When they were done eating, Tony sent Peter to go change and get ready for bed while he and Pepper cleaned up the kitchen.

"It's still early, though," Peter pointed out. "And it's Friday."

"But you will fall asleep in the middle of whatever we are doing, and then I'll have to try to dress you in your pajamas while you're a limp noodle – which is impossible. Go change, and you can choose what game we play."

"I can?"

"Sure."

There weren't a lot of options, after all, and Tony liked them all.

"Okay."

The boy left and Pepper hid her smile. Not well enough, though, because the billionaire saw it.

"Something amusing?"

"He's cute when he's being stubborn."

"Cute now," Tony agreed. "Wait until he's sixteen. Then he won't be so adorable."

"We'll see." She rinsed out the pot they'd used to heat up the chili and handed him the last of the dishes to put into the washer. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable, too."

Stark nodded, and forced himself not to make a smart-assed comment about her options. It would have come out as wildly inappropriate, and Peter might overhear. Or she might be annoyed. Both were things to avoid, really. He was thoroughly enjoying Pepper's company, lately, and the way that the woman was much more relaxed with him – and didn't even look all that disappointed when she glanced his direction.

It was nice, and he didn't want to mess it up.

"I'll finish this and meet you both in the living room."

OOOOOOOO

They spent the evening playing Sorry, which was a game that wasn't too complicated and that Peter liked playing – even though he felt a little guilty every time he sent one of the others' game pieces back to their starting spot. The cabin was warm – there was electric heat as well as the warmth that the fireplace gave off, and since they were playing at the coffee table in front of it and Peter was sitting on the floor (on the plushy rug) in front of the fire, he was comfortable, despite the knowledge that it was very cold outside.

They played more than one game, but it was Tony who finally called a halt to the evening. He was tired, he said, and he wanted to be rested for whatever the next day was going to bring. Peter hadn't really been ready to stop, but when Pepper agreed with Tony, it was two against one and he knew that he wasn't going to be able to talk them into staying up much later.

"We didn't have dessert…" he pointed out, trying to gain a little more time.

"I'm not going to pump you full of sugar right before bed," Tony told him, scooping him up into his arms and clearly not fooled by the ploy. "Besides, you already brushed your teeth."

"I could brush them, again," Peter said, reasonably, smiling when Tony pretended to drop him, but caught him at the last minute. "It wouldn't take long."

"We'll have s'mores, tomorrow."

"Pepper might want dessert, tonight."

It was his last chance.

Both of them looked over at her, and she held up her hands with a smile, and shook her head.

"Oh, no. I'm not going to get in the middle of this conversation."

Peter groaned, theatrically, and found himself being passed over to her.

"Tell Pepper goodnight, son."

He hugged her as hard as he dared and buried his face in her neck.

"Goodnight, Pepper."

He felt her hug him back, and she kissed his cheek, which made him feel warmer than even the fire had made him.

"Goodnight, Peter. I'll see you in the morning."

He was handed back to Tony, and he turned himself upside down in his father's arms while he was carried into his room.

"Are you really going to sleep on the top bunk?" Stark asked.

"Yeah."

The billionaire deposited the boy on the top bunk and watched as Peter got himself under the blankets.

"Don't fall off."

Peter smiled.

"I won't."

"I love you, Peter Stark."

"I love you, too, Tony Stark."

A kiss goodnight, and Tony left, turning off the light behind him before closing the door.

Peter didn't fall asleep, immediately, but the blankets were warm, and he'd had a pretty long day. Eventually, he drifted off, even while trying to think of other arguments that he could have used to stay up, later.

OOOOOOOOO

Pepper was putting the game board and pieces back in the box when Tony returned to the living room. She looked up when he walked over.

"No arguments?"

"He's tired," Tony told her. "He just won't admit it."

"He's so fun."

"That, he is." Tony settled back on the sofa with a tired sigh. "This was a good idea."

"I have them, occasionally." She was sitting close enough to him that she could reach out and touch his arm. "You adopting him was a good idea. I know I wasn't completely for it, at the time, but you were definitely right. He's good for you – and you're good for him."

"I love him more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Isn't that crazy? He's not mine, biologically, but it doesn't matter."

He was tired enough to allow himself to open up a little more than he liked to – even with her.

"It isn't crazy, at all." She smiled. "Besides, he's a lot like you – only tinier. It's no wonder you love him."

Stark rolled his eyes at the implication that he loved Peter because he reminded him of himself – and everyone knew how much he loved himself. She was teasing him, though, and he liked that she was willing.

"Maybe."

"Probably."

It was definitely time to lighten the mood, he decided, feeling that if he shared any more feelings, he was going to need a drink. He knew the quickest way to change the tone of their conversation and get her to roll her eyes at him, or maybe annoyed with him just enough that they could go back to discussing work, or the stock market, or pretty much anything that wasn't feelings.

