(A/N: This one is just from Tony's view, but it gets some of his emotions out there in the open. Enjoy!)

Note: I don't own anything but the situations I created, etcetera, etcetera!

Tony Stark

Tony clicked his headset off and leaned back into the wall. He had just invited the most intriguing woman he had ever met to his house. Hermione Granger was intelligent and stunningly beautiful, but in a modest way. She wasn't the usual kind of girl that left her number on a napkin, and something told Tony that this was the first time she had ever done something so daring. She was a puzzle, and he wanted to figure her out.

"JARVIS, do we have food for Thanksgiving?" He pushed himself from the wall and made his way upstairs and into the kitchen.

"Yes, sir. Miss Potts had enough food for an army brought to the house. Do you need it to be prepared?"

Tony thought for a moment. Did he know enough about cooking that he could pull off an entire Thanksgiving feast? "I think I might try to cook it. Search how to cook a turkey, please." He pulled open the glass door of the refrigerator and poked around for the turkey. It was huge! At least twenty pounds, and big enough to feed a family of ten, more than he and Hermione would need.

"The majority of recipes state that the turkey needs to be cooked for several hours, most state for more than ten hours. I suggest we ask someone for help, sir. Do you know how to cook something so large?" JARVIS sounded incredulous, which was unusual for him.

"Find a deli; see if they sell cooked turkeys. I can't cook. You can't cook. This is silly." Tony threw his hands in the air. "One man and an interface trying to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for some girl we don't even know-" A look of realization passed over his face. "JARVIS, look up Hermione Granger. She's a private investigator, probably from the south." He began pacing around the kitchen.

JARVIS projected a screen onto the south wall of the kitchen and scrolled through pages of information on every Hermione Granger that had ever graced the internet. It was only a few seconds before he found a private investigator from Alabama with name and age match. "These encrypted files show that she was born in Montgomery and currently lives in Dadeville. Not married, no dependents, and works for the state of Alabama. She specializes in political and murder cases, and has helped state officials put away a long list of corrupt people." A news coverage of Hermione played across the screen; the newscaster extoled the transgressions she had attested. "This is the woman who is interested in your work, sir?"

Tony halted in his pacing and leaned against the island counter. "JARVIS, I want to know more about her. Is that wrong?"

The AI stalled. "Excuse my candor, sir, but it seems your human emotions are drawn towards her. What of Miss Potts?" The projection on the wall was withdrawn and all was silent for a few moments

Tony drew a deep breath and straightened. "I can't think about Pepper now. If she said she wasn't coming back, then she probably won't." He swiped a hand across his brow and closed his eyes, searching for the words he so badly needed. "If Pepper chose to leave, there isn't anything I can do about it. She was always stubborn, you know that." When he opened his eyes, the pain still lingered. "Hermione approached me and she seems to like me for more than just my title. Whatever happens happens, and I won't let it get to me."

He smiled a little. "I am Ironman, aren't I?" He pushed away from the countertop and walked from the kitchen to the front room. The glass panel would have to be mended before the dinner. Tony dug in his pocket for his cell and dialed his usual repairman. Being Ironman generally meant a lot of repairs when new developments were added to his suits.

"Hey, Tony. How bad is it this go-around?" Simon had Tony's number programmed in his phone and knew why he had called. He only ever called for some drastic damage that would take a team of men and a couple days to fix. "Collapsed wall? Or an explosion again?" He chuckled.

Tony sighed at Simons teasing tone. "It wasn't me this time. Well, not directly. A vase shattered one of the east wall windows. How long would that take? Please tell me just a few hours, Simon." He kicked a piece of glass across the hardwood floor.

"Just that? Yeah, that wouldn't take too long. I have the measurments of those windows somewhere. I'll cut a panel and be over there in the morning. Anything else?"

"Do you not have any faith in me? Things break, Simon."

Simon's covered laugh was just audible through the line. "There is something else, isn't there?"

Tony frowned at the floor and spoke with an exasperated tone. "We all know welding is dangerous. Those torches are volatile. And my lab walls aren't the sturdiest…"

"I'll do an assessment and see if we can fit the lab with cinderblock walls, but I can only add so many safety measures, Tony. You have to be careful!"

Simon only worked for Tony. All of the damage he did to his own house during the many experiments kept him busy most months and he didn't need to take any other jobs. It helped that Tony paid more than what was required of the majority of the jobs.

"I know! I try. I get distracted." Tony ran his hand through his hair and furrowed his brow. "Quit making me feel guilty! It is my house. I can break it if I want to."

Simon laughed out loud this time. "As long as you keep calling me, break anything you want. I'll see you in the morning, Tony."

Tony ended the call and stalked back to his lab, grumbling all the way. I will break anything I want!, he thought. He suddenly remembered his dinner date and doubled back to his bedroom. He flung open his wardrobe and stared at the suits hanging there. He flipped through them and decided on a deep blue pinstripe suit. He found his Thanksgiving tie that sported pumpkins and cornucopias. He hung the ensemble on his bed frame and sat down.

He may have told JARVIS that he wasn't worried about Pepper, but couldn't force himself to believe it. He tried to jar his thoughts into pretending everything was fine. He laid back on the bedspread and pushed his emotions away as he organized his mind.

Pepper was gone. Hermione was going to be in his home the following evening. He did not feel the need to shamelessly flirt with her as he did with most women. He was actually nervous when speaking to her and that scared him. He missed Pepper terribly, but he felt that she had not lied to him when she left. He has screwed up with her too many times. He was scared the same thing would happen with Hermione. He was scared. He had never been scared by something like this before and wasn't sure how to undertake these emotions.

Tony laid in bed thinking until he fell asleep sprawled out and fully dressed. He had not slept so peacefully for months and his dreams stayed pleasant throughout the night. Not one of them had Pepper in them.