I know, I know. This is weird, isn't it? I know what you're thinking: no, no, Pepper Potts is supposed to be Tony Stark's loyal assistant and this is way, way too weird for me I can't handle it the world is going to end-WAIT! Hear me out.

Yes, I know this is different, but stick with me. I promise the Pepperony here will be the exact same as everybody's, it's just that Pepper will be more of a badass than she already is.

Again, I know this is different, but give it a try for Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow. They could be reading this, you never know.

Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Marvel respectively. Some dialogue/scenarios are taken from IM2.

4:30 P.M

Stark Mansion

Malibu,

CA

3 DAYS AFTER 2010 STARK EXPO GRAND OPENING

God, Natasha was killing him.

Tony sat at his cluttered desk, absentmindedly fiddling with an Iron Man paper weight he received from a fan months ago in one hand and holding a beer in the other. His gloriously curvaceous assistant rambled on about meetings and paperwork, her voice a droning background noise, clicking back and forth in front of his desk impatiently. She was ignoring the shut the hell up glares that he was shooting her, and giving him some of her own.

He was used to those glares, and she had nearly perfected the art yesterday during his court session in D.C. All she needed was a little less arc to her brow and she was golden.

Court session was the simple gentleman's way of putting it, Tony preferred to refer to it as the time he fucking destroyed a room full of powerful government officials.

Now, he was so bored that he contemplated starting an inner monologue (meaning: a monologue taking place inside his mind) between his Iron Man paper weight and the beer bottle. He would do this at meetings often, depending on the level of boredom he was experiencing, selecting two objects and starting conversation between them. The last time he did this, however, he burst into laughter in the middle of a presentation. He thought Natasha was going to choke him with his own tie.

That was his PA for you. Her temper was outrageous, she rarely smiled, and when she did it was an attempt to persuade him to give her something.

This brought his memories back to six years ago, before Afghanistan, when she was first hired. Witty, incredibly attractive, voluptuous, twenty-five. She ate up all the attention he gave her, welcoming his come ons with open arms. The first time they had sex was two months after she was hired. Easy game.

He didn't want to live like that anymore. He hadn't for almost a year. Natasha knew that, and he liked to think it hadn't changed their already tenuous relationship. It had.

Ahh, he was bored out of his mind. He needed to get going on the plans he'd drawn out last night.

"...and they won't stop bothering me about it, so worst case scenario we fly you out there for a quick brunch. They're nice people, shouldn't be any trouble. Lastly-"

Tony cleared his head and took a sip of beer. "Oh yay, 'lastly.'"

Natasha rolled her eyes and stopped pacing. Flipping her dark red hair, she disregarded the pile of paper she was carrying by placing it on his desk, put both hands on her flaunted hips, and faced her boss square on. Tony regarded her curiously, lowering the bottle.

"What?"

"This is somewhat awkward and not easy to say, but I think you should know that I've been...promoted."

He raised an eyebrow. "Promoted?"

She cleared her throat. "Yes. Mr. Favreau, the head of-"

"Yeah, I know who he is. He's the head of the executive committee."

Natasha nodded and stepped around his desk so that they were both on the same side, nothing in between them but air. Tony, to distract himself from the demanding presence of her chest, brought the bottle to his lips.

"He and the rest of the board have decided that it's in the company's best interest that I...become C.E.O."

WHAT? Corona sprayed from Tony's mouth as he choked in surprise. The liquid make a graceful arch in the air and landed squarely on the midriff of Natasha's business dress, soaking the dark fabric.

"Oh!" She shrieked, dancing away. "Tony!"

Tony wiped his mouth on his sleeve and sat back against his chair, coughing. "S-sorry. C.E.O?"

Natasha glared at him, swiping at her dampened dress. "Yes. Sorry to disappoint you, but I took the offer."

"Why?"

"I think you know why."

Tony gritted his teeth. "Nope. I don't."

"You haven't been the same since Afghanistan. We used to have fun. Now it's like a tomb around here."

Tony stared at her in disbelief. "You're leaving because I won't have sex with you anymore?"

Natasha sighed. "This is who I am, I can't help it and I sure as hell don't want to. I like to have fun, Mr. Stark."

"And you think you'll get it by becoming C.E.O of my company," he deadpanned.

Natasha flared her nostrils in frustration. "You just don't understand. The old you would have, I'm sure."

"The 'old me' was someone who was self centered, reckless, and slept with every goddamn woman he met."

"Perhaps. But he sure knew how to have one hell of a good time." His assistant abruptly retreated around his desk and gathered her papers hastily. "This week you'll be interviewing potential assistants and finally choosing one you're satisfied with."

"What if I'm not satisfied with any of them? What if none of them want this job?"

Natasha gazed at him heavily. "Persuasion is one of your many talents, Mr. Stark. It certainly worked with me."

With that she strode away, exiting the glass door of his workshop and leaving Tony fuming.

Don't focus on it now.

