He stared at her form and involuntarily smiled. Pepper looked stunning...beautiful...amazing...breathtaking. He could probably describe her with a thousand more adjectives, but it was probably enough for now.

The dress was exquisite and it fit her wonderfully. The strapless white chiffon gown featured a front slit that ran up to her thigh and crossed draped panels sculpted the bodice. She had on matching heels with cream floral designs on it that seemed to match perfectly with the sparkling diamonds on her neck. Her hair was down in a messy side ponytail and fishtail plait fashion with some of her bangs framing her face.

"Is it really," Pepper asked, genuinely shocked.

"It is," the man next to her said. Tony had no idea who he was, but he didn't like the way he was looking at her or the way he was complimenting her. "I told her you'd look beautiful in it and it'd be my pleasure to send a dress down for you."

"Well, thank you for saying that. It's gorgeous."

"Has anyone ever approached you about modeling? You definitely have all the right elements for it. There's room in the fashion industry for a girl like you."

"There you are," Tony spoke just as Pepper opened her mouth.

He had startled her a bit when he wrapped an arm around her.

"Mr. Stark," the man greeted. "I was just complimenting Miss Potts on how great she looked in my upcoming 2015 collection."

"Yeah, she looks great, doesn't she," he praised.

"She looks spectacular. Miss Potts, think about what I said. It sure beats the hell out of college."

Pepper let out an embarrassed laugh, looking down at her dress, before locking eyes with Tony once the designer left. "I look ridiculous."

"That's not true," he immediately said, linking their hands. "You're the prettiest girl in this room."

Blush crept to her cheeks. "You don't have to say that." But, nonetheless, she was glad he had.

"What? You think I'm lying," he asked in a honest but airy manner.

"Alright, fine," Pepper conceded. "I'm the prettiest girl in the room."

"Good," he told her, an involuntarily smile escaping his lips again. He didn't care how much he had to say it, Pepper was the prettiest girl in the room and he'd tell her that until she thought the same thing.

"I like your haircut," she told Tony as she tapped the piece gelled forward. His sides were short, but the crown still had volume, which was currently styled up for height and texture. "It looks good on you."

"That the only thing you like that you see," he asked, fishing for compliments.

"Your tie's really nice."

"It matches my eyes."

"It does," Pepper surprisingly noticed. Sometimes she thought Tony cared too much about his appearance, but then again, she'd rather he did than didn't.

"What else," Tony asked as he led them to the area where the rounded banquet tables were at.

"I like your cologne. You should wear it more often," Pepper suggested.

"Sure. Anything else," he asked again. He was getting impatient with her answers and it showed. They took their seats at their assigned table and he positioned his body to face hers. Pepper put a finger to her chin and tilted her head. He wanted her to compliment him on his appearance; she knew that. There was just the fact that she wasn't entirely in a 'stroking his ego' mood.

"Well, if you weren't pushing for it, Tony," she nonchalantly started. "I'd say you look handsome."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her when something suddenly hit him upside the head. "Ow!" He looked up and noticed his mother.

"Cut that out."

"It's not like I was gonna shove my tongue down her throat," she heard him mutter. "When's food coming? I'm starving."

"Soon," Maria replied. "I need a photo of the two of you, so if you'd stand up," she trailed off, motioning for them to do so.

Tony sighed and got off his seat; Pepper responded more willingly. A series of lights flashed until Maria was satisfied with the ones the photographer had.

Seconds later, Pepper started scrolling through the pictures on her own phone that she had asked Tony's mother to take.

"We're adorable," he commented for the second he had paid attention. The appetizers arrived shortly after and he immediately dug in.

She snapped a photo of the seared scallops.

"You are such a girl," he mumbled through his mouthful. "Taking pictures of everything."

"So how's the food," Maria asked, taking a seat at the table; Howard following behind.

"Pepper's been taking pictures of it at every angle possible."

"You are such a liar. I only took one," Pepper corrected him.

"Sure," Tony scoffed. "And I just got back from Santa's house."

Howard watched their exchange and turned to Maria for answers. She shrugged and went back to her food.

