Fall Out

Chapter Fourteen: Getting Through

Disclaimer: I own nothing…

Author Notes: First off, I don't say this enough, but thank you to all my readers, reviewers, and those who favorite. Seriously without all of you I don't think I'd gotten anywhere beyond chapter three. And now without further adieu…

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It was a rare occurrence for Tony to actually be in the office all day, but sadly duty calls and this time around it didn't require a certain gold and red suit. Pity, what it did require was him to be polite and cordial towards people who he employed. People, who acted like they were above him just because they wore suits all day, and were old and stuffy.

He was drowning at the moment and he knew it, granted the company stock had risen, but only in due to his public announcement a month ago. And what a long month it had been. He glanced to the right hand corner of the room, there sitting pleasantly eyes focused on the Blackberry in hand was Pepper, who could jump in at any moment and save his sorry ass from these suits he called his board. Any time Pepper, come on. Tony thought to himself, wishing he had some form of telepathy.

"Mr. Stark, so you are saying that we can actually market this device of yours?" One of the stuffed suits questioned.

"That's what I'm saying gentlemen." Tony forced himself to smile and think car salesman, "I can instruct our lab guys on how to create the miniature reactor, just like the one located in my chest. We can sell it to hospitals, the Red Cross. We can offer education classes on how it works so that it can be used to save lives…" He paused for that dramatic effect, "like it saved mine."

Some of the men nodded, a few of them stared, eyes narrowing in question and then another one… they all looked the same to him spoke up, "All very good, but what will it cost us to do this? What will it do to the company funds?"

Tony eyed his watch; three hours… he had been pitching with these old farts for three hours. Someone shoot me now, he thought to himself, "Considering we already have the means for the technology it shouldn't cost anymore, if not less than it did for us to start a new line of weapons."

More of the men nodded now, this was good he was getting them, "And I'm having our top Scientists and Engineers looking into the larger reactor for the possibilities of safe, green power." Tony grinned, a sign he was about to be sarcastic in some fashion, "Get our good buddy Al off our backs, eh?"

A few of the men chuckled and the big shot old fart stood up from the other head of the table, "Very good Tony. Howard would be proud. Now let's break this for some lunch."

Tony just about ran across the table and hugged the man, "Excellent notion." Tony nodded to them all and smiled, " Until we meet again gentlemen."



For once in her life, Pepper actually had to fight to keep up with Tony as he headed into his office, the door almost swinging shut on her, "Tony. Slow down." She glided on her heels and paused just short of his desk watching as the man worked at his tie as if it was a noose.

"What do they want from me?" Finally the tie came off and he threw it down onto his desk, "Wait. I know… they want me to say, just kidding; we're still going to manufacture weapons. Not happening." Tony fell back into his leather desk chair and kicked his feet up onto his desk.

Pepper sighed and took his tie from his desk and placed it on the coat rack, "They just want to make sure it's going to work. They only want what is best for the company, same as you."

"No they don't. They want what is best for them." He scoffed, "Sometimes I feel like I don't own this company, like I never did in the first place."

Tony was more than a little perturbed by the way things had went in the board room, Pepper understood why, but she also knew that if he would work a little harder at being responsible that maybe they'd treat him differently. However, right now she wasn't about to mention it, "What do you want for lunch?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Mr. Stark, stop pouting. The sandwich guy is almost here, or I can always order something."

"I'm not pouting."

"Yes. You are." Pepper swallowed the laugh that was tickling inside her mouth and calmly waited for the sandwich guy to finish up with Gina from accounting. Once he was done she waved him over, "Hey. You're new aren't you."

"Yes ma'am." Paul smiled, he got to see her almost every day now, more so than he ever did at the apartment building and she spoke with him, even if it was only to ask for a turkey and swiss on rye, "Turkey and swiss on rye, right?" He held it out, smiling.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Been here a week Miss Potts."

"Oh. Sorry I just noticed you were new." There was something familiar about his voice, but at the moment she just couldn't place it, "And today I also need a ham and cheese on wheat."

