Guest Review Responses
Thank you for the favorite/follow: nancyozz, MarvelouslyImperfect, TheChicaChic, aem91, and Bookreader9999.
Ana Paula Lopes: Theories of pregnancy only increase in my head! Pepper really had a spontaneous miscarriage? Or she had an abortion because she thought Tony could not be a father due to the Iron Man? Or she suffered Extremis consequences and can not have a baby? I am so confuse! You're just leaving us with heart in hand now! Surely there must have been a sabotage or perhaps an attack! OMG, someone help! great chapter as always! Xoxo – Sooo much I wanna say here… but I don't want to spoil anything! :'(
Guest: Wow I'm speechless. Pepper really needs to come clean to tony and tell him everything. Will rhoady and vision look for them or even the other avengers? – Answers to your questions here :D
Gabby: OMG! Please please please post more already! Are they gonna be alright? Please, don't kill Pepper! – NEVER! Well, I mean, I DID kill Pepper in one of my stories once. But we got her back. No killing here, though!
MarieLecter: It's just a nightmare, right?! Well, it shure is mine now! haha
As usual, can't wait for the next chap :) – LOLZ! By the end of this chapter, we're going to be wishing for nightmares XD
guest: Well, that was a turn of events for sure. I really hope this is just a nightmare if it's not then there must be some Iron Man action in the next chapter. I can't wait for your update! – Thank you! Here's the new chappie for ya!
A/N: Writer's block is hitting me REALLY hard. Like, so hard that even when I have to compose emails for work, I'm stuck staring at a blank screen for several minutes. Guess the age is finally getting to me. I hope this is not too disappointing for ya'll :(
Chapter 3: Madrid, Part 1
"Tony!"
"Pepper!"
He gasped and sat up in bed, his skin clammy to the touch. The bed sheets stuck to his moist body. His chest rose heavily. His eyes blinked fast. The fight or flight response was practically weighing him down, making him feel as if he was sinking further into the mattress than the Laws of Physics would allow. Yet, when he realized that he was alone in the bed, he sprung off it, tripped on his way to the door, and then all but sped out of the bedroom and into the rest of the plane.
His head snapped left and right, but her presence was nowhere to be seen. He returned to the bedroom, checked the bathroom, and then once again walked back to the main area of the jet. It was still dark outside, but there at least was no sign of a storm. Nevertheless, knowing that what he had just experienced had been nothing but a too-realistic-for-his-taste nightmare did not placate his fears. Especially since Pepper's current whereabouts were unknown to him.
"Fell from the bed?"
He jumped out of his skin, turned around in place, and stared at a sleepy-looking redhead curled up in two contiguous seats, her head miles from the top of the furniture item. It became clear to him that he had missed her location due to him not bothering to pay attention to what could have been hidden by the cabin-facing seats. He almost rolled his eyes at himself for the stupid oversight.
Pepper rubbed her eyes with her hands, ran her fingers down her tresses to somewhat comb them to decency, and then cleared her throat; the look on her face one that informed him that she was waiting for him to respond.
He voiced the first answer that came to his mind.
"I take it you heard the ruckus I made trying to get up?" the familiar yet eerie-to-him response was out from his lips before he was able to swallow it down.
"I didn't," she half-smiled, pulled closer to her body the single blanket she had on her form, and then straightened her back and legs so that she was now sitting on only one seat.
He opened his mouth to reply that he was guilty as charged, but he opted to shake his head instead. No sense in repeating history, even though he did not believe in premonitions or any of that related shit.
"Hold that thought," he pointed his left index finger towards her before he all but ran towards the cabin, slammed open the door, and was relieved to see his two pilots present and wide awake.
"Mr. Stark?" the Captain briefly looked over his shoulder to address his boss.
"Jonas," Tony nodded at the man before he turned to the co-pilot, "Greg."
"Sir."
"You're here. And you're flying. Good. That's good."
The two men exchanged a puzzled look amongst each other, but said nothing else about Tony's random response. They were already somewhat used to Tony Stark's quirkiness. Still, the man appeared to have a never-ending supply of it.
"I'll give you both a second Christmas bonus if you make sure we safely make it to Madrid."
"Of course, Sir," Jonas was taken aback by the billionaire's odd request. He had no intention of doing anything other than his job.
"Good deal. Carry on."
Leaving them to scratch their heads, Tony unceremoniously exited the cabin and closed the door behind him.