"You remember Pepper, don't you, Howard?" His mother's voice and question caught Tony's attention. This could go all kinds of wrong. "She approached us at the hospital when Tony had his accident."

"Right," his father remembered. He looked at the young lady. "Potts. Your father works in my finance division." As Maria suggested, he was to keep conversation light and simple. Nothing invasive if he intended to stay on her good side.

"He does," Pepper responded.

"I've met him. Excellent work ethic," he complimented.

"Do you have the same career goals or are you more interested in something else," Maria asked. "Because if nothing is set in stone, I'd consider Caleb's option."

"Who's Caleb," Tony inquired.

"The person who designed Pepper's dress," his mother answered as the waiters changed courses. "He thinks she's model material."

"Like for Victoria's Secret? Because that'd be so-" Pepper sensed how excited he was and glanced at him in amusement. Maria, on the other hand, did not share the same sentiment. "...so wrong," he amended.

"Honey, Tony is a teenager," Howard stepped in. "There'd be something wrong with him if he didn't get excited over girls in lingerie."

"I still don't like it," his wife admitted, directing her response to her son.

Tony shot Maria a sheepish smile. In hindsight, maybe he should have kept his mouth shut. The rest of dinner went by smoothly and he didn't say anything wrong to his mother's standards. Dessert was served and that was when his parents excused themselves. They still had guests to greet before the night was over.

"He just ruptured my eardrums." The current karaoke singer had just tried to belt out the high note from 'I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing.'

"Oh...like you could sing better?"

Tony sat his fork down and looked at her. "I don't like that implication."

Pepper innocently smiled. "Implication?"

"Yeah," he answered a matter of factly.

"Well, by all means show me otherwise," she dared, eyeing the karaoke machine.

"Nah, I'll pass," he dismissed. "Wouldn't want to show up everyone else. Tonight's not about me, remember?"

"Right." The melody changed, indicating a new form of entertainment. "I didn't know you knew how to dance."

"Is that some sort of secret message?"

"No," Pepper quickly answered. She would do anything to avoid dancing. She was horrible at it. "Everyone's going onto the dance floor and I remember your mom saying you knew how so I-"

"Come on, we're going," Tony said, standing up and holding his hand out. He could sense Pepper's nerves a mile away and realized her hesitation could be because she didn't know how to dance; that amused him greatly. He hated dancing, but he could make an exception.

"What? No! I'm eating." She went back to her cheesecake and ignored his stare.

"What are you afraid of," he asked, sitting back down. "Just follow my lead, Pep."

"Don't laugh," Pepper told him in all seriousness as she reluctantly followed him.

"Don't worry." He took her hand and wrapped the other around her waist. "Okay, when I step forward with my left foot, you do the same backwards."

"Alright," Pepper said, doing as instructed.

"It's kinda like a mirror image," he explained while teaching her.

"Tony..." She sighed. "Do you honestly expect me to remember all those steps?"

"Just try it," he said, already making the first move. "What'd you do when guys asked you to dance with them at school?"

"No one asked. I had a boyfriend. Who didn't make me dance."

"Yeah, well, sounds like someone didn't care enough to teach you." It was an obvious jab at Pepper's ex-boyfriend that didn't go unnoticed by her. "What? That's what I think," he shrugged.

Pepper chose not to respond; she focused on dancing instead.

"So does this count as a third date?" His voice made her look up and stare straight into his chocolate brown eyes. "We ate dinner, we're dressed up, and dancing. Yeah, it's a date," he concluded, smiling at her. "I'm really glad you decided to come. It would've been boring without you here."

She could see from the reflection in his eyes that Tony meant that. There was something raw, honest, and real about it that made her smile. Sure, he blurted an excuse right after in his typical fashion, but for a second, his guard had been down. She moved closer to him and leaned her head on his chest. Her eyes closed and she did her best to capture and remember this second, this moment in time. Her hands wrap around his waist and he instinctively pulled her in. His heartbeat was music to her ears; the song they were dancing to couldn't be any more perfect. Her mother once said a first dance meant everything, that if it was with someone you cared for, it'd be imprinted in your heart forever; she had a feeling that just happened.