To keep himself from boiling over the edge, Tony dug into his pant pocket and drew up his blood analyzer. He studied it darkly before pricking his finger on the thin metal needle, holding it in place for a second before pulling away. Damn, he hated doing that. Even though it was now a regular routine.

BLOOD TOXICITY: 34%

He raised his eyebrows, alarmed at how quickly the palladium levels had risen since...yesterday. The day he returned from the East coast.

He was in trouble.

2 DAYS LATER

This is strange.

Pepper studied herself in the mirror, turning and twisting and observing from different angles. Her eyes were narrowed questioningly.

She looked...normal.

When was the last time she looked normal?

"Gin, I suggest you leave. They're expecting you in twenty minutes." The voice of Phil Coulson crackled inside her ear.

She nodded, though Phil wasn't present. "Yes, I know. Thanks, Coulson. Hopefully I'll see you soon."

Looking at her reflection one last time, she turned from the mirror and walked through her new apartment, grabbing the keys, purse, and notebook on the kitchen counter. She stopped mid step and stared at the purse curiously, holding it in both her palms. She couldn't remember the last time she carried a purse on her shoulder. Besides the necessary "women" things, she wasn't even confident of what to put inside of it...

In fact, she wasn't confident about numerous things regarding this mission. Including her soon-to-be boss, if everything went well. Did he live up to the detailed descriptions Fury provided? The news articles and Youtube videos, the debriefings?

She would soon find out. And when she did, she would be able to handle it. She'd dealt with worse things before. In hindsight, this operation was just one tiny thread woven in the canvas of her life. Cheesy and irritating metaphor, but true.

With that in mind she hustled out the door, striding down the air conditioned hallway that led to the elevators. Soon she was in the lobby and pushing past the revolving doors outside. She could hear the ocean in the distance, the screams and shouts of the people gathered on the beach.

As a person who had been completely by her lonesome in the months prior, she would have preferred being located some place away from civilization. But she was ordinary now. A business woman from Legal. Shy, attractive, and innocent, just as Fury told her to be. She supposed she had to get used to this.

Now, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren parked in the apartment building's parking lot was something she'd gladly get used to.

She approached it, raising the driver's door above her head in awe and situating herself inside. Everything was sleek, black, shiny. She shut the door, deposited her things on the passenger seat, and slid her hands over the wheel, humming in excitement at the thought of booking it down the coast.

Focus. You should really try not to kill yourself before something this crucial to the mission. Keep your mind focused on the task at hand. Oh no, it's 1:40?

According to her own calculations, it took thirty minutes to get to Tony Stark's mansion.

She could get there in fifteen.

"The notary's here, can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?" Natasha called, entering her boss's gym. Ridiculous 90's beat music was playing from the stereo, providing outstanding inspiration for Tony Stark and Happy Hogan. Both were boxing in the large ring located in the center of the room.

"I'm on Happy time," Tony responded, throwing numerous hits at his bodyguard. Happy grunted, trying to throw in something of his own, but Tony expertly thrust his elbow into his nose and he stumbled backwards.

"Auh!"

"Sorry."

"What the hell was that?"

Tony bounced on his heels energetically. "It's called mixed martial arts. It's been around for...three weeks. It's new."

"It's called dirty boxing and there's nothing new about it."

"Alright, come on, come on."

They continued fighting while Natasha placed herself on the couch, taking out her Blackberry and typing a message.

We're ready whenever you are.

She sent it and waited.

A few seconds passed before a lean figure approached the entrance way, stepping around the corner and walking into view. She kept her head up, professionally studying the large room and the two men fighting in the middle of it.

Happy noticed her after a few moments, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. Tony stopped what he was doing and curiously followed his gaze.

Holy shit.

He studied her as she made her way towards Natasha, her slender arms hanging neatly at her sides even while holding a leather notebook. Her strawberry colored hair hung in long curls, a white blouse covered her delicate shoulders and exposed her arched neck, and her long legs slid beneath sleek black pants. Damn.

His eyes stayed on her when he reached Natasha, who called out to him, "I promise you this is the only time I'll ask you to sign over your company."

The two women faced each other professionally, and the new one was so...tall. She gracefully flipped open her notebook and asked something of his assistant quietly, who reached for a pen and nodded.

Happy noticed Tony was distracted and hit the back of his boss's head. Tony swiveled around and Happy shook his glove at him accusingly.

"Lesson one: never take your eye off the ball-"

Tony rounded a kick at his chest and then proceeded to serially hit his chest, only satisfied when he heard the bell ding above them.

Happy threw off his helmet. "That's it, I'm done."

Tony grabbed his water bottle and turned back to the two women, who had looked up at the sudden noise. He pointed at the new one and raised both eyebrows.

"What's your name, lady?"

She raised her head in acknowledgement. "Potts. Pepper Potts."

Pepper Potts.

He gestured his arms towards the boxing ring. "Front and center, come into the church."

Natasha crossed her arms. "No, you're seriously not going to ask her-"

"If it pleases the court. Which it does."

