Pepper successfully got the bird washed, seasoned, and into the oven within just a few minutes. After which, Tony had decided to shower. "If it wasn't for the fact that you've already taken a bath, I'd ask you to join me," he remarked.

"Who says that would stop me?" Pepper teased, which made him stop in his tracks, and look at her with wide eyes. She just giggled. "Go. Go on. Take your shower," she said, waving a hand at him in dismissal.

"Don't do that to me, Potts," he warned. "For a second, I thought you were serious."

Pepper just looked at him, and smirked. "I know," she replied, with a coy shrug of her shoulder. "But we're not quite there, yet. So I was only kidding."

"But give it time?" Tony offered, with a smirk of his own, his eyes twinkling with anticipation.

Pepper chuckled. "Well, we'll just have to see, now, won't we?" she cooed.

Tony kept his smirk, but worked his jaw as his imagination sprang to life with images of he and Pepper making the most of a steamy shower together. He nodded and grinned. "I'll take it," he said, swiveling around on his heels and marching back toward the bathroom resolutely, making Pepper giggle at how little it took from her to get him excited.

"Have a good time!" she called out teasingly.

"Oh, I will!" he called back, and Pepper's giggle spluttered into laughter.

XxXxXxXx

Behind the closed bathroom door, Tony turned on the hot water in the shower, and proceeded to get undressed. The smile hadn't left his face, and when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror, it only made him smile more.

"What're you grinning at?" he taunted. "She's only the best thing that could've happened to you, that's all." He waggled a finger at his mirror image in warning. "Just don't fuck this up. Be careful, alright? I'm just saying." He chuckled to himself, but slowly Tony's grin started to fade, and it was replaced by a concerned frown. He turned away from the mirror and leaned against the counter, folding his arms.

"Yeah, who am I kidding? I've already fucked this up," he muttered. He lowered his head, his thoughts clouding his mind like storm clouds blotting out the sun. "I should've kept it friendly. I should never have kissed her," he mumbled. Sooner or later, she's gonna realize what's REALLY happened here, and there I'll be- looking like the same old asshole everyone knows I am, he thought.

He huffed, and scrubbed a hand over his face, and through his hair. "Damn it, Stark," he scolded. "You knew better. And you did it anyway."

Just then, he heard a voice on the other side of the door. "Tony?" he heard Pepper call out.

He bolted upright. "Uh...y-yeah?" he called back, wincing at how startled his voice sounded.

"I don't know if you saw them, but I left those clothes I found for you on the stool? And I was able to find us some more wool socks. So, I'll just leave them outside the door, alright?"

"Yeah. Great. Thanks, Pep," he said.

A brief moment passed, and he heard Pepper's voice again.

"Are...you okay?" she asked. "You sound...strange."

"Fine! Never better!" Tony called back. "I'll uh...see you in a minute, huh?"

"Okay. Sounds good," Pepper replied. He heard her walk back down the hall, and he exhaled in relief.

"Too close," he muttered to himself, before yanking back the shower curtain and climbing into the hot water.

XxXxXxXxXx

When Tony had gone into the bathroom, Pepper had gone on a quest. She'd wondered if the dresser in the other bedroom had any more heavy socks, and she figured she should quickly look so if she did happen to find some, they'd be waiting for him once he came back out.

She walked into the second bedroom, and found it was just as chilly as the other had been before. She wondered if she should leave the door open to try to warm it, or if that would only serve to cool the rest of the house down even further. "And it's not as if we'll be using this room," she thought, though this admission did put a smile on her face as her romantic fantasy of she and Tony making love on a pile of blankets in front of the fireplace flooded her mind again.

She sighed, unable to stop smiling. "What oh what have I gotten myself into?" she murmured, simultaneously not feeling an ounce of regret for doing it. In fact, a flicker of excitement rushed through her, and it made her giggle at what she could only anticipate was ahead for them. Not only in the very near future, as she was quickly getting used to the idea of them becoming intimate during their time here, but also for what was in store for them once they were back home. He'd continued to surprise her at every turn just since this morning, let alone in the last few days, being far more doting than she'd ever dreamed he could be, and she was rapidly becoming convinced that he was completely capable of being in a relationship. Who knew that I'd be the one to bring that out in him?, she thought fondly. In the way he was behaving, the way he showed so much care and concern, it was hard to argue that it wasn't genuine. If his only intention was to get her into bed, she couldn't imagine that he'd put forward the kind of effort he had. He most likely would've become uninterested by this point, instead, and they would've have had to ride out the rest of their time in awkward silence until the blizzard lifted, and they could focus on getting out of there.