"I said you could do it," he pointed out once the song ended.

"And exactly who are you congratulating? Because if I didn't know better, I'd say it was yourself."

"You're kinda right, but it's tipping more towards you. Wanna get out of here? All that's left is the auction and final dance. We aren't gonna miss anything."

"Where," Pepper asked as Tony was leading them off the dance floor and into the crowd and into an area she could only describe as an expansive balcony. It was romantically lit and there were several couples outside taking advantage of the heat the open fire pits were eliciting. However, as he said, they were slowly making their way inside for the charity auction that'd just been announced.

Tony watched as Pepper again snapped a photo of the view down below and shook his head. "Why do you take so many pictures," he asked, standing next to her.

"For scrapbooking. I like doing that kind of stuff when I have time," Pepper responded, a smile on her face. "Plus, I had fun tonight. I want to remember it."

"You had fun," he asked, surprised to hear that.

"Yeah," Pepper confirmed, handing her phone over so Tony could put it in his pockets again. "Thank you for letting me be your date."

"You're welcome," Tony smugly said, earning him a punch on his arm and rolling of her eyes. "What? You said thanks. I'm supposed to say you're welcome."

"Yeah, but no one sounds like a jerk saying it. And you just ruined a perfectly good moment."

"Isn't that what you like about me though?" He stepped closer to Pepper with the same plastered smile as earlier. "I ruin the moment, you're mad I did, we laugh; then we make out a bit," he explained, leaning in to do so.

She held her hand up to block Tony's kiss. "We do not do that."

"It's kinda our thing," he mumbled through her fingers. Then, out of pure amusement, he bit her hand.

"Tony!" Pepper instantly pulled her hand back and wiped his spit off with his shirt. "Ugh. That's gross."

"Then don't put them near my mouth."

"Oh, I won't be putting anything near your mouth. Don't worry," Pepper falsely smiled.

He realized his mistake instantly. "Oh, wait! I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was I..."

She arched her brow when Tony stopped mid-thought; probably because he came up short.

He shrugged and proceeded to capture her lips in an unexpected kiss. Both his hands cup her cheeks and he hummed in delight as she dragged him closer with his tie. Memories from tonight played through his mind, making him want her more. His hands trail to her waist and in one swift motion, he backed her onto the wall behind them. He stepped forward and put his body flush against hers, kissing her again as her own hand rubbed the back of his neck. He had no idea how much he liked that until tonight.

His hands start to wander, but not to anywhere inappropriate. This was a public setting; anyone could walk in and interrupt them at any second. He kissed her once more before attacking her neck. She liked it, from past kissing sessions he had figured it out. Her breathing was heavy and he could feel the warmness of it on his skin. Her fingers ran down his dress shirt to his stomach to his belt buckle. She lingered for a couple seconds, playing with it but never going further down. It seemed like she'd been teasing him for hours so much that he had to grab hold of her wrist and make her stop.

This time he kissed her with everything he had. One of his hands expertly made its way toward the front slit of her dress. He wanted something from her, something that radiated heat so he settled his hand on the inner regions of her thigh and started caressing it.

"Come back to my place tonight," Tony softly whispered.

Pepper gazed into his eyes and saw pure desire in them, which made what she was about to say even more difficult.

"They won't be back until tomorrow morning."

"Tony, I..."

"You trust me, don't you?"

She nodded and tried her best to translate her thoughts into words. "But I don't think we should go there yet."

"Okay," he said, sniffing back the sting of rejection. He stepped back and tried not to take her words personally, but ultimately couldn't.

"I'm not rejecting you." She had to make sure Tony knew that.

"Well, that's what it fucking feels like," he angrily replied.

"Can we just go inside and watch the auction," Pepper asked in lieu of responding.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a second," he said, turning his back on her and walking over to the railing separating them from the ocean. He needed time to cool off.

"You're mad at me, aren't you?"