"Tony?"
"One sec, Pep."
The redhead watched the genius take a moment to inspect every single window in the jet. She then tilted her head to the right when he asked his phone to do a sweep of the integrity of the interior and exterior of the plane, followed by a request to do a security check of their surroundings. When he was convinced that they were both safe, he joined her in the same two-person seat and gave her a small smile.
"What are you doing here?"
"You seemed restless. Didn't want to encroach on your space."
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's OK. Bad dream?"
"Did it seem like a bad dream?"
"Couldn't tell," she shrugged. "You weren't tossing too much or screaming like when… like before. But you did seem to be uncomfortable staying on your side. Thought I'd let you have the entire bed."
"Well, that's nice of you and all, but this can't be comfortable," he waved a hand over the seats.
"You'd be surprised. I've slept in worse places before."
"Like, the floor, near my bed, with a trashcan in hand," Tony grimaced, recalling that she had one too many times spent nights guarding his drunken or high-on-drugs slumber, fearing her boss would suddenly die of toxicity during the night.
"Like, the floor, near your bed, with a trashcan in hand," she reluctantly agreed, regretting to bring up his past when there was no reason for it. Even though the situation had actually happened and it had been their reality for a long time, he had changed over time. He was no longer the man she had met when she had first started working for him, but it was difficult to suddenly forget all of the headaches he had caused her for over ten years.
Nevertheless, she still really hated herself when comments like these slipped out. He was a changed man. He had worked really hard to become who he now was. And she was very proud of him.
"Well, I think I'm all nightmared out. The bed is up for grabs."
"Are you sure?" she raised a single eyebrow.
"Absolutely."
He followed his reply by standing up, pulling the blanket from her, and then lifting her up in his arms. Much to his surprise, she did not ask him why he was doing so, and she did not fight back. Instead, she pressed herself against him, circled his neck with her arms, and then closed her eyes.
"Think I can still have a few hours of sleep?"
"At least five more, for sure," he kicked open the door to the bedroom and walked straight to the bed.
"OK."
Her slurred reply made him stare at her face with a small smile as he slowly laid her on her side of the mattress. She was clearly exhausted; all probably due to the discomfort caused by trying to catch some sleep while in an awkward position, and it was all his fault. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.
And the moment she was out like a light, he exited the bedroom and suited up.
Dream or no dream, he was going to guard her sleep.
Dream or no dream, he was going to be ready for trouble, no matter what; just in case he had suddenly turned psychic overnight.
xxxXXXxxx
He was not sure why, but the initial meeting with their investor in Madrid had gone a lot smoother than their first one back in Venice. It was probably due to how they had not been forced to stay at the hosts' home and had been able to book a penthouse for themselves. Or probably because Pepper was not as apprehensive as before; she appeared to be very relaxed, in fact. Even pretending to be together was a lot easier too. In truth, if he did not know any better, he could have sworn that they were not pretending at all.
Yes. Their initial meeting had been perfect… until lunchtime had come around; until their host had made their outing feel as nothing less than a living hell.
"So, Mr. Stark," Raul Contreras, the man they had come to Spain to see, asked in between bites, "What can you tell me about the projects MIT students are being sponsored for?"
"They're extremely varied in nature, to be honest with you. But they're all very exciting and have great potential to help people. Reframing the future, is what we call it. There are science-based projects, business sustainability-based projects… those kids have some bright prospects ahead of them."
"Isn't that the truth," Raul nodded wholeheartedly. "I should've probably sent my kids to the United States to learn. Forced them to go to MIT, too. The education system appears to be a very good one over there. Spain is so behind the times. I mean, we still have ties to Greece. Who the hell does that after that country bankrupted itself? Certainly not graduates from MIT."
Tony was barely able to contain his groan at hearing yet another hyperbolically untrue, downright rude, and overall derogatory statement coming from the extremely negative man before them. It was as if all of the unhappy people in the entire world ever – as in, any bitter person that had ever walked this Earth – had all come together to choose a single representative of their insecurities and anger; had then dumped all of their lifetime accumulated rage onto Raul Contreras, and had let him simmer in it for decades until it was well done. Even Loki and Zemo had not been this grumblingly resentful; no small feat.
And what could possibly be worse than personally being in the presences of the most patronizing person in the entire galaxy? Having to spend three days in the company of the Chosen One.
Thank God for Pepper Potts!
