Chapter Eight
Author's note: Here it is, the last chapter. Thanks to all of you kind enough to stick with me to the end. I appreciate it. Flamers beware: I have a particularly nasty case of PMS while I post this and even though I don't know why, there is a part of me that wishes to justify ripping someone's head off.
Special thanks to my beta reader for all her help. She's earned some time outside. As long as she wears her shock collar that is.
Enjoy!
"I put a spell on you. Cuz you're mine!" "Screaming" Jay Hawkins
After that night everything shifted. As soon as she was free in the morning she spent an hour in the bathroom expunging anything she had consumed in the past twenty-four hours. Pepper hunched over the toilet until stomach acid came up, burning her throat. She saw Tony staring at her from the doorway, looking as if he wanted to assist but wisely knowing his help wasn't wanted. He seemed to know he'd crossed the line from obsessive love to molestation.
Once Tony slunk away she took a scalding bath followed by an equally hot shower. She was well aware of what she was doing; trying to purify her unclean flesh after the feeling of being...polluted. It didn't seem to be working.
The stiff and stained pajama set was burned in a funeral pyre courtesy of a can of Sterno she found in the kitchenette. Pepper was careful to stage her Norse cremation on the dining table so Tony could watch every minute of it. He did, with a look of hurt confusion and she was left with the feeling she had been petty. That just made her angry. She had every right to make him feel guilty for what he'd done.
She'd all but stopped talking to him, speaking only when spoken to and only in monosyllables. She would only eat food she'd prepared herself; assuming any food he made her to be drugged. Pepper refused to use the shampoo and shower gel he'd gone to so much trouble to find for her and made do with some pumice soap she'd found in the pantry. She knew she was punishing herself as much as Tony but she didn't care; even if the soap made her skin red and her hair stick out all over.
The next three weeks fell into a nerve-wracking but predictable pattern. She would avoid Tony when ever possible and only speak only when she could no longer avoid it. Pepper no longer defied Tony; she basically did as he asked but with no reaction; positive or negative. Her usual fiery, talkative self was long gone, replaced by a thing that moved like an automaton, reduced down to simple existence. It would have been heartbreaking to anyone who knew her. The brown-haired teen secretly anguished over the loss of his friend; her vivacity and ability to see the fun in everything was why he fell in love with her in the first place. He was careful not to show guilt or anger around her for fear this would drive the redhead further out of reach. Every now and then Tony would catch of glimpse of defiance in her clay brown eyes but it was gone before he was sure he had seen it.
She was more or less doing as he asked so Tony thanked her by doling out small but precious bits of information.
He let her know via messages from Rhodey Happy was improving every day. The doctors had found no real permanent neurological damage and he was starting to react to outside stimuli; even smiling when he heard Pepper's voice on an old phone message. She had cried for an hour after hearing that so after activating the temple's force fields he had gone out and gotten Lindt chocolates and fresh pears to cheer her, both of which she had refused.
For the last week and unusual thing kept happening. Pepper seemed to deliberately seek out Tony's company. It was bound to happen; she was outgoing by nature and isolation gave her choice but to spend time with him. She hated herself for doing it but it was either that or spend all her time in her room. Alone. It would have driven the redhead insane.
Tony had been watching an animated sitcom when he realized with a start Pepper was sitting less than two feet away. She didn't look at him but she did take one of the sodas he had on the coffee table. He kept glancing over, hoping she would try and engage him in conversation but her gaze was on the television and nothing else. He found himself missing their once easy camaraderie and thought for a second he'd gladly go back to their platonic relationship if she would only talk to him. Yet he did nothing, hoping the isolation would bring them closer together. Part of him knew this would never work but he still persisted.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, he told himself in his rare lucid moments.
The animated talking dog did something funny to the surprisingly smart baby and they laughed together.
They smiled at each other in shared amusement for the first time in months. His grin faded and he told her with all sincerity and warmth, "It's good to see you laugh again, Pep."
Her amusement dissolved into shock. She'd forgotten for a moment where she was and treated him like she always had, like nothing had happened.