"At least it seems that way," she murmured. She closed her eyes. Don't be the fool, the small voice in her mind warned. Don't assume you know what his intentions are. What IF this IS just a giant scheme to sleep with you?

Pepper exhaled. "There's that guard, again," she whispered in defeat. She chewed her lip in thought, and then came to a resolution. "That's it. We need to talk. I have to know, once and for all," she said. She'd managed to rummage through the top two drawers in the dresser during this time, and had come up empty. She opened the third, and instantly her thoughts were distracted by what she found- rolls and rolls of heavy woolen socks. "Oh, terrific!" she gasped, grinning. "Now his poor feet don't have to freeze anymore!" She grabbed a couple of pairs, and closed the drawer. Then sat on the edge of the bed to slip one on, grabbed the second she'd retrieved, and hurriedly left the room.

As she reached the bathroom door, she could hear Tony speaking softly on the other side. And though most of his words were very muffled, she was still able to make out a few. "I should've kept it friendly. I should never have kissed her...you did it anyway."

Pepper gasped, and brought a hand to her mouth. So it's true!, she thought. She squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped the socks in her hand, trying desperately to hold her composure, so as not to give herself away, and called out, "Tony?"

She heard movement. "Uh...y-yeah?" he answered back, sounding as if she'd surprised him.

She frowned, but quickly explained her reason for bothering him. To which he curtly answered, "Yeah. Great. Thanks, Pep."

Pepper scowled. Don't overreact, don't overreact, don't overreact, she pleaded with her sub-conscious. "Uh...are you okay? You sound...strange," she heard herself say, instantly wincing at having said anything at all.

"Fine! Never better! See you in a minute, huh?" she heard him reply.

Pepper's countenance deflated. She nodded. "Ok. Sounds good," she said simply. She dropped the socks she'd found by the door, and walked away.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," she muttered sadly, as hot tears formed in her eyes. "Some Christmas this turned out to be."

XxXxXxXxXxXx

Tony soon emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered. However, his face was still stubbly, as he hadn't had any luck in finding a fresh razor. None the less, the change of clothes Pepper had found made him feel like a million bucks. And when he opened the bathroom door, he smiled even more when he found the socks she'd left him, his heart warming at her care and concern. He leaned against the door jamb to put them on, and then made his way down the hall into the living room.

Pepper was standing in front of the fireplace, her arms folded, and staring into the flames. She looked completely immersed in thought, and didn't seem to notice him. So he walked up behind her, and slipped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck.

"There you are," he cooed, planting a tender kiss to her temple. "Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" he asked.

Pepper quickly pulled out of his arms. "Did you?" she asked him defensively.

"Did I what?" Tony asked, confused.

Pepper huffed. "Miss me, Tony," she repeated sternly.

"Yeah, of course I..."

"Because I heard what you said! I didn't mean to, but I did! You said that you should've just kept things friendly between us, and that you regretted kissing me," she accused.

"What? Pepper, no, I..." Tony began, stepping in her direction. But she raised her hands in defense.

"Don't," she said. She shook her head. "Don't come any closer if what you're about to say is just going to be a lie."

"Baby," Tony replied. But realized she probably wouldn't appreciate the pet-name at this moment. "Pepper," he began again. He took another step closer, and Pepper took another defensive step back. He frowned. "I...don't regret kissing you," he said.

"But?" she said.

Tony exhaled sharply. "But nothing, Pep. I just...I...okay. First, could you please just relax? I feel like I'm about to get mauled or something," he said. "Can we just...talk? Please?"

Pepper frowned in though. Well, that WAS initially what I wanted us to do, she reasoned. So she relaxed her defensive stance, and nodded. "Yes," she said simply.

Tony sighed. "Great," he said. He gestured for her to join him on the sofa, and she obliged. They took their seats, and turned toward each other. Each assumed they'd speak first, so they both began at the same time.