"I'm sure the education system here in Spain is also very valuable, Mr. Contreras. There's a little bit of everything everywhere, anyway, don't you think?"
"Oh, absolutely, Ms. Potts. But my kids are idiots. They might have not turned out like that if I had sent them out of the country to fend for themselves. Learn to be independent, you know? Boarding school would've been a better option than homeschooled. It builds character. Just like it did for, Mr. Stark."
Tony pursed his lips, prompting Pepper to jump in for him once more.
"I can understand how it can be difficult to make the best decision for our children. Everyone's different, after all," she put on a polite smile and then tenderly squeezed Tony's left hand to provide some discreet comfort to him. She knew that the conversation that had been coming out of the man's mouth for the past half-hour was very difficult for Tony. She could tell that it only reminded him of his own troublesome past – of his own experience of being forced away from his home when growing up.
A tight return of her squeeze was all she needed to know that he was grateful for her watching his back.
"Anyway. Enough about my dumb kids. Ms. Potts, what university did you attend?"
"Berkeley," Pepper replied.
"Ah! Another good one, I hear."
"It certainly pays the bills," she smiled.
"I thought it was Tony who did that," Raul replied, a pompous smile on his face. "He's the man of the house, after all. That's how it should work."
This time, it was Tony who jumped to her aid.
"For us, it's actually a two-way street, Raul. If it wasn't for Pepper managing the finances, I'd be broke."
"Nonsense!" the man shook his head. "No need to be guarded with me, Tony. I know how reckless women are with money – especially other people's money. My ex-wife: she was a money-spender, not a moneymaker. It's just how women behave. They just piss the man's money away. Take it from me: that's all they're good for. Unless they're also good in bed, which somewhat makes up for their irresponsibility. But that's really rare."
"Listen, Raul: I don't–"
"Understand the cultural differences. That's OK, Tony. No harm done, right?" Pepper interjected to stop Tony's angry reply.
She could see the telltale signs that he was about to put his foot in his mouth for her honor; anything derogatory he had been ready to say to Raul was more than deserved. Yet, as much as she would have loved to watch Raul get a piece of Tony's mind, it was the big picture – the investment – that matter in the end.
"Don't blame you," Raul sighed and then threw a napkin on his empty plate. "I gave up trying to understand why Americans love living in sin. It's like marriage and doing things the right way is evil or illegal to them."
"More or less sinful that divorce?" Tony blurted out before Pepper was able to intervene, and she braced for what she feared was to come.
Raul narrowed his eyes at Tony, a dislike of being called out on his bulllshit evident on his face.
"I guess you got me there, Mr. Stark. Divorce is a sin. But living a lie is an even worse sin. We're all tempted by the devil every day, aren't we? Sometimes, we just have to choose to live with the smaller sin."
"My apologies, Raul. I didn't mean to be rude about it. Blanket statements have always irked me. Just searching for some consistency, that's all."
Raul Contreras scoffed.
"Didn't know you knew what that word meant: consistency? I figured it would take you at least five more years with Ms. Potts to forget your bed-jumping days. The pleasure of inconsistency is hard to let go."
"It takes half a second to settle when you find a woman you truly love."
"Yet it has taken years for you to decide to tie the knot with her. Unless you're not referring to Ms. Potts?"
"I am referring to her."
"Then what's stopping you, Tony? Still testing the merchandise, I presume? I can test it for you, you know? If that helps you move things along."
Raul's boisterous, mocking guffaw made Tony and Pepper's blood boil; leaving them both speechless while Raul continued his spiel.
"I'm just messing with you, Tony. Ms. Potts clearly still has a lot of mileage left in her. Besides, you're at least living only in half-sin. You haven't caved into the bigger sin of having children out of wedlock. That'd be the icing on the cake, that's for sure."
"Are you ready for the check, Mr. Contreras?" a quite timely waitress asked, yet again interrupting Tony's fuming reply.
"Yes," Pepper handed the young woman a card before Raul could think to take out his wallet.
"Absolutely not, Ms. Potts. I can't let you–"
"You're not. It's only fair for the meal to be on us, don't you think? We did miss our earlier appointment with you, after all. Well, it's on Tony, actually. He's the one with the money, right, Raul?"
"Right," Raul replied to the redhead between gritted teeth, accepting the generosity of his guests, much to his dismay. "Much obliged, Mr. Stark."
Not trusting himself to speak anything other than insults, Tony could only nod.
