Guest Review Responses

Thanks for the favorite/follow: Bystandereader, The Wolf Raven and Doc-LeeE.

Riley J: Yes yes yes ! I loved it ;) – I bet it won't compare to THIS one :D

apps: Yes..I am alive and really really sorry for not reviewing your stories... But now onwards will stay up!...well the chapter is the loveliest way of tony making up with pepper which I really didn't expected and quite indifferent... I re-read the chapter no of times to make myself believe what I am reading. As always kick off this Samantha from pepperony or else I will kill myself if any more screw ups!...update it asap...I am waiting... Lots of love and hugs to you dear!. …stay blessed! - No worries! I'm just so happy that you're back! No! No killing yourself! Samantha is so not worth it! Especially after this chappie ;)

MARIO: STILL AMAZEBALLS! Hope life's treating you better now. – LOL! It is! Thank you so much for the good wishes ^_^

Hope: You are truly an amazing writer! I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you! life can hit you like a ton of bricks to the face,I understand that, a few years ago my sister unexpectedly passed away and I felt alone and things don't go the way you want them the end life always has a way of making it up to you! As I started reading and enjoying my life writing skills are amazing and I have faith you will power through life and in the end you will be grateful and I admire your skills and bravery for not letting us down even when you feel the stress that is keep shinning ;) – Hope, I'm so sorry about your sister. I too have a sister (the only sibling I have), and she's pretty much my best friend. I can't imagine what you went through when she passed. But I'm also glad that you are feeling better now, and I hope that I can play a part in the good times of your day. I think you're going to love this chapter. In fact, I wrote this chapter thinking of you ^_^

A/N: Alright, my Faithful Readers! Buckle up!

Chapter 16

Even hours after it had happened, he was still in awe; speechless – in a state of utter shock. It was not the bad kind of shock, but it was still shock, nonetheless. Perhaps, shock was not the correct word to use. Maybe it was something more akin to being amazed beyond belief.

Because he was amazed. Touched. Almost unable to breathe.

He was in his customary sleeping attire – pajama pants, no socks, and no shirt. His feet were resting on the coffee table of the living room area of his penthouse. The TV before him was on, broadcasting re-runs of Breakdancing with Celebrities. In his hands, he held Pepper's dating anniversary gift to him.

It was so fragile – just as he remembered it to be. This time, however, he was not going to make the same mistake he had made before. He was going to hold on tightly to her present – to the gold mine in his hands. It was never again going to slip from his grasp.

His gaze slowly moved from staring at the item in his hands to watching his redhead sleeping in his bed. She had been napping for a couple of hours now, exhausted from having little sleep the night before and then being woken up by his 911 early this morning. She had been a trooper and had kept her tiredness to herself most of their day together until a little while ago, when he had caught her trying to keep her eyes open while watching a movie with him on the couch.

She had fought him tooth-and-nail, claiming that she was not sleepy, but her words had been slurred, her head had been on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around one of his, and her eyes had been closed. She did not complain when he had picked her up in his arms. She had not whined when he had placed her under the covers in his bed. And she had not heard him speak when he had said it aloud to her that he loved her.

Because, really, who would not love this woman before him? He had already loved her before she had given him this gift. Now, he just loved her that much more.

I can't believe she spent all her money on this. I can't believe she remembered!

Then again, why would she not? Even if he had made every effort to downplay the significance of this item – the one he had once lost but was now replaced – if there was anyone who would have read his true feelings on the matter, it would have been her.

"I accidentally broke it," he had told her, months ago, when she had stumbled upon a picture of him, his mother, and the lost version of the gift in his hands. "I never told my dad, though."

"I bet it was very special to your mom, and to you."

"Yeah, I guess," he said with what he hoped was a nonchalant shrug. "It was more her ornament than mine."

He had not lied to her in stating the ornament belonged to his mother. But he had given a lower profile to the significance the crystal figure had for him. His mother had always cherished it – it had been her favorite. So, it had become his favorite, too. As a child, after she had died, he had felt connected to her through it.