He caught Pepper in his peripheral vision and flickered his gaze elsewhere to ignore her. When he felt her hand rest on his arm, he instantly shrugged it off.

"Look, I want to," she began, which got his attention. "But it's not something I'm-"

"I won't leave after it's finished," Tony said, his voice just above a whisper. He shook his head and looked back into the water. "Just forget I said anything."

"That isn't why," Pepper replied, but it was considerate of him to think so. "Can you look at me at least? I want to tell you something."

"Fine." He stared at her and crossed his arms.

"You can be upset about this all you want, but don't treat me like I did something wrong. You either drop this stupid attitude or I'll get a cab and go home."

"Sorry." Tony dropped his hands to his sides. He wanted her to stay.

All of a sudden she felt exposed, vulnerable, naked...open to ridicule. "You've been with a bunch of girls and-"

"I don't care about that," he interrupted. If experience was what Pepper was afraid of, then she was stupid for thinking so. None of those girls ever mattered, he just needed them to satisfy his sexual needs. "I just want you. All I care about is you." He turned to her and grabbed her hand. "Why can't we? I felt you reacting to everything I did."

"Because I haven't actually done it before," Pepper quietly told him. Just like that, confusion crossed his face. She already couldn't look him in the eyes and the way he was staring at her now made it impossible to stare past him, too. She glanced down at their intertwined hands. He hadn't let go. That was a good sign.

"Wow, thanks for making me feel like an ass," he commented, breaking the silence that'd fallen between them. He brushed past her and sighed. "You could had just told me," he said, facing her. His voice turned soft and he made sure it didn't come off judgmental. It took an immense amount of courage to admit what she just said. "It doesn't change how I feel about you."

For a moment, she smiled; forgetting everything that had happened. It was a relief to get that off her chest. "You thought because I was with Robert..." She laughed nervously. "It sounds stupid, I know, but I-"

"It's not." One thing he liked about Pepper was her persistence to do what she felt was right and her determination to never steer away of that. "I mean, I'm sort of bummed out about it not happening tonight, but you-"

"Sort of," she asked, pointing to the part of his body that'd betrayed his words.

"Alright. A lot," Tony corrected. "But you're the one who did it to me. Do you know how hot you look tonight?" His question made her cheeks blush and he walked over to her with a reassuring smile. "It doesn't bother me and you shouldn't feel the need to explain yourself. I get it, Pepper."

She wasn't as certain as he was. It was one thing for him to say it and another for him to mean it. "Are you sure? Because if you aren't, I'd rather you just tell me." Robert had said the same thing and lied. She didn't need sex being a problem in their relationship either.

"I'm serious," he insisted. "I won't push. Don't believe me?"

"I'm just still trying to wrap my mind around it. But if you really mean it, then of course I do," Pepper happily replied.

"Good. So..." Tony trailed off, thinking about how he was going to phrase his next question. "Your last relationship lasted almost two years and you guys never once-"

Pepper shook her head.

"Huh," he thought out loud. "But he never-"

"He's a guy. Of course he tried."

"And he never cheated on you."

"What? Just because we never did it, you think he cheated on me?"

"Or that he's gay." He learned immediately after it was just him that found the comment amusing. "Look, you're the one who said it. He's a guy. If he wanted sex and you weren't offering, he found it some place else. It's kinda like a default setting."

She knew his response was reasonable - and call her whatever you want...blind, stupid, ignorant - but she'd like to believe Robert had never hurt her in that way.

"Not all guys are like that, but the majority of them are."

"Okay, so what about you then? Are you in that group?"

"Nope," he dismissed. "I mean, think about it. When have I ever been majority material," he joked to rid some of the tension.

Pepper laughed. Tony was pretty far away from normal.

