes back to the view outside.

"You know you don't have to do this," Pepper murmured. "You don't have to push me away like this. I'm here because I care, Tony. By all rights, I shouldn't. But I DO, so that's why I'm here."

Tony scoffed. "Glutton for punishment," he muttered, and brought his glass to his lips again, taking another long pull from it, to finish it off. He frowned when he realized his glass was empty.

"No," Pepper argued. She stepped in front of his chair, and crouched down to be able to look into his eyes. He purposely kept his eyes from her stare, but she just patiently waited until he gave up and reluctantly looked at her again. But when his gaze fell on her, she gasped softly, as she was taken aback by the amount of pain she saw in his eyes. His expression was positively soaked with heartache. And despite everything she already knew he was going through, it still managed to take her breath away, rendering her temporarily speechless. She swallowed hard, trying to hide her reaction, and worked to form her next words. "I'm also here..." she began again, slowly and very deliberately. "Because the LAST thing you need to be right now is ALONE."

Tony looked at her with a defensive frown, but then softened once more, and look away. Pepper noticed his eyes go glassy, and he bit his bottom lip to stop his chin from quivering. "I guess I just..." he murmured. He worked his jaw again for a moment before bringing his eyes back to hers. "I miss them. You know?" he revealed, his voice a soft whisper.

Pepper's throat tightened from the lump forming in it, and she bit her lip as well to hide her own emotion. He rarely allowed it, but on the rare occasion when he DID break the facade of his bravado, and show her his complete and utter vulnerability, all she wanted to do was to throw her arms around him, and tell him it was all going to be okay. But considering the delicacy of the situation, she didn't. Instead, she gave him a warm, understanding smile, and nodded. "I know you do," she said.

Tony spluttered, and chuckled at himself. "It's that obvious, huh? God, I must look like such a pussy!" he said, grinning despite his hurt. "But my mom? I miss my mom a lot. She was a good lady. You would'a liked her, Pep."

Pepper smiled, but stayed silent, so he could continue.

"But why am I missing my asshole father so much, huh?! The guy hated my guts! At least, it FELT like he did. So what the hell? Right? But it's TRUE. I DO. I can't help it. I miss him. So how fucked up is that? Maybe I'M the glutton for punishment," he reasoned.

"Relationships are complicated, Tony. Especially with our parents. No matter the circumstances," Pepper assured him. "So it makes perfect sense, what you're going through. Maybe not to THEM out THERE," she told him, gesturing to the party goers downstairs. "But to ME, it does. And to anyone who really knows you."

Tony looked intently into her eyes, and Pepper watched the hurt she'd seen before slowly give way to a soft, appreciative grin. Her heart swelled at the sight, and she smiled delightedly back. "Now, on the other hand, is your behavior EXCUSABLE? No. Not really," she teased, and he chuckled at her.

"Yeah, I guess I kinda made an ass of myself out there, didn't I?" he asked sheepishly, and Pepper had no choice but to wince and nod in the affirmative. Tony just chuckled at himself, and rolled his eyes in embarrassment. "Okay. I guess I gotta atone, here, then. So, give 'em..."

"Raises?" Pepper offered, with a wry smirk.

His eyebrows shot up, but then he teeter-tottered his head from side to side, considering her suggestion. "Seems...fitting," he muttered. "Okay, fine. Yes. Raises. Whatever you think it should be. I trust you. Just...put it through...who ever...takes care of...that," he replied, with a dismissing hand.

Pepper spluttered, and giggled as she shook her head. "You honestly have no clue who handles these things, do you?" she asked, grinning.

Tony chuckled, his eyes once again sparkling in amusement. "Oh, not in the SLIGHTEST," he dead-panned, and Pepper laughed. He smiled at making her laugh. "But that's what I've got YOU for, so..." His voice trailed off and they gazed at each other intently again for a moment. Pepper realized the hurt in his eyes was now completely gone, and it made her smile at the fact that she'd succeeding in lifting his spirits.

"You're a good man, Tony Stark," she murmured in admiration. She rose up on her knees to become eye-level with him. "No matter what you or anyone else might think."