"First of all, I've never..."

"So what did you mean, then, if you don't regret.."

They abruptly stopped, and looked awkwardly at one another. "Sorry," Tony said sheepishly.

"It's fine, it's...go ahead," Pepper said, waving a hand at him.

He nodded, and cleared his throat. He adjusted his position on the couch, and began again. "As I was saying, I've never regretted anything we've done up to this point. The only thing that would make any of this better was if we were here by choice, not by force. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked.

Pepper shrugged. "I'm not so sure right now, but go on," she said glumly.

Tony nodded. "Fair enough," he said. He took the opportunity to move closer to her, and leaned further into her space. He looked deeply into her eyes. "But let me be clear, Pep."

She frowned at him, studying his face for any indication of what might come next.

"I never said I deserve the chance to be with you," he said, his voice heavy with sincere intention. He reached for one of her hands, and Pepper watched as he did this, allowing him to grasp it. He clasped his other hand over the top hers, and gave it a gently squeeze. They both raised their eyes back up to each others. Tony continued. "Baby, I meant every word I've said to you. Every kiss, every...everything," he explained. "But I also know who I am. And..."

Pepper's breath hitched, her brain screaming at her that he was about to reveal her worst suspicions. Her eyes went wide, and her chest began to heave. She abruptly jerked her hand away from his, and stood up to face him. "No! Don't say another word! You don't have to tell me what's coming!" she warned.

Tony frowned in confusion at her. "What's coming? What do you mean? I was just going to..."

Pepper nodded emphatically. "Tell me that all you really wanted was a quick lay, but this is getting too complicated, and you've had a change of heart, so you're dumping me before we go any further because you...you..."

Tony raised his eyebrows. And stayed silent, waiting for her to finish.

Pepper looked at him in her panic, and then furrowed her brow. "You're not defending yourself. Why aren't you talking right now? Am I right? Is that what you really..." Her voice trailed off, and they continued staring at each other.

Then Tony feigned surprise. "Oh! Are you done? Is it my turn to talk again?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well, I wish you would say...something," she retorted, her tone haughty.

"Okay, then! Here's something!" Tony jabbed, his eyes fiery as he stood up to face her. "I. Don't. Deserve. You."

Pepper recanted, and leaned back to look at him squarely. "Tony, I..." she began, but he interrupted.

He threw his hands up. "I don't!" he cried. "I probably never will. Why? Because I'm a fuck up. A menace. To myself. And to everyone around me. And you wanna know what else?"

Pepper didn't reply. She just watched him continue his self-deprecating rant. But he continued, by-passing her chance to respond.

"I said those things because the last person you need in your life is me, Pep," Tony said, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You could do so much better. You deserve so much better. I'm just the lucky sucker who, for whatever reason, you've chosen to give some of your affection to. And believe me, I am eternally grateful. But honey? I'm sure I'm not worth it."

Pepper softened, and her eyes filled with regret for having jumped to conclusions. Tony continued.

"But am I sorry for kissing those gorgeous lips? For even getting one chance to feel the weight of your body against mine last night, sleeping so peacefully, that I was amazed anyone could ever be that comfortable in my arms? No, Pepper. Absolutely not. I just hope that someday you don't regret letting me."

She didn't reply. Instead, she flew from where she stood, and crashed their lips together. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and shoulders, and she felt him wrap his arms around her middle, pulling her snugly into his embrace. They kissed hungrily, moaning with relief and need all at the same time. Pepper's hips began to buck against his, and she curled her leg around his thigh, suddenly overcome by the unrelenting urge to feel Tony's hands on her body. So she quickly broke the kiss, and yanked the t-shirt she was wearing off over her head, sending it flying off to the side.

Tony involuntarily whimpered as he watched her do this. His eyes eagerly scanned her body, and he swallowed hard, but then shot her a precautionary look. "You're sure?" he asked softly.

Pepper smiled. She nodded. "Yes," she answered breathlessly. "Because I think you deserve it. And that's all that matters."

Whew! WELL, then! Pepper's always been a girl who knows what she wants, amirite? ;) Loving the feedback, btw! You're awesome!

On to the next!