According to Plan chapter 2

A/N Thanks for all the reviews so far everyone, and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Ironman, or anything associated with it

"Tony, what are you doing?"

Pepper stood at the doorway of her boss's bedroom, watching him rummage through his giant walk-in closet.

"I'm mffpsshff…" came his muffled reply.

Sighing, she walked into the room towards his voice and repeated, "Tony. What are you doing?"

He turned around with a grin on his face and handed her a ball of rolled up clothing, and as he noticed her somewhat confused expression, he decided to explain; "Potts, you can't spend Christmas in your work clothes. Much too… constricting. You can borrow the hoodie, and I'm sure we can find a suitable pair of pants around here somewhere…"

He turned back to searching through the closet, lips still half curled into a smile as he acknowledged Pepper's unusual silence.

"But…" she looked down at the clothes she was wearing; a white blouse, buttoned all the way to the top, covered by a sophisticated black jacket and a knee-length pencil skirt to match. Maybe he's right… What no! What are you thinking? Of course he's not right he's-

But her internal monologue was cut short once she realised Tony was now staring at her, with a look of… concern?

"But what Potts?" he was looking her directly in the eye, analysing her almost.

Exhaling deeply, Pepper concluded that he was probably right in the long run; she would undoubtedly get uncomfortable during her stay at the mansion if she were to stay in the tight-fitting business suit, so meeting his gaze, she replied; "But… the best place to look for pants that would fit me, would be in the spare room across the hall." She then nodded to herself, pleased with her bluff.

Tony dropped his stare and laughed softly, "You're probably right. Get to it Miss Potts, we have a busy evening ahead of us. You can find the clothes and get changed without me, although it is a shame that you have to do the changing part without me, whilst I get the drinks ready downstairs."

He was already out the door before his words had fully registered with Pepper; drinks. He said he was making drinks… She cradled her head in her hands briefly, tonight should be…fun.


Pepper walked cautiously into the living room, now dressed in Tony's oversized, red hoodie and a pair of women's' jeans she found in one of the spare bedrooms, she did not want to know who they originally belonged to.

Noticing a small glass of brandy on the table, she sat down on the sofa and brought the glass to her lips. She closed her eyes and savoured the warmth that the drink brought to her, before placing it carefully back down. It was then that she observed a piece of ripped paper on the table, which she assumed had been previously hidden by her glass, so she picked it up and smiled once more when she recognised Tony's rushed looking handwriting scrawled across it.

It read; Potts, I'm sorry that your plans for this Christmas were ruined, that's why I'm down in my workshop right now working on the suit, I'll let you know once any actually progress has been made. Until then, enjoy the brandy, Tony.

A frown crossed her face then, he shouldn't be working on the suit, he should be relaxing right now… So pouring out another glass of brandy to match her own, she swiftly made her way to the workshop.

After entering her code, successfully balancing both glasses in one hand in the process, she headed towards Tony's crouching form.

"Thought you could use a drink." she said as she sat down in the chair nearest to him.

Tony nodded and took a sip out of his own glass before placing it back down again and continuing with his work, with an annoyingly dedicated looking expression.

"Stop, Tony."

"Hmm?"

Swiping the piece of his armour that he was working from, from his hands, Pepper looked at Tony.

"Stop." she almost whispered, and the intensity of her voice scared even her.

"I need to finish the suit. So you can see your family, ergo I need that piece of the armour back." he turned around to face her, crossing his legs and staring up at her as if he were a small child, despite his seemingly demanding tone.

"What about what you said earlier? 'We have a busy evening ahead of us' hmm?"

"Change of plan. I decided that this," he gestured towards the dismantled suit, "was more important."

Pepper looked down at the heavy piece of metal in her hands, gliding her hand softly across its smooth surface. He should definitely be relaxing; chilled out on his couch watching tacky Christmas movies with a glass of his finest scotch, not breaking his back down here for me, repairing the damn suit. It was then that a disturbing thought flashed across her mind; "Tony, when was the last time you visited family for Christmas?"

He seemed taken-aback by the sudden turn their conversation had taken, before regaining his composure and speaking matter-of-factly, "I have no family Potts, so… not in a while."

He picked up another piece of the suit then, and turned away.

It was then, that Pepper had another thought. She didn't know what possessed her to voice this thought however but she would later blame it on the brandy.

"You're always welcome to spend Christmas with my family you know."

Tony froze.

Pepper's eyes flew open.

A painfully long moment passed before either of them spoke again, but it was Tony who broke the silence first; "Huh."

He turned to Pepper and pulled the piece of his armour that was cradled in her arms, she didn't even try to fight him for it, she was concentrating more on the smile on Tony's face. A smile rarely seen by anyone, it was genuine. Not the cocky grin that was plastered across most magazines, no, it was one that was only used when he was really happy, and usually amongst friends.

Their eyes met, "I better get working on the suit then."

A/N And there you have chapter 2, I'm not sure whether to continue this, or to leave it as a two-shot, so reviews would be really welcome and let me know if you want to hear more of this story.

Happy Holidays everyone,

Lenniiee x