"I am not hungry, Miss Potts!"

"Don't worry about it. In fact don't worry about payin, free meal for a lovely lady and the boss man." He smiled, he felt shaky. She was so beautiful, so kind… why she worked for a man like Stark was beyond him.

"Thank you." She returned his smile and shut the door, striding back to Tony's desk.

"Miss Potts are you recently deaf?"

That crease appeared between her eye brows, "Tony, knock it off." She threw his sandwich down onto his desk and settled herself on the leather sofa to eat her own.

After a few moments of trying to ignore the roaring of his stomach, Tony finally in the fashion of a three year old snatched the sandwich and began to eat it, looking at her as he did so, "Not a word." He said with a mouthful and then began a game of solitaire on his computer as he ate.

Pepper indeed said nothing; she just smiled as she took another bite of her own sandwich and began to finish the report due on the month's stocks on her laptop.

The rest of the afternoon went the same, in silence. Pepper working and Tony playing solitaire and then after beating the game so many times he switch to chess with Jarvis and lost two games, winning one before it was time to call it a day.

Pepper Potts had settled in nicely with living in the home of her boss, both had discovered it had benefits and she moved from the guest room to her own wing of the place. Once home, Pepper headed one direction, to her office and Tony headed in the other, downstairs. But then he paused, turned and watched his lovely assistant.

"Don't you ever wear any color when working?"

Pepper paused, "I'm sorry?"

"You wear white, black, blue and the occasional brown." Tony moved away from the stairs leading down and closer to her, "It's rather drab Miss Potts."

"I wear color."

"Yes, but only when it involves evening wear." Tony looked her up and down slowly, "You might try a light pink sometime, or even red. Yes you would look very, very nice in red I think."

Pepper felt his eyes, the weight of them on every inch of her frame, "I'll take that into consideration. Now if you'll excuse me I have to look over the set questions for your appearance on Larry King Live next week."

"Hm." Tony rocked back and forth a moment on his heels, "Dinner?"

"What of it?"

"I was thinking of going out actually." He smiled slightly, one corner of his mouth turning up, "I know this really great Italian place. You do like Italian don't you Miss Potts?"

"Yes…" She answered before thinking, "But I really don't feel like going out. I have things to do." She tried to ignore the way he was staring at her, the half smile on those lips, "Very important things."



"It's a date then. Wear something red." He winked at her, "I'll meet you in the living room at let's say…" He glanced briefly at his watch, "seven."

Pepper huffed ever so slightly, "It is not a date. And no, I'm sorry I can't." She turned away from him and headed up the stairs.

"Party-pooper." He yelled at her, and then once she was out of ear-shot he swore, "Damnit." With that he heads downstairs, telling Jarvis to switch the music on, but keep it at a reasonably loud volume for now.

Tony tinkers a while at the suit, a few upgrades, nothing major. Once done he lets the robots store it away and sits back on the old sofa to do a little channel surfing. Nothing interesting is on naturally and for once he really didn't want to hear about himself on the news either. Frankly he'd rather be elsewhere right about now, like out eating dinner at Scotti's, the only restaurant he'd frequent that didn't require reservations. Well, other than fast food, but that was different.

Slowly his eyes traveled towards the ceiling, he wondered what she was doing. Answering more of his emails most likely, boy he sure did get a lot of those. Finally he had had enough, "Jarvis?"

"You bellowed, Sir?"

"Call up Scotti's, ask them to deliver the usual, an order of some Alfredo and extra breadsticks, please."

"Certainly sir, since you asked so politely."

Tony rolled his eyes, "I really need to downgrade your sarcasm chip don't I."

"That is highly unnecessary Sir, I will cut down my level of sarcasm if that makes you feel better. And your order has been taken; it will arrive in exactly fifteen point five minutes."

"Thrill me." Tony smirked and then headed upstairs to wait for the delivery boy.