"Can I just say something," he asked before blurting out his thoughts. Pepper nodded, smiling softly. He wasn't trying to upset her or belittle her past relationship and he wanted her to know that. "I kinda think waiting until you're ready is stupid." It didn't surprise him when she raised her brow at him. "Life is too short for that, and when you factor in unpredictable circumstances, being ready is pointless and a waste of time. You can rehearse a speech until you have it down pat, but does it mean you won't mess up when you're actually there? People worry about getting things right, perfecting this and that, but the outcome is never predictable. There are no guarantees. I guess people do it to make themselves more prepared, but in the end, your nerves are still there and they'll continue to eat at you until whatever it is that you had set out to do is accomplished. Kinda of like me and heights. I'm not gonna wake up one morning and think 'let's go on that 80 foot drop coaster I've been avoiding my entire life because I feel like I'm ready for it today.' If I ever do say that, it's because I choose in that exact moment to do it or because I put myself in a situation that gives me no choice but to do it. I'm not saying you should force yourself into it, because you shouldn't, but live in the moment. Don't let fear of the unknown run your life."

"Wow, I never expected to hear anything like that come out of you." His mouth curved upwards and she agreed with everything he had said, taking his words to heart. She still wasn't ready, but it was because she refused to step out her comfort zone. How far was she going to get without taking the simplest of steps?

"Yeah, surprised me, too. But, really, think about it. You might be scared, but just remember you're not alone."

Pepper looked up, surprised to hear that. "You're scared," she repeated.

"Scared, nervous? You're the first girl I'm gonna be with who I care about and I'm not sure how it's gonna go," he said with a small shrug of his shoulders. "But don't panic, I'll still be amazing. You'll be like 'what is wrong with me? Why'd I wait that long? It was stupid.'"

"Wow, that sounded pretty confident. Are you sure you should be promising things like that," Pepper teased.

"Guess you'll have to find out," Tony said, the smug smile still on his face.

Her cheeks flush and she laughed embarrassingly at his comment. "Sure. I'll be looking forward to that then."

"Alright." The tension was finally gone and they could finally relax and enjoy the night again. "So you didn't answer me before. Come back to my place tonight? We can order pepperoni pizza and eat ice cream."

She looked at him with raised brows.

"Was I the only one who thought the portion sizes were way too small?"

She chuckled. "Ice cream does sound good."

Tony gently put his hand on the small of her back as they made their way down the stairs of the balcony and into the parking lot.

"How do you even stay fit with all the junk food you eat," Pepper asked.

"Fast metabolism."

She sighed, envious of that. "You've got the whole package, don't you?"

Tony didn't bother to hide the smirk on his face. "Well..."

She cut him off. "Don't even finish that sentence."

He glanced at her for a second before laughing. "I was gonna say you do, too!"

"Right."

"Fine, be like that."

"I will."

"You're lucky I like you." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in as the valet went to get his car. Within minutes, they were on the streets and going back to Malibu.

As said, pizza had been delivered, ice cream had been consumed, and a movie had been picked.

She had fallen asleep on his shoulder during the climactic scene in Up where Carl had no choice but to let go of his home and watch it float into the clouds. And, of course, it would land where it was supposed to all along. He had reservations about it, but she was right. It was good. He enjoyed it until the end.

He noticed that she had made herself comfortable on the right side of the bed coming out of the bathroom and smiled before getting in himself. He never thought about the future, he preferred the present. The people in his life had always seemed to let him down. He remembered being loved growing up. He remembered his mom taking him to the zoo and helping him feed the animals. He remembered his dad helping him rebuild the toy trains he'd taken apart and pushing him on the swings. He remembered a lot of things, but for some reason, as he grew up, things changed. He chalked it up as him not being important enough, as them having better things to do than take care of him. But he always had them for Christmas and that'd always been enough. He got presents and Santa had always given him his wish of his parents being home. Then it turned out he wasn't real. It devastated him. At that point he stopped caring and built a wall of defense up after that to prevent anything from hurting him again.

And now, slowly, things were looking up. He had opened himself up to possibilities. There was no reason to be narrow minded about the world. He was looking forward to this upcoming year and was excited to see what the future had in store for him. And that unpredictability he was talking about? It happened. At 2:49 in the morning, a call was placed. Howard and Maria Stark had been killed in a car accident.

Wow, I can't believe I actually did that either. Please don't hate me for it!