Chapter Seven

"Under the circumstances I've been shockingly nice." GlaDOS, "Want You Gone"

Author's Note: Iron man fan2626 didn't like the idea of Happy and Pepper having sex (even though they weren't) and suggested Pepper and Tony have sex instead. Thanks for the great idea, guy/gal!

Squick warning: The end of this chapter contains sexual situations. Reader discretion is advised. I mean it, kids. I don't want to hear about your reading this, getting squicked, and being mad at me. You were warned.

Pepper Potts was adorably vulnerable while she slept.

He was careful to put her back in her own room. As much as he wanted her to be in the bedroom he'd lovingly decorated for two he didn't want to rush her into anything that made her uncomfortable.

He knew from his surveillance she was usually a restless sleeper, tossing and turning and kicking her teddy bear off the bed. Her face looked soft and peaceful but he missed her somnolent acrobatics. Better sedated than violent, he supposed. He didn't even remember preparing the sedative but he surmised he must have done it when he thought he was Gene.

Tony leaned closer, watching her sleep, hearing her soft sigh as she breathed. He was near enough to count her freckles, kiss her unprotesting lips. They weren't as full and lush as Whitney's but looked so sweet. He'd bet she was a raw but enthusiastic kisser. He decided then and there red hair and freckles were the sexiest facial features of all time.

He leaned back and distanced himself before he gave in to temptation. She couldn't say no when she wasn't awake and he couldn't take advantage of her like that.

Well well well. So he was the bad guy. That was an interesting twist. He could only speculate that something snapped in him once he realized he loved Pepper but couldn't have her; anger and jealousy was a dangerous combination. So his mind created an enemy he could protect her from, win her away from Happy by being her hero. Tony couldn't have shown the threatening messages to Rhodey. It wasn't that he forgot to download them but because if he had Rhodey would have seen erotic images, not threats from a stalker. It was easy to lie to Rhodey when he truly believed Gene was a danger to Pepper. Then he could play the prince, save the damsel, and live the textbook happily ever after.

Tony clearly hadn't counted on Pepper being so shrewd. Behind her spastic facade was an analytical mind her father would have been proud of. She solved the puzzle and made him face the delusions he'd been living under.

Becoming the Mandarin was easier than he could have imagined now that he admitted the truth to himself. Rather than destroy the Madame Masque tech he kept it to see if he could eliminate the side affects. He'd saved the Living Laser suit, again modified but now it could only achieve short hops. It was still enough to get Pepper to Greenland in minutes instead of hours.

I am determined to prove a villain.

He remembered the words Gene had recited in drama class as easily as if the Asian teen stood behind him and whispered them; lips close to Tony's ear. He had taken on a villain's persona so completely he had even fooled himself. His id in yellow pants. When this was over he and his psyche was going to have a lovely chat. His thoughts and actions were so like Gene's he might as well have been a Khan himself. Now who was a better actor?

Things would have been so much simpler if Pepper hadn't dragged Happy into this situation by dating him. Tony could understand her logic to an extent. She already thought of the basketball captain as a good friend, forcing him and Rhodey to go to the guy's lonely birthday party. She also made Gene include the athlete with them on their planned trip to the mall. Happy was a natural dupe and Pepper would have no problem taking the lead in their relationship.

Poor dumb Happy. The guy really was the innocent part in all this and Tony hoped he hadn't stolen his rival's life along with his girl. The weapons systems were supposed to have been at half power but he had been so angry...

It didn't matter. The best minds on Stark International's medical staff was attending to the jock's recovery. Happy would be just fine.

Now the dastardly mustache-twirling villain had to turn back into the square-jawed hero and woo his lady. Or some melodramatic crap like that. Easier said than done; Pepper no longer trusted him and rightfully so. The attack on her boyfriend and lying to Rhodey ashamed and sickened him but he knew he could make things right with everyone if he could just persuade Pepper to love him. He would just have to go slow. And be gentle.

With a groan Pepper stretched, becoming awake and searching. He tried to act nonchalant as her gaze landed on him.

"Hey. Good morning, star shine." Tony smiled warmly at her and moved his chair against the wall, taking a seat on the edge of the bed to be near her. In response she drew her knees to her chest and covered herself to her chin with the duvet. He sighed. She wasn't going to make this easy. She wanted to make him crawl. Well to be fair, he deserved to be forced to beg for forgiveness. "Sorry for the tranquilizer. I was just afraid you'd hurt yourself before I could explain and apologize."

She didn't respond but she didn't bolt either and he took it as a hopeful sign.

"Look. I'm sorry. This whole thing is my fault." He gestured as he spoke, talking with his hands as much as his mouth.