"But seriously," Raul continued, once the waitress left to process the card. "How come you two are not married already? You've been together for a long time. Still not sure if she's the one? Or maybe it's you, Ms. Potts. Think you're not enough of a woman for someone as successful as Tony Stark?"
"I–"
"I wouldn't blame you, if you were," Raul shrugged, speaking as if he were the only person in the room. "My ex-wife couldn't do it, either. Money. Power. Fame. It's too much for a weak-minded woman to bear. And I don't even have the same smarts that Tony here has. Plus, he's a world-known superhero. It wouldn't be shocking to me in the very least if he hasn't asked you because he's not sure if you're up to par."
"Let's–"
"Then there's the financial implications of a failed marriage. Divorce is messy in and of itself. But when you have money, it's even worse! Worse than if you just had kids and no money. The custody battles. Alimony. Child support payments. It's like the guilty party is supported by the law to mooch off the hardworking man."
"I've just had enough of–"
"Thank you for your business, Ms. Potts," the waitress handed the card and receipt to the redhead.
"You're welcome. Your service was most excellent."
"Come back soon," the server said with an honest smile before she took the signed check and returned to the cash register to close the tab.
"Anyway, as I was saying: count yourself lucky, Mr. Stark. If you don't feel like Ms. Potts is the right woman for you, it's alright. And you, Ms. Potts: this is in no way personal. It's just your nature, as a woman, to look only for security, not love. I'm sure you're a wonderful person. A woman, unfortunately. But still, a very wonderful human being."
"We're married," Tony spat out.
"Tony," Pepper's head whipped to her right, eyes wide in shock.
"You, what?"
"We're married," Tony repeated, more confidently this time; his knuckles turning white and his fists shaking in ire. "Pepper and I. We're married. We got married, last year."
Raul's head recoiled and his eyes landed on their hands, furrowing his brow when he saw no physical evidence of Tony's words.
"We haven't told anyone," Tony answered Raul's unspoken inquiry. "We didn't want to bring unnecessary attention to ourselves."
"But, your company… us… the investors… we deserve to–"
"The company is not about us," Tony replied. "It's about what we can do for the world."
"But, a marriage, it changes–"
"Nothing," Tony began. "It changes nothing. You couldn't even tell that we did, could you? You felt no difference at all. Not in your life. Or your investment. Or in your profits. If I hadn't just told you, you would've never known. So, what difference does it make? You keep your money, and we safeguard our privacy. Good deal, don't you think?"
Raul Contreras was taken aback and slowly rested his back against the chair, observing Tony and Pepper's every move with cautious eyes. He took in a deep breath, exhaled it slowly through his mouth, and then nodded a couple of times.
"You're absolutely right," Raul rubbed his forehead with his left hand. "It really does change nothing. But it does make me look like an ass. I apologize for my behavior, Mr. Stark… Mrs. Stark. I didn't know."
"It's OK," Pepper found herself saying, partly supporting Tony's charade, if just to end the awkward conversation and shift the topic to the business deal at hand.
"But, I'll make it up to you," Raul began to smile. "I'll backup your investment, no questions asked!"
"Thank you–"
"But that's not all!" Raul stood up from their table to gather the attention of everyone.
"That is more than enough."
"I'll throw a party for you in honor of your secret wedding!" the investor continued, arms open wide, voice loud, oblivious to Tony and Pepper's pleas to quiet down. "Let's give you the celebration you both deserve to have! To the happy couple: Mr. and Mrs. Stark!"
And just like that, with the cheering and clapping of everyone in the restaurant, the entire world found out about Tony Stark's and Pepper Potts's top-secret wedding.
Even if it was all just a poor-constructed, ill-timed lie.
xxxXXXxxx
She held her smile tightly in place throughout the metaphorical and literal pats on the back and congratulatory words from complete strangers at the restaurant. She kept her tongue in check while they wordlessly drove back to their hotel, hearing on the news radio all the fuss generated by the apparent leak of their secret wedding. She politely nodded along and kept silent as everyone and anyone who recognized them waved and cheered at them on their way down the hall of the reception of the hotel, and also as they rode up the elevator to the penthouse they were staying in. She even had the grace to wait patiently for the front door to be locked behind her and for the coast to be cleared.
Yet, when Tony uttered the first word since his bout of what had essentially been verbal diarrhea at the restaurant, she was no longer able to hold back anymore.