But he had also been clumsy while grabbing it. He had not known it could break so easily. His tears had made his hands wet and slippery, and the crystal butterflies figurine had slid from his hold while sobbing for his departed mother. It had shattered into tiny pieces; scattered so much he had not been sure if he had found all the parts when cleaning it up. And not even the great Tony Stark, at his four-years of age, had been able to piece it back together the way it was before.

That crystal ornament represented his mother's presence, from the beyond. And he had been careless enough to break it only weeks after she had left this world.

Yet now, this morning, when gift-opening time had come, his girlfriend had surprised him with a replacement for his cherished lost item – one of the few twenty that had been made and were available in the world. Even if she had not said it to him, he knew that she had spent a small fortune and a lot of time to track and secure the darned gift. Even if she had not told him to his face, he knew that she was aware of how much this item meant to him.

In a sense, a very metaphorical one, Pepper had just brought his mother back to him.

Or at least a more vivid memory of her.

Pepper Potts, his fiery redhead, truly did not know what she had just done for him.

"So, do you like it?" her big hazel eyes looked straight at his widened ones. "It's exactly like the one she used to have, right?"

He was silent for a few moments as he stared at the valuable item, turning it over and over in his hands, his mind filling with numerous thoughts and emotions. She began to grow nervous as the seconds ticked by and he still gave no reply, although it was obvious that he was in deep thought and trying to contain a flood of feelings rushing through him, the nature of which Pepper could not discern, but feared would take away from the intent of her gift to him.

After nearly a minute, he seemed to clear his head and looked at her, smiling widely and genuinely. He set the gift down for a moment, grabbed her hands and drew her to him, delivering a fierce kiss to her lips that took her by surprise. When it ended, he pulled back slightly and looked deep into her eyes.

"It's the greatest gift I've ever gotten from anyone," he hugged her tightly and she hugged him right back, relief and delight filling her. "Thank you, Pep. Thank you so much for this."

He had to admit, he had not been sure how his response was going to go after he had unwrapped the gift. After those first brief moments of surprise and happiness had passed, a sense of melancholy and agitation had momentarily risen within him as he began to question the whole thing.

While Pepper's intentions were sweet and honorable, did she not realize how badly her well-meaning gift could affect him? Having this ornament in his possession now would only further remind him that he had been responsible for destroying the original, the one that had belonged to his mother. It could not simply be replaced! And if he accepted it, he would feel as if he were dishonoring his mother's memory, as if she could somehow be replaced as well.

Had this not occurred to Pepper at all?!

But as quickly as these thoughts and feeling had come, they were kicked out and replaced with more reasonable thoughts and warmer emotions. Of course, Pepper had considered that he might feel that way by receiving a new version of his long-lost treasure. She possessed far too much emotional intelligence to have not known right away the negative side of getting him this gift.

Yet, she had gotten it for him anyway, because this was not meant to be a replacement for his mother's ornament, or her memory. This was a symbol to acknowledge that he still cherished his mother's memory even without a physical talisman to tether those memories to, and that she understood those feelings and respected him for it. It was meant to show that the memories of his old life were still vital and strong, and that his current life was every bit as precious to him.

Pepper's gift to him was meant as a new symbol; not of a person, but of a bridge between what he had lost but not forgotten, and what he now had and could look forward to keeping on the road of life ahead of him. This object of shiny crystal now represented both of the extraordinary women of his life, the women who meant the most to him; its presence would always bring either or both to his mind, and remind him of how grateful he was for what he had – in the past, and now.

Though, in the back of his mind, he had to wonder: would Pepper have gone through the trouble of getting him this gift, if she had known how it had become Maria Stark's in the first place? Would Pepper have gotten him this gift, if she knew that this was how his father had asked his mother to marry him?

