"So, that's it?" Pepper rubbed Tony's stomach with her hand.

She and Tony were on his bed, laying down, and fully clothed. After Pepper cried her heart out to him, he led her upstairs where he calmed her down by holding her. When they lay down on the bed, he held her while she continued to quietly sob. When she finally calmed down, Tony apologized a few times before promising to tell her almost everything. Within ten minutes, Pepper had looked up at him and waited for him to start confessing. When he did, she was mildly surprised.

"What do you mean 'So, that's it'?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows. His tone was filled with worry. "Pepper, your life is in danger. Aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Yeah, I am, but you had to keep everything from me for the sake of my life?" She practically rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to protect you…"

"And granted, I'm very grateful for that…"

"But…?" Tony heavily sighed. He anticipated her choice of words.

Pepper hugged his waist to calm him down. "But, I should be trying to protect myself. Just because you're a super hero doesn't mean people aren't able to protect themselves."

"You're my girlfriend, Peps."

"Yes, and you're my boyfriend." She admitted with a slight smirk. "But there are times when I can handle things myself."

"So… do you not want me to control the dangers in your life?" He stared up at the ceiling.

"No." She paused and smiled. "I love it that you want to protect me, but just inform me of the dangers ahead of time so we can both share the stress and worry."

Tony widened his smile. He didn't think Pepper would exactly say that to him. She wanted to be a part of this battle, not an accessory or a bump in the road. She wanted to fight along side of him. She didn't show signs of complete and utter worry. She admired his strength and his duty as a super hero. She loved what he's become and what's shaped him into the person he is now. It felt like she was falling in love all over again.

Pepper nuzzled her cheek into his chest and closed her eyes. She smiled happily when she felt Tony's hand rub her back and hold her waist. He eventually closed his own eyes in content with the position they were in. The warmth of her body acted like a heater for him. He didn't want to move. He liked lying next to her and protectively holding her.

"Tony." She whispered. Her eyes were still shut.

"Hm?" He hummed, still enjoying her company.

"Is there anything else I should know about?" Pepper opened her eyes and stirred against his grasp.

Tony opened his eyes, wondering why she pulled out of his grasp. He turned his head and saw Pepper sitting next to his side. She looked down at him with a small frown, almost as if she was anticipating another secret. With slight hesitation, he shook his head.

"I'd like to know now rather than later." She gave him one last chance.

He frowned and sat up. His body was faced one way and hers faced the other way. He turned his head and studied her face.

"What makes you think I'm hiding something else from you?" He asked in a serious tone.

Pepper glanced down at her lap before looking back up at him. He saw how worried he was. "You're not really in a good position to be asking that."

Tony turned his head in defeat and heavily sighed. They both sat there in silence for a few seconds. Without looking at her, he asked, "Does this mean you don't trust me anymore?"

Pepper slowly turned her head to face him. He was still looking away, but this time his gaze was fixated on his lap.

"It's not that I don't trust you." She reassured him, making him turn his head to look at her in curiosity. "I just don't want any secrets between us."

"I swear, Pepper, I don't have any more secrets, especially ones that I've been keeping from you." He looked at the wall in front of him, pondering about their discussion. Does she trust me? Well, I don't blame her. I've practically kept her life a secret, so to speak. Suddenly, he felt a warm hand rest against his left cheek. He pressed his lips together and let the hand guide his face to confront hers. His gaze, worried and exhausted, locked with hers.

"Tony…"

"I'm sorry I kept it from you." He practically blurted out. He searched for his next words. "I would rather not tell you and protect your life with my bare hands than tell you and build up that ball of stress you always keep contained."

Pepper smirked. "I'm stressed out either way." She tried to reassure him but it made him worry even more. He looked away from her gaze, making her hand slip down from his cheek. She pressed her lips together in exhaustion and searched for his hand. After a few seconds, she pressed her hand against his and held it.

Tony, slowly but curiously, looked down at their joined hands and then back up at her gaze. He had always stressed her out. It was his life that always stressed her out. She managed it within the palm of her hand, literally. In the beginning, she would beg him to attend his meetings, but as she got used to managing his life, she would ask if he was going to attend, he would answer, and she would just go along with it. She handled every aspect of his life and she rarely complained. She always took care of him, now it was his turn to take care of her.

"Pepper, you deserve much more than this." He started out.

"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows at him.

"I hate stressing you out… making you worry about me every time I go out on a mission, and then when I get back, you demand that I isolate myself so I can heal…"

"What are you trying to say?" She asked him. "Tony, it doesn't matter if you're on a mission or not, or if you're in your workshop. I'll always stress out about your life because…" Pepper saw the pain in his eyes.

Her hand moved to his other side as her smile grew. She looped her arms around his waist and hugged him endearingly. She rested her head against his chest. The light blue glow from his reactor lightly seeped through his white dress shirt. She felt the relaxing humming vibrations coming from the small device. Tony protectively wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her close. He looked down at the spot next to her with a small frown. Tony didn't want to let her go. He, honest to god, wished that he and Pepper could just escape from the dangers and the evil villains.

"…You're all I've got." She breathed.

"You're all I've got, too." He felt his palms start to sweat.

Tony slowly closed his eyes and tilted his head forward. He inhaled her warm vanilla scent before his forehead hit her shoulder. He squeezed her shoulders and sighed in content. Pepper knew him all too well. She knew what he was thinking, what he wanted, what he was afraid to do, and what he wanted to do.

Pepper turned her head to plant a light kiss on the side of his neck. With a small smile, she dug her nose in the crook of his neck.