"Oops," he flinched, grimaced, and then exhaled loudly through his nose.
"Oops?" she narrowed her eyes, the raging fire in them barely contained. "That's ALL you have to say for yourself? Oops?!"
"I'm sorry?" he lifted his hands defensively and began taking steps backwards, since she was taking long strides towards his standing form; his eyes nervously shifting left and right as if searching for the nearest escape route.
"Did I hear you right? You're not sure if you should be sorry?" she barked, not at all pleased with the questioning tone he had used to state his half-assed apology.
"I am?" he tried his best to sound sincere, but his replies continued to come out sounding rather insecure, no doubt due to the rising ire that he could see swelling in her.
"Tony… Tony, I swear… I… just…" she rubbed her face with her hands in desperation. "We're married?" she air-quoted the phrase. "We're MARRIED?! That's ALL you could think to say to the jerk to make him shut up?!"
"Yes?"
"REALLY?!"
"Well, in my defense, the word asshole also fought really hard to–"
"TONY!"
"OK, I'm sorry, Pepper! I really am! I didn't plan on it, alright? I didn't mean to just say it like that! Or at all! It just slipped out!"
"Just slipped out," Pepper said derisively and shook her head violently, her temples starting to throb.
"It did. I swear. I couldn't help it."
"Sure. Of course. It was inevitable. I mean: if only there was some way to think before one speaks."
"Pepper, come on. Please… I… it's not that bad."
A piercing, icy glare that made him nervously pull on his collar was her only response.
"OK. Fine! Maybe it is a little bit bad. But, how does it really affect you, honestly? It's just, you know, a little white lie? How bad can it really be?"
As if on cue, Pepper's phone began simultaneously ringing and alerting of incoming text messages, only for Tony's phone to then start mimicking hers. Pepper read the name of the caller, took in a deep breath, and then shoved the phone in Tony's face for him to read the screen.
"Do you see who that is?!"
"Tell your mother hi for me."
"TONY!"
"OK, let me talk to her, then."
"No!" she pointed an angry finger at him. "You don't get to talk to anyone, again. EVER!"
"Good idea, honey. I agree. But how about we do that after I call PR, huh?"
"To do what, exactly?" she lowered her arm with a huff.
"Damage control?" he shrugged. "I'll have them draft a retraction. Clarification. He was pretty fucking drunk, right? We can say that he just misunderstood me."
"He wasn't drunk."
"OK. Maybe I was?"
"And what about me? Are you going to say that I didn't correct you, him, and everyone else at the restaurant because I was drunk too? On a business trip?"
"Uhm…"
"On a business trip that is supposed to win us the investors' buy-in because we're so responsible?!"
"Well, if you put it that way–"
"OH, MY GOD! I'M GONNA HAVE A HEART ATTACK!" Pepper began hyperventilating, her hands landing on the sides of her face.
"Whoa, Pep! Calm down," he placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's gonna be alright. Breathe."
"It's NOT gonna be alright! We… we lied, Tony! YOU LIED! To the loudest mouth in the investor bunch!"
"And I'll fix it, OK? I'll make it all better. And you'll come out of it looking grandiose. I promise."
"How the hell is that even gonna happen?"
"Do you want some water? You look like you need some water. Let me get you some water."
"Half-cold, half-room temperature, please!"
"On it."
Tony walked towards the bar; purposefully disregarding a question that he knew he had no idea how to address. He knew that she was right: this was not going to look good for them, or for the company, no matter how it was sliced. There were multiple ways for the truth to come out – quickly and easily – and all available to anyone with a computer, Internet access, and two working brain cells. Court records. Public contracts. His business enemies. Any one of them could call them out on their lie in the blink of an eye. Anyone searching for their fifteen minutes of fame could cut short their six-week business trip. And with it at all, dissipate the last opportunity he had to be with her to try to make it all better.
It had only been a few weeks since an explosion at a U.N. conference and a battle between two Avengers factions had shaken the world, and he had been at the forefront of it all. Was the public's attention span really so short that he would have to deal with an international interest in his private, domestic life… again?
While he prepared the drink for her, she slowly sat down on the couch, her hands trembling so much that they could have claimed to be separate entities of their own. She could not believe the kind of mess Tony had just put them in. She just could not begin to see how they were going to get out of this one unscathed – threatening a terrorist and giving him your home address seemed like a walk in the park right about now. There was no going back. No undoing this mess-up with an ounce of dignity. No taking back what had been shouted loud enough for the Asgardians to hear.