Her resolve was starting to weaken. She was forgetting herself. Tony had kidnapped her, incarcerated her, kept her isolated from her family and boyfriend. He had no consideration for her opinions or what she wanted unless it coincided with what he allowed her to have.
Why was she was sitting here with him, watching TV and sharing a laugh? Had she become so desperate for companionship, any human contact she'd accept his?
She thought of Happy lying in the hospital in a coma and the thought of having fun with the person who had put him there made her ill with self-disgust.
Pepper jumped off the couch and ran into the bathroom before she upchucked in front of him.
She was sure he was banging on the door and demanding to know if she were all right. She was glad she couldn't hear him knocking on the door from the bathroom. Ever since he barged in that night she slept with a chair propped against her bedroom door. It opened inward, not outward, a little fact she doubted Mr. Genius had noticed.
Finally he gave up and left while she cleaned herself up and went to sleep, suddenly exhausted.
Two days went by before she left her room. He'd given up trying to coax her out with food after the first day and she spent the time in solitude reading.
On the third morning she emerged from her room and saw Tony watching an anime-influenced show about comic book teenaged heroes.
"You know, this book is very interesting."
This was the first time Pepper had initiated conversation with Tony in a month and he was understandably surprised.
She didn't sit down but leaned over the back of the couch. A book dangled from her one hand, the other empty. She held out the book for Tony to see.
"Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov. Nowadays the name means a girl who acts and dresses way too sexy for her age. Everyone forgets it's originally abut a pedophile jackass stepfather who had this fixation with a twelve year old girl. He even goes as far as kidnapping her. This is after he inadvertently caused her mom to kill herself because she found out what a scumbag she's married."
Her tone was bitingly sarcastic and Tony blinked. This was a side of Pepper he was not expecting; her feisty, angry side he had consigned to oblivion.
"Lots of people get the wrong idea from the book and movies. This isn't some nymphet leading a weak man astray. This is an adult who kidnaps a girl he should be protecting as her stepfather, tries to molest her in her sleep after drugging her," she glared angrily at him as she said that. "And trades presents for sexual favors. You know, when he's not threatening her with child welfare services. Remind you of anyone you know? You and Humbert would make great pen pals."
With that, she threw the book at his head and stomped off towards the kitchenette.
Tony sat stunned, looked at the books title again and stood up. "Wait a minute!" He gestured at the book. "You're equating me with a child molester? The guy's a sex offender!"
She came back to his side so fast and with such anger he took an involuntary step back. "Not! Quite! A kidnapping molester trying to force his attentions on an unwilling partner by keeping her isolated where no one can help her and trying to buy her affections with gifts! The only difference is our ages and you having forced yourself on me. Yet. Oh, and the only position of authority you hold over me is that of a captor."
The last two sentences were practically a shriek and Tony reacted indignantly. "Humbert was a middle aged pervert who repeatedly committed statutory rape!" He flushed a bit with self-loathing. "Okay. I was wrong to do what I did that night but I'm not a rapist. I would never do anything as bad as-"
"Oh...wouldn't you? Well you'll have to understand my skepticism after you blasted my boyfriend with an energy ray and took me hostage!" She matched him shout for shout and a small part of him couldn't help but think she was beautiful, even when pissed off.
"You know, all the sexual slavery was only the beginning," Pepper continued. Her voice was practically tranquil now and for some reason that made her sound angrier than if she shouted.
"Humbert systematically erased anything that made Lolita an independent entity. Destroyed her, then reinvented her into what he wanted her to be. He robbed her of her childhood, of continuing to discover her sexuality on her own time and developing her own sense of self."
Pepper's expression was one of loathing as if she she'd just scraped human excrement filled with maggots off her shoe. "That's what you're trying to do to me, whether you realize it or not."
Tony stammered, all of a sudden unsure of his convictions. Her treatment of him as something abhorrent shook his self-assurance. "I'm not like that! Don't compare me to him! I love you."
"Oh, really?" She smirked, unconvinced. "Love means locking someone up against their will? Wow, that's a definition of the word I've never heard before! And you only discovered this great love after I was dating Happy, not before you started dating Whitney. You want it all, Tony but if you truly love someone you would do anything to make their lives better. Even if that life isn't with you."