"I should have noticed your feelings for me earlier. I mean, you did everything you could but say it outright, right?" He shrugged carelessly. "I mean, the jealousy over Whitney, you being mad when I passed you and Rhodey over for Gene. Hey, he even said our fight looked like a lover's spat. Maybe it was and I didn't pick up on it." He chuckled and then smiled at her to let her in on the joke.

Tony shifted uncomfortably and continued. "Then I started dating Whitney. I messed up big time, Pep. And then you started dating Happy to make me envious. Well, you will be glad to know it worked.

"Happy's a good guy and all but really? You two together? No way. Listen, let's just forget about the past. Put it behind us and start over. Together. Happy's gonna be just fine. The last I heard they expected him to wake up any day now. There could be some slight neurological damage but nothing some physical therapy can't fix. Whitney will be heartbroken at first, but she'll bounce back. She's resilient like that. I bet Rhodey still likes her. Or Happy! Yeah, that would solve everything."

She wasn't talking to him. That worried him a bit. Pepper Potts was usually a fast-paced chatterbox with a head full of questions. Why was she sitting mutely and staring at him?

Pepper sat dazed, unable to do anything but listen. He sounded so normal, so reasonable, so...Tony. As if this all made perfect sense but he was only one who saw it. So he just had to make everyone realize the truth to make life better for all.

No Rhodey. No SHIELD. Dad didn't know where she was and she was trapped with no escape. She could not be more vulnerable had she been nude. Tony's fragile mind had snapped under the combination of grief over his father and the pressure of being Iron Man. He believed he was in love with her when only a month or so ago he saw no contradiction between dating Whitney Stane while sharing his most private secrets with her. If she and Tony emerged from his little love bunker a happy if dysfunctional couple she would lose her burgeoning friendship with Whitney. Again.

And Happy. Would he be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life? Lose his dream of being in the NBA because of one lunatic with a crush and too much firepower?

Part of her wanted to pretend to go along with everything he was saying but she knew he wouldn't believe she was giving in that easily. Tony could tell if she were lying; he just had proved to be so much better at it.

Tony thought he loved her. She would bet he wanted her too; if he were a teenaged boy with normal sexual appetites. His intense stare frightened her as she continued her current train of thought. Please, no. Not after he injured Happy, imprisoned her, lied to all of them for weeks. But he'd ask for that and she'd refuse. Would he...?

She would rather die.

He didn't like how quiet she was and felt compelled to break the silence. Beaming he slid on the golden mask and morphed into Happy. "Dude! If you like, we can indulge in the occasional role play!"

Before she could respond he changed into Gene. "Or if you prefer the bad boys," he told her in the Asian teen's smooth, cultured tones.

With flash he was now Rhodey. "Or, hey! Friends with benefits!" He pulled the mask off and became himself again. "I don't mind indulging in a little fantasy for you, because we'd both know it would be me underneath. What do you think?"

"Tony?" she inquired finally.

"Yes?" His answer was eager and hopeful and for a moment he transformed back into that likable guy she had met on the roof at school one day.

Pepper swung her legs over the side of the bed and faced him, her knees nearly touching his. He seemed surprised at the near contact but didn't move. His eyes were trained on hers. He did not notice how her hands gripped the duvet. Her muscles tensed.

She leaned in closer to him and compelled herself to touch him. That further distracted him and she bent forward to whisper in his ear.

"I will never be with someone like you."

The softly spoken words barely registered before her small bony fist jabbed him in the solar plexus. It knocked the wind out of him and Pepper scrambled madly from the bed, taking advantage of his temporary helplessness. She had no plan, she was working on impulse. Instinct impelled her forward; to survive, to prevent herself from being assaulted.

The armor had to have a remote control to open the doors. She pushed random buttons until the stone split apart and opened. She wasn't thinking straight or she would have donned the armor and tried to escape or call Rhodey. All she knew was death was preferable to having one of her best friends defile her.

She only got a few yards away before a still-wheezing Tony caught up with her, pausing only to put on a parka. With anger fueled by pain she grabbed her and practically dragged her back in by the hair before closing the door behind them. The functioning part of her brain noted this was a cliched method of capture but he was probably trying to keep her in enough agony to prevent escaping again.

Tony released her once they were in the living room. She sprawled where she landed and looked up through her hair at him.

His expression was both incredulous and concerned. "Are you nuts? You could have frozen to death in minutes! Is that what you want, Pepper? To die of exposure?"

"Yes," she told him softly. "If the alternative is staying here and being forced to 'love' you, I would rather die." Rage and terror made her brave. And very, very reckless.