(Somewhere in downtown Malibu)

Elsewhere that nighta man sat alone, his eyes focused on the picture he had stolen from her desk. It was a picture of them together at some sort of a ceremony. Could she be in love with Stark? No, not possible, the man for one did not deserve her. Only he did.

"Oh Pepper… no Virginia. Pepper is a silly name for such a woman." He smiled, his finger tips caressing the glossy pictured face, "I will save you from him. And you'll never have to be his slave again. He'll never yell at you again like he did today. Ungrateful bastard, undeserving fool." Paul smiled as he curled up on his twin bed and hugged the photo to his chest pretending he was hugging her against him instead and fell asleep.

(Stark Mansion)



The doorbell was Pepper's first indication that Tony was up to something; the second indication was the time. Seven thirty. Curiously she crept from her office, her work actually done for the day but she had been chatting with a cousin back east via MSN messenger. As she entered the living room a strong and inviting aroma hit her radar and caused her lips to part.

"You are thirty minutes late Potts." Tony smirked at her though his tone was serious.

"Thirty minutes?" And then it hit her, "I am not going out, I already told you."

"Which is why the food came out to us." He smirked, snatched her by her petite elbow and practically hauled her into the formal dining room.

It was then that she discovered exactly what that heavenly aroma was. Food, very delicious looking food at that, "I—"

"Better eat. It tastes like crap when cold." Tony sat down and began to work on his Chicken Parmesan

Slowly Pepper sat down on his left and picked up her fork and took a bite, a moan sounded from her throat as she chewed, "Incredible." She exclaimed mid chew.

Suddenly Tony felt things swell at the sound of her moan and suddenly he wanted very much to make her moan like that at some point, "Miss Potts, do have some manners." He tsked at her, "Talking with a mouthful of food, honestly." He chuckled slightly and took a large bite of his own food and found he couldn't keep his eyes off her as she ate. It was to say the least mesmerizing, to him anyways. The way she placed the food in her mouth, and then how her jaw moved slowly as she chewed, as she savored every morsel and then licked the fork clean of sauce before taking the next bite, Lord have mercy, he would need a cold shower after this.

And then she was chuckling lightly at him, "You have a bit of sauce, "She gestured at the side of her own mouth where it was located on his, just on the right decorating his mustache, "right there." And without thinking she reached out, napkin in hand and wiped it away, "There."

A quizzically annoyed look suddenly crossed his face, "Miss Potts, you are not my mother, thank the lord. Please refrain from any further actions in that light."

Pepper smiled, "Anything you say Mr. Stark."

Tony smirked, "Anything?" His eyes grew dark and full of what the rest of his body was thinking.

"Within reason."

"Bah. Run my fun."

Pepper glanced up and froze, his eyes making her think of things she tried so very hard to not think of in the first place, "Someone has to keep you in line." She smirked.

"Hmm." He leaned forward ever so slightly, his fork coming down next to hers in the pile of white sauce covered pasta, "And I can't think of anyone else I'd rather do that job then you, Miss Potts." His fork moved slightly coming against hers as he stole some of her pasta and then popped it in his mouth, "After all, you do it so well."

Pepper had almost forgotten to breathe and when she finally recalled how to do so, she put her fork down, "I'm full for now. I'll put the rest of this in the fridge." She stood, gathered up her plate, fork and glass and headed for the kitchen," Thank you for dinner."

After she exited the room, Tony sat back and frowned, what was he doing wrong? She obviously had a thing for him, she had for a while most likely. And sure he had really messed up that fatal morning, but she was trying to move passed that right? Patience, he reminded himself quickly. He needed to have patience, that was the key and really the way he felt he sort of wanted to take it easy anyways. This was Pepper after all not some bimbo or easy Vanity Fair reporter, it was Pepper. It always had been he suddenly realized and in that moment he was full as well.

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Well folks that ice keeps on cracking between them… but of course we're all wondering when will it just melt already, right? Soon I promise. Here's a new toy for you all, a Pepper plushie and if you put it right in front of the Tony glow-in-the dark doll I gave out earlier the magnets in them will cause them to kiss. Have fun!