They sat in that position for a few minutes before Tony pulled away. Pepper looked up at him with her warm blue eyes. She removed her hands from his back and gently rubbed his arm.

"I hate risking your life like this…" He muttered. Tony stared down at her hand rubbing gentle paths up and down his arm.

Pepper started to chuckle a bit. "I knew the danger would come with the job. In fact, I believe it's included in the job description."

He tiled his head up and quickly smiled at her. He loved every bit of her endearing personality. Sure, he stressed her out like crazy, but she was always with him. She stuck by his side, even when he suddenly became a super hero. She didn't ask questions but she pushed his buttons until he popped. Pepper was something special—no, she was very special.

Tony gently grabbed her wrists and laid them gently on his hip. While her hands molded perfectly with his hip, he gently grabbed her waist and leaned forward. Their kiss wasn't like the ones they've had in the past. He wanted to explore every part of her body, he wanted to show her how much he wanted her, and how much she meant to him. But, Pepper slowly pulled away, smiling and chuckling.

"What was that for?" She whispered in a low voice, almost in an alluring tone.

Tony stared at her for a few seconds before grinning like a Cheshire cat. Before Pepper could react, he was tipping forward, pushing her down with him. She gasped in surprise and tried to wiggle free but his grip was too strong. He had one arm resting under her head (how he managed that befuddled her), and one arm protectively wrapped across her stomach and over her waist.

She felt light kisses on the side of her head and her cheek. It wasn't a normal sight to witness; seeing and feeling Tony completely surround her with endearing kisses and romantic displays of affection. So, once she noticed how affectionate he was, she stopped struggling and let him hold her.

"Tony…" She breathed and smiled. Her cheeks suddenly flashed a pinkish hue.

"You're so perfect, Pepper." He whispered into her hair.

"Nobody is perfect." Pepper smile grew. Her hands found their way to his arm that was still draped across her stomach and around her waist. She lightly gripped his forearm in retaliation but he kept on digging his face in her hair. If anyone saw them, one would begin to be suspicious and jump to the conclusion that he was getting high off her scent.

He tilted his head back and looked down at her with the most sincere smile. "Believe me, I've seen smart women, a lot, actually," This made Pepper wrinkle her nose in distastefulness. ", and they're not nearly as perfect as you." He kissed the top of her head once more.

She felt his grip loosen around her waist and took the opportunity to shift to the side so she could look back up at him.

"I actually need to tell you something." She pressed her lips together.

Tony widened his eyes and started to glance down at her belly. Pepper smirked and used her arm to tilt his chin back up.

"Not that kind of 'something', Tony."

"Oh, thank god." He breathed. Pepper raised her eyebrow at him. "I-I-I mean… I'm sure we'd make fine children—I just—I mean—Children shouldn't—Babies are kind of—You'd be a great mother—I just think children aren't the best thing to be thinking about, what with Leon missing and all these mad men after me—"

Pepper's lips formed a small smile before she shook her head at him. "We haven't even had sex yet."

"Oh… right…" Tony furrowed his eyebrows. "Date twenty?"

Pepper rolled her eyes at him. "You're still thinking about that?"

"I'm a man, Pepper. What else can I think about?"

"Upgrades? Machines? Leon's disappearance?" She listed off a few things.

"I mean when we're together… and alone."

"Getting back to what I said." She changed the subject. "I need to tell you something."

Tony nodded and stared into her deep blue eyes, waiting for her to continue. He was anticipating something horrific, like her parents rose from the grave and wanted to meet him over a family dinner.

"You have two meetings tomorrow—"

He immediately groaned. "Oh my god, Pepper."

Pepper laughed at him. She loved teasing him like that but she wasn't sure he took her seriously or not. Either way, she knew he would protest to such meetings – he always did.

—Pepperony-Pepperony-Pepperony-Pepperony-Pepperony-Pepperony—

"Are you sure this is safe?" A shadow appeared in the far left corner of the room.

The square like space contained four corners. Lights were placed in the middle of the room, revealing the center chair that was lifted up using a square solid box. The chair was occupied by a man with a brown medium haircut. His eyes were a soft blue hue and he wore a plain white t-shirt, and a pair of dark colored jeans. He was slouched in his chair, and his head was propped up using the palm of his hand. His elbow was lazily resting on the arm rest. He looked like he was in his late twenties.

"Of course it's safe." Another man from a different corner shouted.

"Khris would have not ordered the attack without properly calculating the outcomes!" Another man from the right corner shouted.

"But it came with a price." The man in the left corner whispered. "Leon's disappearance was not foreseen in the plan!"

"Are you doubting Khris?" The man in the right corner shouted.

Khris, the man in the middle of the room, opened his eyes and stared directly at the man in the left corner.

"N-No! I—I—"

Before anyone could react, the man was suddenly shot with a blue repulsor ray, one very similar to Iron Man's. All heads turned to the unconscious body and then at Khris.

"He isn't wrong." Khris breathed. "Leon's disappearance was a surprise."

"Should we focus all of our men on finding him?"

"What good would that do?" Khris looked at his arm that was surrounded in metallic pieces of scrap, colored wires, and glowing blue cords. "Leon obviously has other plans."

"We're just going to let him go?"

"We're not going to do anything." Khris looked up. His blue eyes burned mental holes into the walls of the structure.

A/N: Sorry I was M.I.A for the last month or so. I had finals but I aced them (some of them anyways)! :) I jumped my grade from a C to an A lol. It was my hardest class, too! Computer Science is a hard major, but it's fun. I'm on spring break right now (poop-sticks, it's only a week break). So, I'll try to type as fast as I can!