The Board Members had probably already gotten word of it by now. And they were also probably wondering why they had been "lied" to.
Pepper rested her sweaty palms on her knees, her eyes fixed on the floor; her mind getting away from her. She was, for a second time, at the restaurant, hearing the conversation, word-for-word; reliving the moment Tony had opened his giant mouth to put his enormous foot inside of it. It was something he did on a regular basis – letting his emotions drive his actions and words, everything and everyone else be damned. He did it when his pride was wounded. He did it when the people he cared about were in pain. He did it because he loved more deeply and with much more devotion than anyone else gave him credit for. And he had done this; atop changing his detrimental ways and who he was, because of her.
"Didn't know you knew what that word meant: consistency? I figured it would take you at least five more years with Ms. Potts to forget your bed-jumping days. The pleasure of inconsistency is hard to let go."
"It takes half a second to settle when you find a woman you truly love."
In moments like these, when she was inevitably pulled into cleaning up yet another blunder of his, she wished that he loved her more with his brain than with his heart.
She closed her eyes to slowly exhale some of her nervousness away, only to then open her eyelids once more when she felt Tony sit to her right. She watched him from the corner of her eye, almost dreading the conversation that she knew was to come. It was not going to be very pleasant or easy - and neither was what she knew they had to do now. Tony had just placed them in a very difficult situation – at the edge of a dark precipice while being chased by rabid canines; essentially having to choose between falling to their deaths or being eaten alive by once-friendly dogs.
The investors were the canines. The precipice was the downfall of the Foundation and their company as-a-whole. The only option they had was to hold onto their shareholders in any way and by any means. They just had to – the company was too big to suddenly fail. Their current investors were the last and only ones that had overlooked the fact that the brains behind the inventions that fattened their pockets could die in battle at any point. No one else dared to touch Stark Industries with a ten-foot pole. Especially not after signing the Accords and the subsequent fallout the Avengers had suffered as a result.
She was not sure what ideas he was currently considering to fix the situation, but she already knew what needed to be done. The solution was rather obvious, but not stress-free. The next step was clear and logical, but not welcome in this forceful way. This was not how she had hoped this phase of her life, if it ever came to her, would play out. This was not how she had envisioned it in her mind. She was about to go back on her word. Fuck up her carefully thought-out plans. She was about to do the one thing she had told herself she would not do, no matter what, and she did not like it one bit.
But she loved him more than what she did not like. She loved him more than her need to save face or protect her pride.
"Here," he warily handed her the opened bottle of water she had forgotten he had gone to fetch for her, and she took it with a thankful nod.
She swallowed down about half of the bottle in one go, not bothering to slow down to catch some air. She then licked her lips, capped the bottle, and sighed in broken breaths. Her eyes began stinging with quickly pooling tears of frustration, exacerbated when their phones began ringing in tandem once more, stopping only when Tony screamed at both devices to turn the fuck off. He had built Pepper a phone, one that was just like his highly-advanced one, a couple of years back. The option to control the device via voice commands was a lifesaver this very moment. He did not want her to feel even more pressure than he knew she already felt. And he most certainly did not want to walk away from her side just yet.
He needed her close by. She needed his support. They both needed each other right now. They needed to rely on one another, more than they had ever required it before.
He scratched his neck a couple of times. He cleared his throat and swallowed hard a handful more. And just as he had opened his mouth and was about to break the raw blanket of silence between them, Pepper spoke instead.
"We can't," she slowly shook her head from side to side and sighed.
"I know. I'm sorry. You… you made it pretty clear that you didn't want to marry me… and I… I…"
He groaned in annoyance at his palpable hesitation; angry at himself that he was struggling to say the words – to start making amends. He did not at all believe himself to be worthy of feeling dejected right now, but that did not keep his emotions from getting in the way of properly using his vocal chords. He knew that this was all on him. He had put them in this situation. He had dragged her into a giant mess, yet again. He had no right to protest about the repercussions the issue caused to his heart. She was the one who had every right to bitch and moan and complain.
But fuck it all, it hurt. It hurt saying and acknowledging these words aloud, so damn much.
"We can't," he repeated her words, eyelids almost completely closed. "We just can't. I know that."
"That's not what I meant."
He furrowed his brow, but he did not spare her a glance. And neither did he say anything else, which prompted her to continue clarifying her retort.
