[Ok chap is ready, sorry for the super long chapter but i didn't want to cut into more chaps cause it really didn't look like it was possible. So yeah also its a bonus for waiting alot for new chap so thx for the patience, for the reviews and support. Im willing to improve so if someone wants to be my beta reader ill be happy. oh yeah and keep reviewing please! is the only way i can get better]

Chapter 03: Thank God is Friday

It was seven in the morning and Tony was already up and ready for a training session with Happy Hogan. "Hey, Hogan, are we ready?"

"Yeah, yeah boss. Come here and I'll teach you some movements," Happy smirked.

"Ok, then, here i go." Tony entered the ring and adjusted his fighting gloves.

"Now boss, I want to see what you're made of," Hogan stated. They started to fight. Happy kept punching Tony and giving him instructions on how to block or how to punch back.

As far as Tony was concerned, this week had been a total nightmare and receiving Hogan's punches wasn't as painful as seeing Pepper become upset and more and more distant on him every day. Tony cursed himself under his breath between Happy's punches, which Happy simply ignored. "Stupid! Stupid! I'm an asshole! This entire week has been a monumental waste of time. Every chance I get with her, I end up ruining it. Worse, she ends up upset at me. But maybe she is right about being upset at my stupidity. It's not her fault… its mine!" Suddenly a big fist made contact with Tony's mouth that left him bloody and bleeding on the floor, confused and in pain.

"Sorry, boss, but you forgot to cover yourself again. Remember … focus." Hogan gave Tony a hand up and checked his face. "Are you ok, boss?"

Tony was breathless, he simply spit out the blood. "Yeah, I'm fine. Come on, let's continue." They started over again, but this time Tony put his mind in blank so he could focus on his lesson and forget everything else.

Pepper got to the mansion and found Happy coaching Tony on his workout with the weights. "Mr. Stark, before you continue, I need you to sign this please. And don't forget you need to see your new recruits. They will be waiting for you at 9 am."

Tony interrupted his workout to sign the papers. "Is that all, Mss. Potts?"

"Yes, that's all, Mr. Stark."

Pepper retrieved her car from the garage so she could drive to Stark Industries and take care of some things she needed to do. She was doing avoiding him. She wanted to spend less time with him. When something needed to be attended by Tony, she hid behind her professional mask so Tony wouldn't approach her in that weird way that was getting on her nerves. Tony did stupid, childish things to her, but she didn't know how to deal with it. Part of her wanted to know what he was up to, while the other part didn't want the answer to that question because she knew it wasn't something good.

Tony continued his workout while Happy left the room to get cleaned up and ready for his next assignment. Meanwhile, Tony got more upset every time he lifted the dumbbell. "It's incredible! She is ignoring me! Come on Stark! Get over it. You're an ass and you know it, she knows it, and there's nothing you can do about it. Why? Because you're an idiot! You chicken out, or screw up or something similar every time you get the chance. There won't BE any more chances because you have wasted them all already. She doesn't want to know anything else about you. You ruined it, Tony! Well done! Now the girl of your dreams is farther awaythan before. Maybe this time she will fly away and it will be mission impossible to get her back!"

"Easy, easy boss..." Happy interrupted his thoughts. "Hoooa, that's enough boss or you will hurt yourself." Happy grabbed the dumbbell away from him.

Tony's arms hurt and he was breathing hard. "Yeah, you're right Happy. Thanks for the training. Can we continue on Monday?"

"Sure, boss, no problem," Happy replied. "If you keep training this way, Iron Man will be kicking asses in no time and you won't get hurt anymore."

Tony tapped Happy's shoulder and smiled at him. "Thanks."

After that, Tony headed to the shower to get ready to meet the new recruits he hired from MIT. He wanted them to work on different technologies to show that Stark Industries could do more than just blow things up. "Anyways," he told himself as he headed to Stark Industries, "working with young minds would be good for the company, a bunch of kids eager to hit the road in the big leagues and show they are worth something. Yes new ideas, big ideas, fresh minds not contaminated by the blow things up syndrome. Willing to learn as much as they could. Yes. Just what I need."

As afternoon rolled around, he wondered why he hadn't seen Pepper all day. He decided to call her.

Pepper picked up her Black Berry and, when she saw who was calling, she was surprised. He hadn't bothered her all day until now, so she took a chance and answered the call.

"Hey Pep, do you have plans?"