Tony was silent as she processed her words. She was saddened she thought so little of him and his intentions.

"That's an ugly thing to accuse someone of," he told her gently. "I would never disrespect you by raping you."

Pepper forced herself to her feet, standing out of easy reach. "Why shouldn't I think you'd rape me?" Her voice shook with the effort to stay in control. "You kidnapped me, sequestered me in the middle of nowhere and left me with no human contact for days on end! Yeah, I thought was in love with you once. Past tense. You started dating Whitney. Your choice. It took me awhile but I accepted it." Indignation made her stronger. "But because you suddenly decide you want to be with me I'm supposed to drop Happy for you? Well, news flash, brainiac. You're smart and rich but you're not better than Happy. You don't love me."

This was not what he wanted to hear. "Do tell." His voice was dangerously soft.

"If you loved me, you'd be glad for me. You'd let me go and if things didn't work out for me and Happy, then maybe we could have had something. This is obsession. Possession. You're acting like a spoiled brat who didn't get his way so he's throwing a temper tantrum and stealing someone else's toy. That's what Justin Hammer would do."

Pepper was panting from exertion after getting everything she wanted to say off her chest. Tony stood perfectly still, eyes never leaving hers. He hadn't moved since she started yelling at him and his breathing was so slight was as if he were a statue.

"Don't compare me to other guys, Pepper. Especially someone like Hammer. I don't like it."

The redhead continued like she hadn't heard. Nervous energy caused her to pace back and forth. She finally stopped and faced him.

"Is this the kind of thing your dad wanted you to do with your life? You're Iron Man, remember? What do you want to be known for? These aren't the actions of a hero, Tony. This is what a loser who can't talk to a girl without wetting himself does. You're pathetic, Tony!"

That did it. She had no right bringing the memory of his father or his role as Iron Man into their private spat. He'd been much too lenient with her.

With a growl he lunged after her and she sprang away to the kitchenette. Fumbling though a drawer she pulled out a chef's knife. Tony skidded to a stop as she brandished the blade at him then held it to her own throat.

Well, that's a problem.

He held his hand up in a placating gesture. He'd come too far to lose her now. His tactics hadn't gone as planned. Pepper should have been falling in love with him by now. If she killed herself this all would have been for nothing. He refused to lose her.

"I'll do it, Tony. I'll kill myself if you don't let me go right now." Her hands trembled with the effort to keep the knife steady. "I promise I won't tell anyone about this. We can pretend Gene kidnapped me and Iron Man came to the rescue. Just promise to leave me and Happy alone, get some help and this will be our secret."

She felt sorry for him despite herself. This could not be what he really wanted. Tony just had a bunch of shocks, one after the other. Add the pressures of school and heroism and it was no wonder he retreated into a fantasy world. It didn't stop her from wanting to stomp his nuts off and she couldn't forgive him. But she understood.

She was just sorry he hadn't reached out to her and Rhodey when he obviously needed help. Her voice became soft and pleading. "It doesn't have to be this way. Let me help you get better."

Tony hated the way she was speaking to him. Like he was a deranged, suicidal child. He wasn't the one holding a knife and threatening to off himself. He decided to turn the situation back on her.

"Pepper, give me the knife," he kept his voice calm and soothing, as if speaking to a hysterical woman who had just seen a mouse. He dared to take a step forward. "Please. Drop the knife."

"No. You're sick and you're scaring me. You need help. This isn't a healthy relationship. You can't win me this way. Let me go or you'll have to remember for the rest of your life you're the one who drove me to this. I want to be with Happy. Just Happy. Please..."

Her voice came out as a whisper, as if she were terrified of him. Of him.

Well he'd had enough. He'd gone to a lot of trouble, risked prison, all to be with the one he loved. Would it kill her to be civil? He'd been patient, he'd been gracious, and she kept pushing him. If he was supposed to be the bad guy, if that meant he'd be with her, then that was what he was going to be for now. What happened meanwhile was her own fault.

"Pepper. Put the knife down. This is the last time I'll ask. The next time you act like this, I want you to think about what you're doing to me. To yourself. To Happy."

The knife shifted just a little bit, enough for him to know his words were having the desired affect. "Happy? What do you mean?"

His answering smile was nasty. "Remember when I was in the hospital? How I was nearly dying because the doctor didn't know what they were doing? Luckily Doctor Yinsen stepped in to help me. I have the finest medical minds Stark has to offer making sure Happy recovers. And I'm doing this all for you. But I don't have to."