"Take it back," Pepper turned her head to stare at his crestfallen form. "We can't do that."
"Pepper…" he could feel her eyes on him, but he did not have the guts to face her just yet.
"It's done," she gulped. "There's no way for us to fix this and still win."
"I… there… there must be. I… I'm sorry, Pepper. I really am."
"Are you?" she half-smirked in disbelief, taking advantage of his unwillingness to look her in the eye.
"Yes. No. Sorta. Kinda. Mostly."
She flared her nostrils and looked away, almost hearing his thoughts before he made them known.
"I AM sorry that I got us in this mess. Got you in this mess. But I'm not sorry for telling him off. He's an ass. A misogynistic jerk. He had no right to say those things to you. About you. He doesn't know you. He needs to learn to respect you. He will respect you. I'll make him. Sooner or later. Fuck his contribution to the Foundation. I'll force him to respect you, the son of a bitch."
Pepper held back a longwinded sigh at hearing him confirm her suspicions and thoughts. Yes. This, as stupid as it was, was all he had thought about – the only thing that had driven his actions – before he had gone off on the jerk. What else would push him to irrationality? What could possibly nudge him enough to…
No.
She almost hated herself for doubting him; yet doubt had been what had driven her cruel actions of before.
"Do you… do you believe any of the things he said?"
"Of course not!" his head whipped up to face her, utterly shocked that she would even consider the possibility of it.
"Are you sure?"
"Do you even have to ask, Pep?"
"Then why does it matter, what he thinks?"
"It matters because he's wrong! Because… because you don't deserve this… because he's an ass, full of shit, and needs to shut the fuck up… because… because…" he straightened his back and ran his gaze down her face as he spoke. "Because… even if I can't be with you… that doesn't mean I want anyone to try to ruin the chances you may have to be happy with someone else. Whoever that might be. Unless it's him. Then, no. You can't be with him. You deserve so much better than him."
Pepper felt her throat close and her eyes sting again, so she looked away from his piercing stare. She busied her gaze with the ceiling while she pushed back the tears his confession had caused, looking back at him only when she felt more in control of her entire being and was ready to make a joke.
"Well," she shrugged. "Don't you think that being secretly married to you, kinda also ruins the chances of me being with someone else?"
"Mmhh…" he blinked several times, his eyes wide in sudden realization. "Yeah. Huh… I… I-I… yeah. But, uhm, I mean… there's… always divorce, right? Isn't that all the rave right now among celebrities? Being the quickest ones to divorce? Fucking stupid competition of some sort. In fact–"
Her right hand intertwining with his left one made him stop his rambling.
"I don't approve of this."
"You don't approve of this."
"But I get why you did it."
"But you get why I did it."
"And I haven't thought it all the way through."
"That's your specialty, babe. So we're pretty much screwed, if you haven't."
This time, her left palm on his mouth forced him to remain silent, and her eyes on his made his heart nearly beat to a stop.
"We'll figure out how to fix it later. We'll just have to run with it for now. And you're right: a divorce wouldn't exactly be a shocking ending for us. But we gotta do what we must. That's what we told the board we would do, so that's what's gonna happen now."
He slowly pulled her hand away from his face and narrowed his eyes at her.
"What's gonna happen now?"
"We make it true," she shrugged. "We… we get married. Right now. Backdate the proof to before today. You know people, right? You can get it done. You can make it happen. I know you can."
It took him nearly a minute to process her words, and another long moment for his body to stop trembling. He then shook his head from side to side and pulled away from her completely to stand up and pace around.
"No, Pepper. I can't make you do this. I'll… just give me a few hours to think this through. I'll come up with something better."
"Tony, killing or disappearing Raul is not better."
"That's NOT what I was going to suggest!"
"Wasn't it?"
He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before replying again.
"Can you stop reading my mind, woman?!"
A knowing yet defeated half-smirk was her only reply. She knew she was right – even if she did not want herself to be. And she also knew that he knew this was the only option for them. She just had to wait a few more seconds for him to fully accept it as a fact.
"Ugh," Tony's shoulders suddenly deflated in reluctant approval before he sat down next to her again.
"Glad to know you're looking forward to this," she jested, her own discomfort with the topic forcing her to joke at a time like this.
"I was," he flared his nostrils. "When it looked like it was going to be the real deal."
"I know… I know this is not what you wanted."
"It is what I wanted. Just, not HOW I wanted it."