"You're doing just what Humbert did and I doubt you're even aware of it. Destroying what makes me Pepper Potts. You're going to keep me a prisoner and trick and threaten me until I break. All so you can build me into what you want me to be. But you're so delusional you can't see if you do that you'll wipe out all the stuff about me you're supposed to love. I'm not your armor, Tony. You can't...reprogram me like I'm defective. This can't go on forever. Sooner or later Rhodey will get suspicious and check up on you. He's smart, he may even figure out since you turned the temple in New Jersey into an armory you could do the same thing here."
She paused for breath. Tony didn't like the fact she brought up Rhodey. He hadn't considered Rhodey catching on and that bothered him. Tony felt horrible about taking Pepper hostage but Rhodey...Rhodey was family. His good opinion mattered to Tony despite himself and he felt ashamed. That shame and guilt made him angry.
If Rhodey's opinion really mattered, would you have done all this? Tony asked himself. No. If he stood between you and what you wanted, you would have to find a way to circumvent him, hence all the secrecy. You hypocritical child.
"Don't threaten me with hurting Happy again. I just have your word he's alive and even Rhodey's voice could be faked."
She was really getting tired of having to repeat herself in the hopes of penetrating that thick skull of his. Maybe if she were a little nasty with him he'd take the hint.
"Stop this, Pepper."
"No! You know what makes this worse? It was bad enough nearly getting smashed by a stone dragon or almost killed by Whiplash. Yeah, Gene turned out to be the enemy but you're supposed to care about me! We've always been friends! What am I supposed to think about you now? Oh sure, you've beaten a few baddies but from where I stand you're not any better than the Maggia or any other thug."
Nothing Pepper was saying to him was any different from what Tony had been telling himself all these weeks. What made it so bad was hearing it from her. Now with all his sins out in the open he couldn't repress all the dark recriminations any more. Hearing his crimes from the lips of the one whose opinion meant the most to him made his behavior so much worse. He didn't want to hear it anymore, didn't want to face what he'd done.
"Shut! Up!"
His body moved before he could stop it and his hand moved almost of its own volition.
Pepper flinched in anticipation of the blow. She was expecting this, even egged him on. That didn't mean she liked or wanted to get hit.
This is it. All he has to do is hit me once and then, no amount of threats or begging will ever persuade me. I'll remember this forever, even after the pain and bruises fade. He'll never be able to fool me again.
The room stilled and Pepper opened her eyes. She was shocked to see Tony shaking, staring at his hand as if it had betrayed him. Tears began to fall from his eyes and Pepper backed away in confusion. This was not the reaction she was expecting.
"Pepper...please..." he reached for her, beseeching. She backed away. When she was no longer within arms reach her fell to his knees and she watched in awe at seeing Iron Man cry.
"Oh God, Pepper. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
She turned away in revulsion and let him sob. Seeing her captor broken and so easily didn't make her feel victorious, it made her sad. Tony wasn't evil, any more than she was. He was damaged and that was different. Maybe if Rhodey had been there he could have fixed Tony. More often that not the black boy acted as Tony's conscious and that's why Rhodey didn't know about this. Tony knew his moral compass would have prevented this. Roberta probably knew a good therapist.
Pepper left him where he lay. He was no danger to her for now and she was hungry.
She was right. About all of it. He was little better than a fictional pedophile who wanted to destroy and rebuild someone who trusted him into his personal nymphet. He wasn't the good guy protecting the one he loved from a megalomaniac. He was a weak , stupid kid who allowed petty jealousy to turn him into a monster.
Oh, Dad. How do I make it all better?
He felt helpless. There was no invention or clever witticism that could free him from the responsibility of what he'd done, no reset button to wipe out the enormity of his mistake.
Tony continued to cry. For his mother, father, himself. Rhodey would never speak to him again. Stark International was forever out of reach. Iron Man was finished. He only saw one solution; own up to what he'd done, beg forgiveness and make it right. Even if that took a lifetime.
Cooking was a bit of an art. It took creativity, even with canned soup. A little spice and a few fresh veggies made it even better.