Tony smiled at her appreciatively. "Thanks, Pep. It's nice to know somebody in this world thinks so," he replied. They smiled at each other, but soon, their smiles faded and they fell into an entranced stare, as the familiar sense of the sexual tension between them caught them up once again, unawares, in the moment. Their chests began to heave, and Pepper couldn't help leaning slightly more in to his space as her eyes flicked down from his eyes to his parted lips and back up again. Tony's eyes did the same to hers, and he swallowed hard as a slightly nervous frown ghosted over his brow. Pepper sensed this, and then pulled back, biting her lips together as she awkwardly averted her eyes from his gaze. Tony exhaled to himself in secret disappointment, staying silent, anxiously awaiting her next move.

Meanwhile, Pepper painted a polite smile across her lips, and brought her eyes back up to meet his. Tony smiled politely back.

"Well, then," she said, slowly standing up, his eyes following her as she rose to her feet in front of him. She held out her hand. "What do you say to getting you home and into bed, hmmmm?" she suggested.

But Tony frowned. Then he slowly shook his head. "I'm not sure I wanna go home, Pep," he replied, his expression once again traced with sorrow.

Pepper briefly closed her eyes, and nodded in understanding. "Right. I'm sorry. The whole 'being alone right now' idea," she said. But then she brightened. "I...still could stay?" she offered, giving him an impish smile. "Even if you just want to stay here, I'm...happy to keep you company?"

Tony's eyes suddenly widened in mock surprise, and he gave her a cocky smirk. "Merry Christmas to ME!" he purred suggestively, which made Pepper splutter and shoot him a scornful, but playful, look. She rolled her eyes.

"That's NOT what I meant, and you know it," she warned, with a wry smirk, pointing her finger at him as he rose up out of his chair.

"Yeah, yeah, Pep. You might SAY that,..." he began, teasing her, but then he flashed her his trademark grin, softening her resolve even further as he grasped her hand in both of his and brought it to his lips to kiss it. He then patted it affectionately. "No, I know what you meant, Pep. And BELIEVE me. I appreciate the offer," he assured her, looking into her eyes intently. "To be honest, I guess I don't care WHERE we are, as long as we're..." he started to say, but then hesitated. "Together," he finished simply, his voice soft.

Pepper's cheeks reddened, and she smiled. "Well, like I said. I..." she began. "I...couldn't allow you to be by yourself tonight, so..."

"Yeah, I'm really no good alone, am I?" he joked, and they chuckled. "And, thankfully, I...don't have to be," he concluded gratefully. "So, please, Pep. Stay? At least for a little while?"

Pepper smiled and nodded. "Of course, " she murmured, and Tony smiled in delight. He then made a grand, gentlemanly gesture of placing her hand in the crook of his arm, which made her giggle.

"Then, right this way, ma' dam," he clucked, making Pepper giggle again at him as he walked her over to the long, leather sofa near the office entry.

When they reached it, he offered his hand for assistance as she sat down. Pepper gave him a curtsy, playing along with his ceremonious charade, before taking a seat. He smiled and winked at her, and then clasped his hands together. "A drink, my lady?" he joked. "What can I get you?"

"Ah, no, thank you," Pepper said, holding up a hand in refusal. "And none for YOU, for that matter. I think you've gotten yourself into quite enough trouble for one night."

Tony winced, and then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right," he admitted. "So in THAT case..." He quickly sat down beside her, but didn't stop there. Pepper gasped, as Tony proceeded to stretch out on the couch to lie down, placing his head in her lap. "AHHHHHHHH," he moaned, smiling with great satisfaction.

"What is THIS? What are you doing?" she asked, trying to stifle her amusement.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm getting comfortable," he explained plainly. "It's a tad scratchy, the dress, though. But it'll do in a pinch."

"So glad I can accommodate," Pepper quipped, smirking at his impetuousness.

Tony brought his eyes upwards to hers and shrugged. "Hey, YOU'RE the one who offered to stay," he reminded her.

"Yes, I recall," she teased. "And you're going to make me earn every bit of that offer, I see."

