Tony exhaled slowly, Pepper's moist eyes piercing him with the despair and sadness in their blue depths.
"Pepper, this is a lot. I mean... I always suspected you were hiding something of your past. But... your powers, your family..."
His voice hardened and she flinched at his next words, "Stane and your actions to counter him."
The bleakness in her eyes grew. She lowered her head.
There is only despair and resignation left in her... she feels I have judged her... that I think she is a murderer and I will leave her out of disgust. Ohh Pepper...
He spoke clearly, "Pepper, I am going to talk plainly. I do not think you are a murderer."
She lifted her head at that and stared at him.
He said. "You have a very powerful gift. Yet you were taught, as a child, to fear it, to be ashamed of it. To hide it within you, for fear that others would reject you. Suppressing something like that, is an emotional and physical burden, that you have had to bear alone for so long. Then one day, evil comes and threatens everything you hold dear. You had to react and your power came to help you. But you were forced into using it suddenly, with no preparation or training, against a magical, experienced foe."
She interrupted him then. "Tony, You have a similar power and you can handle it. In fact, you are a master at controlling it."
"Yes but I was trained for a month by a gentle, learned user of the very same power. I learnt how to control it, not let it control me. And Yin Sen was a very patient, understanding teacher. I made plenty of mistakes. That is what you do when you train. You make a mistake, you pick yourself up and you try again. And you do this again and again, until you get it right. Besides," he smiled wryly, "I am not as good and will never be as good as Yin Sen."
The Dragon whispered gently, The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. Even Yin Sen was once a student. We all are, in the beginning.
She looked away and he caught her jaw gently, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Pepper, let me ask you this... did you want to kill your mother?"
Pepper gasped with anger and exclaimed, "NO! How could you even ask me such a question?! Tony!"
He raised his hands quickly. "It was an accident. A bad one, an unfortunate one. But losing control of your power, does not make you a murderer. Especially when, sweetheart, you were using the power completely for the first time. Pepper, it could have happened to anyone. Besides, I think there was an external force playing with your mind, disturbing you."
She looked confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, when you used your powers to help me at the Lacus, you did not lose control." She looked at him thoughtfully. "In fact, you were in perfect control. Come on, you were facing down a Celestial Being and you hurt him! Nothing happened to me! Also, against the High Priest..."
She cut him off, "Tony, Rana threw me off the roof! I could not fight him!"
"But Pep, you did hold him off for some time right? You blasted the Captain, saving me from being bitten. Then you took on Rana and managed to fight him. Again, he was an experienced magician, trained in the Dark Arts. And you were using your fire for the second time that night... and you were drugged as well. In fact you had been tortured with drugs and tied up, by those sarding priests for three days! Your mental and physical state was disturbed. Still, you did not lose control... you hurt the ones who needed to be hurt."
"Pep, don't you see?" He pleaded with her, trying to make her understand. "Think back to that night when Stane challenged you. Was he playing with your mind? You said there was a voice?"
She said slowly, "There was a voice... a serpentine voice, I have never heard it in my head before...or after that night. But it was talking to me. Tony, it was horrible. It sounded so violent and evil. I ... I could not block it out."
The Dragon hissed angrily, Stane has done something horrible. If it is what I suspect it is... my god, he has become very powerful since we last met him. There truly is no limit to his evil.
Tony took her hand in his and started at the coldness of her flesh. He moved to sit on the bed, next to her. He began to rub her hands and fingers, trying to warm them. She let him do so quietly.
"Pepper," he said gently, "was this voice urging you to be violent? To let go of yourself and hurt Stane?"
She widened her eyes in horror. "Yes... yes Tony... it urged me to use my strength...You think... you think it wanted me to lose control?"
"I think so, if it wanted to see your strengths, to test you... what better way, than to manipulate you into using your power, to hurt an enemy?"
She whispered again, slowly, as if she was coming to a realization. "And the voice distracted me when I needed to concentrate the most."
She explained as he was confused. "Tony, I was focusing on creating an orb of fire, something that I did instinctively. And it... it told me to look at my mother... and at that moment Stane fired a bolt of lightning at me! I lost concentration! It wanted me to lose."
"Possibly because it had seen enough, it knew you were good enough for what evil it had intended."
She shivered, whether from the cold or his words but Tony picked up his blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her gently.
Pepper had lowered her head and he realized she was crying. She lifted her head and rubbed her cheeks in a child-like manner, that made him ache for her. He wiped one of the tear streaks away from her face, with the back of his palm.
She caught his hand and looked at him with shimmering blue, trembling eyes and he gulped at the emotion in their depths. She asked in a quavering voice, "Tony... do you... do you still want to court me? I mean, I understand if you need some time to think..."
He leaned and touched his forehead to hers, feeling her tremble, trying to hold back her tears. He whispered softly, "My lady, I have so much blood on my hands and yet you continue to see only the good in me. I have let you down many a time and yet you generously forgave me each time. You have not done anything wrong for me to let go. Even if you had..." he swallowed hard.
He nuzzled her face with his. "I love you, Virginia Potts and I will love you till the grave and beyond. Through good times and bad times, in sickness and in health, I will cherish you. I will not let Stane's evil taint what we have. I love you and we will face this together."
He took her hand in his and placed it on his arc. She widened her fingers over his pulsing flame.
"This fire is yours to do as you wish." He whispered to her earnestly.
And then he placed her hand on his heart. "And this is yours as well, for what it is worth."