He could tell Pepper was beginning to comprehend when she pointed the knife at him. "If you do anything to Happy-"

"The only thing I'm doing to Happy is making him better. If I do 'nothing' to Happy, do you know what that would mean? That means I take back my medical staff and Happy receives only the care his parents can afford. That means less gifted doctors who are more likely to misdiagnose his condition, just as they did with me." He reached past Pepper and grabbed a pear off the counter, confident she wouldn't attack him. "Do as I say and Happy gets better, goes on with his life. Without you. Threaten to kill yourself again and who knows what will happen?"

Pepper dropped the knife on the counter. It clattered and spun but neither of them paid it any attention. She began to cry silently, clay brown eyes shimmering but still beautiful. She managed a nod and whispered. "You win, Tony. Just...don't hurt Happy?"

Tony ate the pear but it tasted sour. Nothing was going as he intended. He glared at the sobbing girl, disgusted with her and himself.

"Go sit on the couch," he told her and she shambled towards it. He pulled a slim remote from his pocket and force fields sprung up around the kitchenette and Tony's bedroom, leaving a clear path from the living room to Pepper's bedroom. Donning his armor he told her, "I'm going for supplies. You're almost out of that shampoo you like. Be good and I'll bring you a surprise."

She didn't answer and he was disappointed. The face plates closed and he activated a force field over the entrance after he'd opened the doors.

"Keep your word, Pepper. Don't force me to break mine."

Pepper spent most of the day crying, missing Happy, Rhodey, Whitney, and her dad. She missed Rona Irwin, who barely tolerated her.

There was no way out. No last minute cavalry, no sudden change of heart. Her stalwart hotshot was now holding her captive out of misguided love.

She laughed bitterly to herself. There was a time she had a crush on Tony and wanted to be with him. Now he was all hers all the time. His kind of love was cloying; suffocating.

The young woman wondered if she could fake her way into loving him. Then he would release her and she could go on with her life. She didn't know if she could keep that kind of act up for long. Tony would watch her constantly, jealously monitoring her daily activities. Happy would never be able to talk to her again and she wondered if she would be permitted to have a girl's night out ever again. Tony would worry about what she'd tell Whitney.

Pepper contemplated her situation in the shower, absentmindedly washing herself.

It was hopeless. She couldn't escape without Happy or maybe even her father paying the price. She was not familiar enough with Stark technology to pilot the armor safely and really, if she somehow managed to subdue Tony and turn him in he'd end up in jail or a mental institution. He'd get out eventually; he had too much money not to and had a great lawyer in Roberta. Not that Roberta would condone what Tony had done but still was the Stark family lawyer. Roberta would defend Tony out of loyalty to Howard Stark if nothing else. She'd have to spend the rest of her life avoiding everyone she knew, constantly looking over her shoulder if Tony came after her.

Maybe she could leave the US and join a nunnery. In France. She probably talked too much to be a nun. Did they whip nuns who talked too much?

The thought of being a "Sound of Music" sort of nun brought a quirk to her lips but it faded quickly. Her mind was going around and around in a maze and she was no closer to a solution. Sighing she turned off the shower and dried herself with a towel before dressing for bed.

She was not sure how long she'd been asleep when she heard the click of a lock and wood sliding against metal. Dammit! She should have known he had a key to her room but she had been so sure he wouldn't use it...

Pepper quickly rolled over on her side, glad she'd worn pajamas and not a nightgown. She drew her knees up and crossed her legs at the ankles. No need it making it easy for him if he were planning to...be less than a gentleman. He wouldn't...would he? She was his prisoner, not his sex slave.

The plush carpet muffled his footsteps (probably one reason he had it installed) but she could tell by his excited breaths he was getting closer.

Please no.

"Pepper?", he inquired. When she didn't answer he knelt on the edge of the bed and gently touched her waist. "Pepper?"

She willed herself not to flinch and desperately wanted to tell him to leave but then he'd know she was awake. After receiving no answer he climbed into bed beside her. She heard the coils squeak and the bed shift with his weight. She was too stunned to move when he spooned himself behind her and wrapped one long arm around her. She struggled to get away from him then but that thin appendage holding her was surprisingly strong.

"Stop that," he chided gently, warm breath on her neck, "I'm trying to get warm."

"Why are you here?" she asked in a terrified whisper, ashamed to hear her voice squeak.

"Oh, so you are awake!" his voice was low and teasing, sounding just like his old self. He sounded like her "friend" Tony, not this mad obsessive boy she'd seen over the last few weeks. Pepper began to wonder if the amiable hero was just a mask and this was the real Tony Stark. Did Rhodey see the darkness within his best friend's soul? She doubted it. Thoughts of Gene being the Mandarin intruded and she felt nauseous. Yeah, that was an accurate analogy.