Pepper turned to Natasha and smiled. "It's no problem." She turned and started to make her way towards the ring, much to Tony's delight.

Natasha studied her retreating back with distaste.

Tony held the water bottle between his teeth and raised one of the colored ropes, offering Pepper an easier way in. Pepper, after slipping off heels that Tony very much approved of, gracefully hoisted herself on the mat, ducking and emerging slowly from underneath the held rope until they were facing each other. Tony was taller than her, but only by an inch.

They studied each other. The woman held her hands behind her back. Tony took a swig out of his bottle, his eyes on her the entire time.

Pepper smirked slightly.

Tony lowered the bottle and raised his eyebrows, fighting his own smile. "What?"

"I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Stark."

She's heard a lot about me? Is that a good thing?

Probably not.

Pepper continued to turn her lips at him, a glint of humor in her blue eyes. Tony was fascinated by it, but he didn't want to appear like an idiot, so he shifted his gaze to Happy.

"Can you, uh, give her a lesson?"

He climbed out of the ring and landed on the floor, heading towards his PA to discuss things. Specifically, to discuss her.

He planted himself next to Natasha, crossing his arms and facing the ring again. Happy and Pepper were facing each other, shaking hands and smiling as if they were long time friends.

"Who is she?" Tony asked in a low tone, refusing to pull his eyes away.

Natasha exhaled through her nose. "She is from Legal, and potentially a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit if you keep ogling her like that."

"I need an assistant, boss. Don't I?" Tony said, smirking as Pepper and Happy laughed at something that was said.

"Yes," Natasha muttered impatiently. "and I've got three excellent potential candidates who are lined up and ready to meet you."

Tony shrugged. "I don't have time to meet, I need someone right now- I feel like it's urgent."

Natasha glared at him. "No, it's not."

Tony ignored her, sitting back and enjoying watching the interaction in front of them.

Happy was smiling excitedly, his helmet back on. "You ever boxed before?"

Pepper nodded. "I have, yes."

"Like, Thai Bo? Booty-boot camp? Crouch? Something like that?"

Pepper smiled. "Well, no-"

"How do I spell your name, Pepper?" Tony called from the couch, turning for his flattop computer.

"P-O-T-T-S." She called quietly.

"What, are you going to google her now?" Natasha asked in disdain.

Tony scrolled through Pepper Potts's background information, his eyes widening.

Jesus. Fluent in French, Italian, Russian, and Latin? Who speaks Latin? ...And she modeled in Tokyo. Tokyo, Japan.

He compulsively leaned forward at the picture displayed on the screen. Pepper Potts's body was laid on a furry white blanket, dressed in a black satin bra and dark fishnet leggings. He almost choked on his own saliva.

He looked up to see Pepper studying him, hands on her hips and her head turned away from Happy.

The bodyguard playfully went to bump her when he saw that she was distracted. "Rule number one: never take your eye off your opponent-"

Pepper tensed, turning sharply and wrapping her elegant fingers around his fist. She swiftly kicked her body into the air, twisted and wrapped both legs around his neck, and brought them both down to the mat in a graceful somersault. Happy's body slammed against the ground, Pepper effectively pinning him.

"Oh my God! Happy!" Natasha brought a hand to her mouth. Tony could only stare.

Happy struggled to get out of Pepper's hold, flailing his arms around. Pepper immediately let him go and sprang to her feet, looking just as surprised as Natasha.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Hogan. You startled me-"

Tony jumped from the couch, and was now striding towards the ring with one arm extended towards Pepper.

"That's what I'm talking about."

Happy scrambled to his feet, his t-shirt soaked with sweat. "I slipped," he grunted.

"You did?" Tony rang the bell twice. "Looked like a T.K.O to me."

Pepper looked at Happy worriedly, finally turning and swinging under the ropes before dropping to the ground. She put her heels back on and straightened to face Tony, not even short of breath.

"I need your impression," she instructed.

Incredibly, startlingly beautiful. Sexy. Smart. "You...have a quiet reserve-"

Pepper smiled slyly. "I meant your finger print."

She pulled the notebook from behind her and Tony pressed his thumb where she pointed, wiggling it around comically. He could tell Pepper was suppressing a laugh as he did so.

Why did he like the idea of making her laugh?

When he was done, she snapped the notebook shut and her arms dropped back to her side. "It was very nice to meet you," she stated.

He smiled crookedly. "You-ahem-you, too."

She started to turn, but he managed to say something else. "For the record, Happy did slip. Just to clear things up."

Pepper tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. "That's what I thought."

Suddenly Natasha appeared, looming between them almost menacingly. Pepper stepped back, causing Tony's smile to falter the tiniest bit, and cleared her throat.

"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

Tony blinked. "Th-that will be all, Ms. Potts. Thank you."

Pepper nodded at Natasha politely as she strode past. Three pairs of eyes followed her as she left the gym, two of them amused and admiring, one of them holding slight malice.

"I want one," Tony said to no one in particular.

"No." Natasha responded simply.