"Want to make out?"

Sure enough, she smiled, but he knew that she was smart enough to see beyond the words to the intent. Her expression changed, and her intelligent eyes softened, a little.

"Maybe."

"Really?"

"No."

Now it was Tony who groaned, theatrically.

"Cruel woman…"

Pepper's laugh was soft and throaty, and she leaned forward and kissed him. It was sweet, and tender, and completely unexpected. He was certain that the unexpected part was why it took his breath away. Before he could react, she leaned back, breaking the contact.

"I'm going to go to bed."

To his credit, he didn't ask her if he could join her. He did, however, take her hand and pull her back toward him so he could steal another kiss, and this one was a little longer.

"Good night, Pep."

She smiled.

"Night, Tony. We're not having s'mores for breakfast," she added. "In case he asks."

"Of course not."

Lunch, maybe.

He watched her vanish into her bedroom, and then he sat and watched the fire die down, not doing anything more than thinking about the little boy sleeping on the top bunk in the room off to the left, and the woman who was probably sleeping already in the room off to the right. His life was pretty good, he decided, as he finally got up, double checked to make sure the screen was up on the fireplace. He stopped long enough to check on Peter, who was, indeed, asleep, and didn't seem to be in any danger of falling off the bunkbed, and then he went to bed.

OOOOOOOO

A quick glance at her watch told Pepper that it was somewhat after midnight when she woke. She lay still for a moment, wondering what had woken her, but didn't hear anything. It was a new place, she knew, and they were out in the boonies as Tony called it, so she knew there would be all kinds of different noises that could be heard outside.

This sounded closer, though.

She pushed her blankets back and got up, walking out into the living room, but by the light of the mostly dead fire and a small light in the kitchen, she could see that everything looked as it had when she'd gone to bed.

Thinking that Peter might be awake, and maybe nervous about the weird sounds that he would probably be hearing, she quietly opened the door to the boy's room, but he was asleep, dead to the world – at least for now. Pepper adjusted the blankets that were covering him, forced down the urge to kiss his little cheek, and went back into the living room, closing the door once more behind her.

Then she walked to the door between her room and Peter's and cracked it open, checking on Tony. She was surprised – somewhat – to see that he was sitting up in his bed, his expression luminated by the light on the stand next to the bed, and his face was lightly sheened with sweat.

"Are you alright?" she asked, softly.

"What?" he nodded. "Yes. I mean… yeah. Of course. Why do you ask?"

She closed the door behind her and walked over. Up close, she could see his eyes were haunted, and tired.

"Nightmare?"

"No. Of course not…" he wiped his forearm along his face, and she saw him tremble. "Why would I have nightmares? So what if someone tried to kidnap my son and take him from me? So what if Romanoff and Clint hadn't stopped them, I never would have known what happened to him? I-"

"It didn't happen," she reminded him, moving onto the bed, and gathering him into her arms before he could tell her that he was fine. "He's sleeping in the room next to you, and he's fine."

"I know," Tony said, resting his forehead on her shoulder and taking the comfort that she was offering him. "But it was so close, Pep. I almost lost him. I just found him."

"I know…" She ran her fingers through his hair as she held him. "But you didn't. He's fine."

"But-"

"Shh… he's fine," she repeated. "And so are you. SHIELD was fooled once, but they're not going to let anything like that happen, again. It'll never be that close, again. Fury and the others are too good to be tricked more than once. Right?"

"Yeah."

She held him, feeling his rapid heartbeat slowing to something more normal, and whispering gentle reassurances in his ear as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, calming him. Eventually, he sighed, and it was a release of the anxiety that had woken him.

"Feel better?"

"Yes." He didn't let her go, though. "Thank you."

"Maybe Peter isn't the only one who should have a doctor day?"

"I don't need a shrink."

"Because you aren't crazy," she agreed – although she knew many people would wonder. "But a psychologist might not be a bad idea."

"I'm not going to go to a-"

"I could have Peter bring it up, if you like?"

He scowled, moving his head back so he could see if she was serious, or not, and could tell that she was.

"You'd use him like that? He's a baby."

She smiled, and kissed his forehead, amused.

"In a heartbeat."

How many times had Tony used that boy's adorable brown eyes against her?

"I'll think about it…"

"And then you'll go. Right?"

"Not to the same one Peter's going to."

"That's fine."

"Fine…"

He grumbled for a moment, and then shifted in her embrace, still holding her – almost the same way Peter was holding the bear that he was sleeping with, and maybe for the same reason. Pepper didn't mind. She held him, lightly, as he eventually fell asleep, and then, instead of leaving and going back to her own bed, she fell asleep, too.