Tony drew her closer, nuzzling her neck and nipping it gently. Her eyes widened as she felt his bare wet torso pressed against her back. A coarse expanse of cloth against her thinly clothed backside felt like a towel. Oh God! Tony had come straight from the shower to her bed!

He seemed to notice her interest and said, "Whoops. Forgot about that." She felt him fumble with his free hand as she removed the material. He sighed in contentment as his lower half pressed against the small of her back. Tony was...excited.

Pepper wanted to pull away from him, punch him, kick him. Whatever it took to get away. Tony knew it because he pinched his side in warning and she grew still. She either accepted this degradation meekly or Happy suffered.

"I won't let you...do that to me..." she croaked at last.

"It's okay." His voice was both reassuring and offended. "When that happens, I want it to be because you came to me, because you love me. I will never force that on you."

He wouldn't rape her, but he had no qualms about molesting her? It seemed hypocritical.

"Then...why are you here?" she whispered roughly.

His lips grazed her ear as he answered. She could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke again. "Because I love you. Because I want to be with you, in every way possible. I want to show you what you do to me."

"I-I can feel it."

"You can? I'm glad."

The hand on her waist slid under her pajama top, over her ribcage and skimmed the bottom of her breasts. He sighed loudly with satisfaction. "Wow, Pep. Your heart is beating as fast as mine."

Tony began kissing her neck, almost purring. Her eyes squeezed shut as he intertwined a leg with her own and with his free hand reached between their bodies. Pepper heard the unmistakable sound of flesh stroking flesh and desperately wished she were anywhere else, even back in the Temple of Sacrifice facing Fin Fang Foom.

Her stomach began to churn as Tony ever so gently rubbed his hips against her. Ironic. There had been a time she would have done anything to be in Tony's arms like this. Now she wanted to crawl away and die from the shame of what he was doing to her.

"Oh God, I love you so much, Pepper." His voice was ragged with excitement, yet still tender. "You have no idea how many times I've thought of you while doing this. You get me so excited and you're not even trying."

He rubbed his cheek against hers like a kitten. "Mmmm. So warm. You smell so good. Like peaches. One day I'm gonna have to find out if you're as juicy as you smell."

She shuddered with revulsion at the thought of his mouth on her...down there. He interpreted it as excitement and sped up his movements.

"You're so passionate about life. I've never known anyone who takes such joy in just existing like you do. It's what I love most about you."

She wanted this to be over before she was sick all over her sheets. Why couldn't he just shut up and finish? Was he trying to torture her with his running commentary or were all guys this chatty while masturbating? So much for "respecting" her. Only rape would be worse.

"I-I don't want to hear this," she tried to be commanding and failed, sounding frightened instead. "Just hurry and get it over."

"As my lady wishes. But I thought girls wanted a guy who could last. Maybe you're tired. Don't worry, I'll move things along."

The smack of skin against skin increased in tempo and Tony moaned, his hand rubbing the underside of Pepper's breasts in an effort to stimulate her as well. It was obvious he wanted her to be an active participant in her own mortification and Pepper gagged.

"Oh, God, Pepper!" He began dry humping her in earnest, excitement making his breath rough."I love you! I love you so much. God, you turn me on. Marry me, Pepper. I'll spend the rest of my life making you happy, I promise. Just never leave me, okay? I don't think I could survive without you."

His words faded into inarticulate moans of pleasure and Pepper felt something warm and wet hit her back as Tony bit her shoulder nearly hard enough to hurt. She couldn't help herself. She tried to be stoic and endure what was happening to her. She began to cry.

Tony didn't seem to notice her distress and before she knew what was happening he forced a finger into her mouth and she tasted his semen. It was briny and acidic.

"How do I taste?", he asked her teasingly.

"S-Salty," she replied through tears.

Grinning he licked the tears off her face. "You're pretty salty yourself, Pep," he teased. If he'd sounded angry or threatening she could have understood his actions a bit better. But he sounded completely normal and she could tell he expected Pepper to accept what he was doing to her was normal too. That somehow made what he'd done to her even worse.

Tony seemed content and sated; wrapping his arms around Pepper he held her close and snuggled against her shoulder.

"Sleep well, Pepper. Goodnight."

Unable to move while her captor imprisoned her with his arms, the redhead stayed awake for a long time, sobbing from humiliation. Finally spent she fell into an exhausted, troubled sleep.

And we're all set up for the climax, as it were. I look forward to hearing what you all thought of this chapter.

Please take note: I've had a horrible event happen this week and I'm in no mood to be trifled with. Remember that when you review or PM me.