Their first night of hosting Pepper was fairly low-key.

She'd been over enough times for dinner and other such things that it wasn't too much of a novelty to have her there. The real difference was the fact that she didn't get up to leave when the movie was over. Peter had long since fallen asleep in Tony's lap, and the billionaire smiled over at her when the final credits started rolling.

"I'm going to put him to bed."

"Let me," she said, standing up at reaching for the little boy.

He roused at the exchange, but Pepper murmured, tenderly, to him, brushing her lips against his cheek as she settled him in her arms.

"Are you coming back?" Tony asked, softly.

"Yes."

He watched as she carried Peter into his bedroom, but didn't get up from where he was, knowing that she already knew to put Peter into the bottom bunk. If he woke in the middle of the night, it wasn't uncommon for him to move to the top one, but if he started in the bottom then there was enough space for bedtime stories and cuddles.

She returned a few minutes later, closing Peter's door, silently, and then crossing the living room to reclaim her spot on the sofa.

"You know it's snowing, outside?" she asked, melting into his side when he put an arm around her.

"Is it?"

Pepper nodded.

"I sneaked a peek out Peter's bedroom window."

"We're not going to the zoo, then."

"He'll be disappointed."

"It's snow. He'll understand." Tony kissed her temple, and she smiled. "Besides, he can play in the back yard for as long as he wants."

There was a swimming pool, yes, but there wasn't any water in it, so it wasn't the danger, now, that it would be later when the weather warmed. With a full fence around the small estate, and JARVIS able to monitor anyone or anything that came anywhere near the house, Peter was safe, Tony knew.

There weren't a lot of outdoor toys for him to play with, since they hadn't built him a playset like he had at the compound, yet, but there was a soccer ball for him to kick around and chase, and plenty of room for him to run around. If he wanted – and there was enough snow – he could even make a snowman.

"We could go do something else," she pointed out.

"We'll see," Stark told her. "He might not want to go do anything else. He's really more of a homebody than you might think. Despite the constant trips to stay at the compound, he's pretty happy playing Legos, and Hot Wheels, and watching movies. And he can do those things anywhere."

Pepper didn't look convinced, but she had to concede that Tony knew the boy better than she did.

"He has an appointment with Dr. Wayne, Monday?"

"Every Monday," Tony confirmed. "Unless we're out of town, or something comes up."

"And then daycare?"

"Yes. After he has his treat."

She knew the schedule – somewhat – but if she was going to be staying with them, then she wanted to know it better. That way she could assist wherever Tony needed her to.

"Got it." Pepper smiled, bringing his other arm around her, as well, so he was holding her closer. "Why don't you bring him to my office?" she offered. "Then I can hear about his day at the same time and he won't need to repeat himself."

"Sounds good." He nuzzled Pepper's neck, ready to change the subject from Peter, since the boy was safely asleep, and there would be a small window of time for them to be adults. Not necessarily for sex, since neither of them had quite figured out if they were comfortable being that physical with Peter around, even asleep, but at least for them to reaffirm their own commitment to each other in their fledgling relationship. Tony thought maybe the physical thing might be a question for him to bring up with Peter's psychologist. "Have I mentioned how glad I am to have you here?"

"Mmm… no." Pepper tilted her head so he could kiss her. "I'm glad to be here. Thanks for offering."

"Thanks for saying yes."

Without any request from either of them, the lights in the living room turned low and the fireplace – which had been off during the movie – suddenly came on. Tony rolled his eyes, but Pepper didn't notice – and really didn't think it was odd. She just assumed that it was a program that he had set up with his house – like making sure the water was hot before the shower was turned on, or that coffee was started before Tony got out of bed.

Why have a smart house if you didn't take advantage of those kind of things, after all?

She sighed, relaxing further, and simply settled in to enjoy the attention. Plenty of time to figure out the rest of their schedule as they went through the week.

OOOOOOOOO

He woke with a start, and sat up, looking around and recognizing, immediately, that he was in his room.

"JARVIS?"

"I'm here," came the response, in the AI's calm and patient 'voice'. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Peter looked around the room. He wasn't surprised to be there; he often fell asleep somewhere else and woke up in his bed. He liked that Tony carried him to bed – although he wished that he was awake, so he could also negotiate a story, or two, before going to sleep. "What time is it?"

"Just after midnight. It's still early. Go back to sleep."

"Is Tony awake?"

"No. He's in bed."

"Pepper?"

"She is asleep, as well."

"Oh."

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"Just a weird one. I'm okay."

"It is snowing."

The AI was clearly attempting to distract him, and it worked.

"It is?"

Peter pushed the blankets back and grabbed his bear. He tossed the stuffed animal up onto the top bunk before he climbed the ladder and joined it, pulling those blankets back – even though it meant that he'd need to remake both beds in the morning. One of his few chores, but he loved having two beds to choose from – and the top bunk gave him a better view out the window.

"It is," JARVIS confirmed, even as Peter pushed the curtain aside to look for himself.

One of the security lights came on, helpfully, to allow Peter to see the snow that was falling reflect in the light.

"Wow." Peter hugged himself – and his bear. "Is it going to snow all night?"

"It might. You will probably not go to the zoo, tomorrow."

"Yeah. It's too cold."

"They will most likely keep most of the animals inside to keep them warm."

"Not the polar bears, though."

"No." The light outside turned off. "Go back to sleep, Peter. Everything is fine."

The boy got under the blankets and lay down, but he was a little excited. Not only because the snow was falling, but because Pepper was there, at their house.

"Will you tell me a story?"

"Of course. Close your eyes and I'll tell you about the boys who live in the coldest places on earth, and how odd they would think it was that the sun rises and sets every day during the winter."

"Why is it odd?" Peter asked, curiously.

"Because the angle of the earth makes it so it doesn't actually set – in some places it doesn't go under the horizon for months during the winter."

"Wow…" Peter nestled himself more comfortably against the pillow, feeling the warmth of the blankets and the softness of the bed. "How do they know when to go to sleep?"

"Because their parents tell them."

"Oh."

The AI answered a couple of more questions, but Peter wasn't as awake as he thought that he was, and the boy was soon sleeping, again – only now he was on the top bunk. JARVIS finished his story, and then went silent, monitoring the area, as he always did, but already accessing more details of the northern folk, in case he needed more stories for the future.