This ornament was not just incredibly special to him because it had belonged to his mother. It had also been special to his mother because it was proof of the bond his parents shared. Howard Stark had gotten the big question engraved at the base of the figurine and had then waited for Maria to find it. When Tony had been told the story by his mother, he had been too young to understand the significance of it. But now that he knew the connection between love, marriage, and children (and where children came from), it somewhat made the gift a tad awkward for him.

Then again, did children not typically come from being in a marriage, and marriage from being in love?

He did love Pepper. More than he was ready to admit to anyone yet – even to himself. But marriage and children… that was something else entirely.

Tony shook his head at the absurdity of his own thoughts. Pepper's gift was just a thing she thought it would nice of her to do for him. She was not sending him hidden signals or covertly asking him where their relationship was going. He knew her better than that. If the time came for her to wonder that of their relationship, she would just ask. And if she had to ask, then he knew he had failed to make things clear for her.

The inventor scoffed at how much he knew he was overacting over something as simple as an anniversary gift. He had gotten her, on top of his apology gift of a spot for the two of them on Breakdancing with Celebrities, an entire weekend at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, shadowing Nick Fury's work and receiving leadership training lessons from the man himself. She had gotten him a simple, crystal figurine of two flying butterflies.

Her gift had won.

But it was not a competition now, was it?

Certainly, not a close one.

He placed the fragile gift on the middle of the coffee table, making sure it would not have any chance to drop to the floor or break. He then stood up from the couch, walked up to his bed, and climbed into it behind his redheaded friend. She stirred a little bit but did not open her eyes. It was not until she felt his arms surrounding her waist and his lips brushing against her neck that she showed signs of being awake.

"Time to go home?" she asked.

"No," he whispered his response. "Go back to sleep."

"What's the time?" Pepper looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Doesn't matter," he replied with a small smile and lightly pushed her head back onto the pillow.

"That means I should go," she giggled, having by now learned to read her boyfriend's vague replies.

"No, Pep," he kissed her cheek a few times.

"Tony, it's late," her eyes finally found a clock.

"Then stay," he pressed his body closer to hers and got comfortable enough to fall asleep with her in his arms.

"But, Tony, I… well… I-I–" she gulped in nervousness when she heard him moan her name and begged for her to stay. She honestly did not want to leave – she loved it here, but she knew it was not entirely appropriate to spend the night with her boyfriend whenever she downright felt like it. She could not help it, however. When they were here, they did not have to keep their voices down. When she was here, she could be herself, be as bubbly as she wanted to be, and not have to worry about her sister or father knocking on her door, ruining the sweet moments she always enjoyed in the company of her genius boy. Being here was a godsend. It was their little world away from the real world. It was all she wanted it to be… and more.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I really should g–"

"I love you, Pep."

He heard her gasp and then felt her tense up, but nothing else was said or done on her part for nearly a minute or so. He instantly felt regret at blurting the words so bluntly – at not making the confession a little bit more romantic for her. However, he knew that there was no going back now. The phrase was out in the open. His words had been clear as day. There was no mistaking his meaning and intention. There was no way to turn the situation around into something that was not what he had really meant.

Maybe it was too soon. Or maybe it was too late. Maybe it was not the right time. Or maybe it was the perfect time.

He would not know what anything was until she spoke again.

Except that she did not speak again. At least not right away.

She turned in place until she faced him, her eyes staring directly at his expectant ones, and his arms still surrounding her waist. She ran a hand down his face. She traced his lips with her fingertips, and she then pulled him down by his neck to press his lips onto hers. They exchanged a quick yet soft kiss, a tender caress of cheeks, all before she whispered the response that he was hoping to hear from her.

"Tony: I love you, too."

The air in his lungs was suddenly not enough. The space between them was suddenly not small enough. Hearing the three words from her was a lot more impactful than saying the words himself. The entire exchange filled him with more hope, fulfillment, and happiness than he had ever imagined it would bring.

Who would have thought? The man that had everything – that could buy or build anything, had just been given the two things he could never otherwise have: a way to honor the memory of his mother, and the returning affection of the woman that he loved.

And the cherry on top of all that?

That night, he found out what French kissing was all about.