Her hand felt so warm against his bare skin and he brought it to his lips and kissed the palm.
He looked into her eyes. "Pepper, let evil come, we will face it together. You do not need to fight alone anymore, my lady. I am ever and will always be, at your service.
Pepper flung herself into his arms, nearly toppling them both with her force. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and whispered in a tearful voice, "I feared... I feared, Tony... of losing you too. Thank you... thank you... for believing in me..."
He laid back against the pillows and pulled Pepper onto his lap and enfolded her in his arms. She lay across him, her body pressed to him and buried her face in his neck. Then she began to cry quietly.
He tightened his arms around her and began to rock gently. "Let it all go, Pepper, let it go... do not bottle up your emotions anymore. Let it all go. Cry, let it all out. "
He felt silent sobs racking her slight frame and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. His shoulder and neck were wet with her tears but he held her to him, whispering soothing words to her. He kissed her soft hair and said tightly, "Someday we will destroy Stane for what he did to you. Till then, I will not let him hurt you again, sweetheart."
She had stopped crying now and he used a corner of her shirt to wipe away her tears. Her red-rimmed eyes were smiling at him beautifully. She raised one hand to stroke the side of his jaw and he forgot to control his wince when she rubbed the sore spot.
"Tony!" she exclaimed. "Why is your jaw so warm over there?" She felt the area gently and gasped. "It is swollen! Did someone punch you?"
Tony gave her a very blank look, hoping she would not remember but she gasped in horror. "Oh my! Did I punch you when I was not completely awake!?"
He nodded slowly and Pepper looked very guiltily. "Oh Tony, I ... I didn't mean to... I am so..."
He placed his finger on her lips, stopping her mid-sentence. "Do you know what will cure the pain in my jaw?"
She shook her head, curious.
"Your magical healing lips on the area, my lady."
She smirked smugly against his finger but nodded slowly.
Then she placed multiple tiny kisses along that side of his jaw. He growled in pleasure at the feel of her mouth on his face. She kissed her way to his lips and whispered so close to them, "Did you get hurt here as well?"
Before he could nod, she pressed her lips to his, softly.
Her hands curled around his neck, Pepper kissed him slowly, feeling his closed lips with hers as if she was learning their shape, so slowly, that he did not want to breathe to disturb the tenderness of her touch. She touched her tongue to his lips and he opened his mouth, only for her to kiss him softly, tongues meeting gently.
Pepper continued to kiss him like that, soft, slow, drugging kisses with her sweet, warm mouth, pressing herself to him slowly. Tony dimly realized someone was moaning and that someone was him, enraptured with her tender caress. He could feel her long bare legs against his, their soft skin teasing his thighs, her feet writhing against his absently as she kissed him senseless. His hand lay on her back, rubbing her gently and the other was at her neck, holding her tenderly to him. He moved this hand to her hair and she sighed against his lips, as he ran his fingers through the feather-soft waves of hair.
After a few passionate minutes, she broke off the kiss. He was breathing hard and Pepper wound her hands in his hair, ruffling it tenderly. She raised herself slightly and kissed his forehead and his eyes. Then she whispered against his lips reverently, "My Knight. My Lord. My Tony."
He kissed her forehead and they separated. Tony was going to leave the bed, when Pepper caught his arm. "Tony, please... please stay with me tonight. I am... I am scared the nightmare will come back." She said softly, a silent plea in her eyes.
Of course, she is still scared.
He stroked her cheek and nodded. "I will not leave you tonight, Pepper. But come now, you should sleep."
He put out the candles. She lay down on her side and he did the same, positioning himself behind her, facing her back. He pulled the blanket over them both. Then Pepper scooted backwards and snuggled against him, pressing her back to him.
Tony mentally counted to twenty because this was not how he intended to sleep. Pepper was oblivious to his silent conflict and caught one of his arms. She pulled it over her chest and held him to her.
Face pressed to Pepper's hair, Tony inhaled deeply, the heady scent of her relaxing him. It also relaxed the extremely tight control he had exercised on his libido so far.
God Damn IT!
He had hardened painfully and he bit his tongue to stop himself from groaning aloud. He huffed against Pepper's hair. He thought she had gone to sleep, when she said softly, "Tony, are you alright?"
He whispered tensely in her ear, "Ignore it sweeting, go to sleep. It will go away."
She giggled and he smiled. Thank the gods, I made her giggle... Phew...
She murmured softly to him, "It is difficult to ignore, my lord." Just then a streak of lightning appeared in the sky, lighting up the room in a purple glow.
Pepper gasped in fear and pushed back hard against Tony, inadvertently brushing against his erection.
He gasped at the sensation and gripped her arm tightly. He whispered raggedly, "Do not do that, woman! I am ... I am on the edge here. Really on the edge..."
"Sorry, Tony... sorry. Good night."
He kissed her ear. "Good night, Pepper."
Pepper drifted off to sleep soon, exhausted from the night's events but Tony was wide awake. He was busy thinking about Stane and how he had destroyed Pepper's life. He kissed the back of her head softly and tightened his arm around her gently, holding her close to him.
I will not let Stane harm you again, my love. Neither will I let him find you. I will do my best to protect you.
The Dragon hissed, You need to skill up to face Stane, Anthony. It has been two years since you saw your nemesis and like you, he has grown in strength. You can defeat him but you will need to be stronger and more powerful... You need to completely be one with the flame of Ryunn.
I will train harder from now on... and I will also start making discreet inquiries about Cumbria. Just to understand what is going on right now.