"Tony! Plans? Wh..What do you mean plans?"

"Do you want to have dinner with me? Nothing fancy. I just ordered a pizza and it's too much for me. I want to share it."

"Oh, Tony, I'm sorry. I need to finish something. I really want to finish my work so I can have a relaxing weekend."

"But you can finish it on Monday. Please?"

"Ah, well, o-ok. Where are you?"

"In my office."

"I'll be there in a minute."

Tony waited for her, but he felt time was making him a bad joke, making him feel like he had been waiting for hours when the truth was far from that. Just a couple of minutes had passed. He was nervous and didn't know what to expect. What would her reaction be? Was she still mad at him? She finally appeared at his office door with papers in her hands. She walked over, making him stand up as though he were pushed away from his chair.

"Hi, Pep. I'm not sure what your favorite pizza is, but I hope you like this one." He opened the pizza box and offered it to her. She left the papers on his desk and grabbed a slice. He did the same and put the box back on his desk.

"Thanks," she said. "You know I don't usually eat this stuff, but right now I'm too tired to look for dinner."

"Relax," he replied, "it's Friday and the weekend is just starting."

"I don't think I can relax," she hedged, "I still have things to do."

"Oh, I'm forgetting something!" Tony took out two mugs and offered one to Pepper.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Coffee," he said. "I forgot to ask for something to drink when I called for the pizza." Tony looked at her with sheepish eyes.

"Oh … well … this is actually kind of gross!" Pepper exclaimed.

"I know," he apologized, "but let's just forget for a bit that it's a greasy pizza, that we are drinking coffee, and that we are eating in the least fancy and glamorous way possible. Let's just enjoy the moment!"

After finishing dinner, Tony stood and headed to the door. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," Pepper replied. "I need to go with you anyways. I left some stuff behind that I need to take with me, so let's go."

Tony was a little confused, but at the same time, he was calmer just from the fact Pepper had stopped avoiding him for the moment and had stopped using that professional mask that made him feel like he was talking to a complete stranger. When they got to the mansion, he was eager to tell her everything. He hoped it would be the last shot and then maybe, just maybe, things would get better. Pepper sat on the coach and started writing things in her agenda while gathering her papers from the coffee table.

Tony sat down beside her. "Pepper, can we talk?" he asked. His voice was low, almost like a whisper.

She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow, but before she could say something, Jarvis interrupted with an urgent call from Nick Fury. "Excuse me, Sir, but Nick Fury is on the line and says it's urgent."

"Hang up! Not now!" Tony ordered.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Fury started to speak on the speakerphone. "Stark! I hope I am not interrupting you from any of your important tasks, but listen! The route is already programmed into your suit. You need to go to Kurdistan to take care of some ten rings cells that are hitting everyone there."

"But I thought I finished with them last month!" Tony protested.

"Yeah, well, we thought the same thing, but it seems some of the sympathizers regrouped and reopened for business," Nick Fury growled, "so, Stark! The party is waiting for you! Fury, out."

Tony sighed. With his left hand, he reached for Peppers hand. "Will you be here tomorrow?"

"S-sorry, Tony," she stammered. "I'll see you on Monday."

He bowed his head and his expression changed dramatically. He dropped Peppers hand and stood up. "Ok, then, till Monday. Pep, have a nice weekend."

She felt a little guilty. He was heading to a mission she was not sure if it was the last time she would see him alive. He walked slowly, watching at the floor as he headed for the workshop to get into the suit and start the mission, but she interrupted his marching.

"Tony!" she called, looking into his sad brown eyes. "I'll come back tomorrow to check up on you, okay?" Tony smiled at her and she saw his sad dark eyes start to glow again. She followed him down to the workshop and watched as the machines finished assembling his suit. When he stepped down and prepared to fly, she took his wrist. He gazed at her, waiting. "Please, Tony, be careful," she pleaded as she stared into his eyes.

"Yeah," he whispered.

She let go his arm and he sped away, leaving Pepper in the workshop, alone, with her mind full of guilt about how she had been treating Tony all week.

[Sorry for spaming youre alerts with this, i know is not new chapters or stuff is just a better written same chapter, but it reads way much better than before, please say thx to saichick she is doing an awsome job as my beta reader.

Anyway chap 4 is taking like forever i know but since i dont have internet and im on exams it will take a more few days, but it will be here]

[thx for the reviews and help peeps u rock]