Pepper found some rye bread and provolone cheese along with some fresh herbs and butter in the refrigerator. She decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches and sliced up a tomato for variety.
Self-appointed task out of the way she arranged the meal on two plates and poured the soup into bowls. After setting the table she decided to check on Tony.
She found him where she'd left him, feeling sorry for himself. She firmly told her conscience she did not feel sorry for him and he was not a delicate boy with a fragile psyche. Pepper just didn't feel like eating alone any more. That was all it was. He was lucky there was no ground glass in his food but she wasn't going to sink to his level. She was showing him how decent human beings acted.
"Hey," she nudged him with her foot," "get up. Lunch is ready."
Tony looked up at her, blinking in surprise. "What?"
"Food. You. Me. Eat. Together. Now."
She turned without seeing if he were following her or not and he scrambled his feet and stopped when he saw the lunch she'd made.
"Homemade?"
"Home assembled, anyway. It's good enough. Sit down and eat."
He sat and ate obediently, eager to please her. When he bit into the sandwich he seemed surprised. "Wow. This is good. Oregano?"
"Basil."
"The provolone's good. Me and Dad only ever had American slices on white bread in the lab."
They finished their meal in silence. Pepper could tell Tony desperately wanted to talk to her about something so she gestured for him to say his piece.
In response he dug into his pocket and pulled out a small brass key. Eying Pepper for a reaction he pushed it over to her.
She picked it up warily and looked at it. "If this is the key to your heart, you can take it and-"
"It's the key to you room. It's the only copy. I had no right to go in there without your permission.
His face was solemn and his words sincere but she refused to soften towards him. "Thanks for finally figuring that out, genius. Anything else you want to confess to while you're in this sort of mood?"
"Pepper, please." His eye begged for her understanding. "I'm sorry. I love you and I'll never apologize for that but I had no right to attack Happy and drag you up here."
Her stare was unrelenting but he continued. "You're right. I only noticed how much I cared about you after you were dating someone else. I've messed up everything step of the way, from lying to my friends to holding you against your will and bullying you."
He reached for her hand but she withdrew it. "Let me make it up to you. In time I know I can change for the better. I should have told you how I felt a long time ago and taken things slow from there."
She was silent and he couldn't think of anything else to say so they stared at each other, watching for an acknowledgment.
Pepper sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "You don't deserve to be forgiven. What you've done to me, to Happy, was horrible and undeserved."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Shut. Up. Sorry isn't good enough."
Her voice was angrier and more mature than he had ever heard and Tony marveled, imagining the kind of woman she would grow into. Displaying intelligence he hadn't shown in weeks, he shut up and let her talk.
"What you've done...I can't even think of a word that describes it. I'm not sure you really understand what you've done. How insecure I feel right now. The thought of being touched by a guy, even Happy or my dad scares me. It may haunt me for years, if not forever. If I forgive you it won't be because you deserve it, it'll be because I need to forgive you so I can move on." She sat back and glared at him. "It might help your case if you let me go," she told him sarcastically.
"Three weeks."
Pepper blinked. "Excuse me?"
Tony sighed and looked at her, gaze earnest and intense. "Give me three weeks to show you how I could love you. Let's start over as friends. I won't force you into anything, I just want to spend time with you. Ever wanted to go to Iceland? It's not too far from here. There's an awesome Viking ship in a museum and hot springs. And Bjork." His smile was sincere and nonthreatening. "I can fly you there. With the suit and the Living Laser teleporter."
She was interested but not yet willing to give in. "And won't the good citizens of Iceland wonder when we pop in unannounced?"
He lazily waved a hand. "Way ahead of you. I have the Madame Masque tech. The cloth the suit is made from contains therm-optic camouflage."
"Ah. I was wondering how you got me here unseen." She rose to her feet and pushed in her chair. Pepper wasn't quite smiling but her expression was a lot more pleasant than he had seen in ages.
"I'll think about it. But! First, we need to let my dad and our friends know I'm all right before I go anywhere with you. We can make it look like I'm making an escape attempt or whatever."
"Thank you, Pep-"
"Not finished! One more condition. No matter what happens in the next three weeks you take me home."