"Honestly, though? Is this too much to ask?" he asked, turning his head to look at her questioningly. He propped himself up on an elbow. "Because if you WANT, we can go back down stairs and subject ourselves to all of the prying eyes and quiet whispers. You KNOW they're all talking about us right now, Potts. Wondering where we've run off to together," he teased.

Pepper rolled her eyes, and sighed, feigning exasperation. "Oh, just lie down, already," she demanded sternly. Tony smirked at her in triumph and did as instructed, and Pepper laid a hand on his chest. He smiled to himself at the gesture. "As for the prying eyes and quiet whispers, I'm sure that's already in full swing. And there will be plenty of that to face when Monday rolls around, as well, I assure you," she went on to say.

"Oh, I'm sure! The things you have to put up with from your crazy boss. Right, Ms. Potts?" Tony joked.

Pepper chuckled. "And how! By the way, thank you SO much for stirring up the office gossip. I feared it was starting to go stale," she retorted wryly.

It was Tony's turn to laugh. "Meh. Let 'em talk," he replied, waving a dismissive hand at the thought. "They'll be on to something else in no time. Meanwhile, I appreciate the fact that you DO put up with me, Pep. I mean it. Not only are you a damn good assistant, but you're a damn good friend, too."

Pepper smiled appreciatively. "Thank you," she said. "Even if you ARE a giant pain in the ass."

Tony chuckled. "Aw, c'mon. You'd miss it if it were gone," he teased.

Well, he's not wrong, Pepper thought to herself, trying to hide her smile behind the back of the hand she brought to her mouth.

"Now then," Tony said. He cleared his throat, and straightened his positioning. "Commence with the hair combing," he commanded.

Pepper frowned. "What?" she asked flatly.

"The fingers through the hair. C'mon, I know you wanna. You can't resist these luscious locks. No woman can," he joked.

"Oh, puh-leez!" Pepper scoffed. "You've GOT to be kidding me."

"Okay, what if I WANT you to comb your fingers through my hair, huh? What if nothing would make me happier?" he contested.

"Tony? By keeping you company, I meant maybe getting you some coffee? Sobering you up? Maybe having a little pleasant conversation to get your mind off of things? Or, at the very least, staying with you until you fell asleep," she explained.

Tony snapped his fingers. "There you go. That's the one. The 'sleeping it off' bit. And nothing will help that along more than those dainty digits of yours stroking my hair. So get to it, Potts. C'mon. Indulge me."

Pepper exhaled sharply. "Alright, alright," she huffed. She hesitated at first, a little taken a back by the level of intimacy of such a task. But Tony closed his eyes, and settled in again, then opened one eye to look at her expectantly. Pepper pursed her lips in thought, finally figuring that his head WAS already in her lap, so she wouldn't be going much further to indulge his request. And it wasn't like he was asking her to do something sexual. It was just a more personal request from him than she was used to. But in the name of putting him at ease, she began, leaving the one hand on his chest, and using the other, previously at her mouth, to begin lightly stroking his hair. Tony instantly melted. He moaned happily in approval, truly enjoying her touch.

Pepper smiled at this reaction. Truth be told, she was secretly enjoying what she was doing as well. He wasn't wrong when he said women loved to touch his hair. It WAS quite soft, even though it had been carefully coiffed with a generous amount of product. His Italian genes had lent to it plenty of thickness and body. In short, it was hair a lot of men would kill for. And a lot of women would kill to be in my position at the moment, she couldn't help but admit to herself.

"How am I doing?" she murmured to him, after a few quiet moments.

"Maaaaarvelously," he cooed, his voice soft and drowsy. Another long silence fell between them, and Pepper soon noticed his breathing had changed. She watched his chest rise and fall rhythmically for several moments, and she assumed that he'd dozed off. She smiled, admiring the peace that had come over him. But suddenly, he muttered something in his light slumber.

"Merry Christmas, Pepper," he murmured to her.

Pepper smiled, her cheeks blushing at the sweet, simple gesture. "Merry Christmas, Tony," she murmured softly back.