Tony nodded and looked grateful she was at least considering his proposal. "I promise."
"I'll hold you to that." She self-consciously touched her hair. "Gonna take a shower. I'll finally open that shampoo you bought. Can't visit a foreign country with a rat's nest on my head." Pepper couldn't help but think if he wanted to hang out with her they could do that at home. But this was the first real hope of release she'd had in weeks and she didn't want to jinx it.
She left without another word. Tony smiled to himself, feeling hopeful for the first time in weeks.
Tony grinned as her voice drifted out from the shower. Pepper was singing about the superiority of geek and gamer girls, rather off-key. He could not help but find that endearing. She had given him hope again. Hope that everything would be okay.
And he was glad she was finally using the shampoo. Vanity aside, certain psychotropic drugs worked better when applied topically, not ingested. Most people forgot human skin was also an organ and many chemicals were absorbed through it. Pores opened naturally during a shower so soaking up the drugs would be that much faster.
Things were finally going according to plan and even though his conscience twinged him a bit, he knew the end result was for the greater good. The drugs were only until Pepper believed she loved him and then her affection would occur naturally. He meant it when he told her he was sorry. He had gone about this all wrong. Rhodey repeatedly warned him about his poor planning and Tony's best friend was proven right again.
The young inventor was truly ashamed of his conduct towards Pepper...and...Happy and he would gladly spend the rest of his life making things right for everyone. There would always be a job waiting for Happy at Stark International should he ever need one. As for Pepper, she could have anything she wanted; including his heart, Stane's job, her own armor and one day his first born.
Happy was awake and doing fine. He had missed a good chunk of basketball season but the Tomorrow Academy had a new boxing program and the big guy would excel at that.
Tony had heard from a shame-faced Rhodey the taller boy was now dating Whitney. And in a bizarre twist, Rona Irwin as well. The two girls seemed fine sharing a boyfriend and Rhodey had become somewhat of a cult hero at the Tomorrow Academy; gaining the respect and envy of the male populace. His android self had accepted the breakup gracefully and stood aside to make Whitney happy. His duplicate now could spend more time with Iron Man duties, though the school assumed "Tony" was nursing a broken heart.
Rhodey had also told him Happy had been spending a great deal of time with a candy striper named Sunset Bain. The two were just study buddies so far but that could change. Tony 2.0 could also be retired and occasionally used for emergencies. One less loose thread to worry about.
As much as Ton would have liked to take credit for the Whitney/Happy situation it had all happened coincidentally. However everything had wrapped up so beautifully he couldn't complain.
A loving but sly smile crossed his face. He had the next three weeks carefully planned. He and Pepper would tour geysers and lava fields, eat at Fiskfelagid, maybe check out some museums. Then if she were interested they could go to Prince Edward Island and explore where "Anne of Green Gables" was written. They would grow closer and he'd let her set the pace of their relationship. While still drugging her of course, but that was only temporary until the long-term conditioning took.
He had their triumphant return planned as well. He had his cover story prepared as well. Pepper had been kidnapped not by Mandarin himself buy by the remaining Tong who wished to curry favor with the new Mandarin. After much research by Tony Stark and through the heroics of Iron Man, Pepper Potts was rescued unharmed if mildly traumatized by her ideal. The media would love it. Rhodey would believe because the drugs would ensure Pepper accepted his account of events.
With Team Iron Man reunited Tony would work hard to be the son and hero the world deserved. Pepper would love him the rest of their lives.
Because soon she would have no choice.
The End
Well now, that wasn't the Pepperony most of you were expecting, was it? Oh, don't be upset. I promised Pepperony and I delivered. Did I ever say what kind it would be? Nope. Be careful what you wish for.
That being said, my sincere gratitude to all of you who stuck around from beginning to end and made an effort to review. Thank you. You are awesome. I cannot believe the traffic I've received for this story. It's probably the highest hits I've ever had.
Now that I've gotten the lovely compliments out of the way, I just want you all to know. Never dictate what kind of story I write again. I don't like it. It makes my mind go to dark places.
...
Happy Halloween