"Tony," she whispered as her hands cupped his face. "I'm sorry. I really am."
Tony nodded, closed his eyes, and then inwardly sighed when her forehead touched his.
"I am too," he whispered back, his hands finding the sides of her face. "But I promise you, Pep… it'll be the best fake marriage you've ever had."
She pulled away from him and gave him a sad smile; his words hurting her more than soothing her – a feeling that only grew more when he pulled her in for a long hug.
Was an engagement not supposed to be the best day of one's life?
For Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, it would surely appear that having two of them would not make the cut.
xxxXXXxxx
He was not ready to face the music, but he was also looking forward to getting this over and done. Raul Contreras had not been joking about throwing a party for him, an ostentatious one at that – and he had done so a lot quicker than either of them had thought he could. The very next day, in fact; leaving the billionaire and the redhead with an extremely limited amount of time to prepare for their big night.
One of his armored suits had flown from home and over to their current location with the original engagement ring that he had once before offered Pepper, as well as the wedding rings he had been holding onto along with it. The pieces of jewelry were not new and could not be traced back to a purchase date; as they had once belonged to Maria and Howard Stark. His parents' rings – the Stark family heirlooms; now rested inside his left hand.
Backdating a legal marriage document had been, as Pepper had suspected of Tony, nothing more than a piece of cake. Unbeknownst to her until this morning, Happy Hogan had been ordained a few months back, under Tony's request, with the ultimate goal of their friend being their officiant at the wedding that never took place. All the marriage documents had been ready for them back then, and realizing how sure Tony had been that she was going to agree to his marriage proposal both angered and hurt her. It angered her that he had been so presumptuous about the whole ordeal; assuming she would say yes without a pause and that they would marry almost immediately. Yet, being honest with herself, had the situation been any different, she completely would have said yes on the spot. And it hurt her because it also reminded her of how devoted he had been to her and what they had had together. Perhaps a lot more devoted than she had thought herself to be.
Of course, he was, Pepper had thought, with a certain amount of guilt, when he had told her about Happy Hogan's interesting path to becoming ordained while hiding said goal from her to not ruin the surprise. Which, in turn, the story had only served to remind her of the other things she had by chance found out that Tony had done before he had asked her if she wanted to say: I do. Things that had left her feeling cold and remorseful – things that had made her skip the MIT event altogether, without much explanation on her part to him, if just to avoid breaking down in front of him when he was to call her to the stage.
The early drafts of the speech she had accidentally found in his office that morning had had him refer to her as his fiancée – with a correction on the side of said term, scratching the previously printed word and handwriting, with a question mark, the term wife.
Yes. Tony Stark had been ready to settle, with her, at the drop of a hat.
"It takes half a second to settle when you find a woman you truly love."
It had not really taken him half a second, in the literal sense, but Pepper knew that after more than five years of officially being together, Tony had remained faithful to her all that time. That prolonged loyalty, plus going as far as popping the ultimate question to her, was the equivalent of fully and conclusively committing to a relationship in half a second to the man he had once been. So much so that he had planned their wedding and honeymoon in advance, finally cancelling said plans only a couple of weeks before the MIT event. He had held on, for months after they had broken up, to the hope that they would get to enjoy the big celebration he had been planning to surprise her with after he proposed. He had even had their lawyer draft documents leaving the entire Stark fortune to her, and to any and all children she may bear for him, all without questions, exceptions or caveats. He had not only planned the wedding of the decade… he had also prepared for the life ahead of them by ensuring his untimely death did not leave her and their future children with only the clothes on their back.
It had been that particular legal document, the one where he left her in charge of his legacy; the one paper she had not known existed until that morning of the MIT affair, that had sent her rushing back home instead of joining him at the symposium she had promised she would attend with him. There he had been, hoping that, if his Iron Man adventures killed him, she and whatever family they built together was not left to fend for themselves.
Pepper inwardly scolded herself with the self-revulsion she felt with her thoughts as she opened the master bedroom door, where she had been sleeping, and joined a pensive-looking Tony Stark in the living room, where he had been sleeping. All this time, she had thought that Tony had been more dedicated to his perpetual duty as a member of his group of Earth's Mightiest Heroes than he had been at being with her. She had thought that she had been doing him a favor when leaving him. She had believed it had been for the best. And yet, the reality of it all, was that she had only been thinking about herself.
"I'm ready," she told him before reaching him, if just to catch his attention before she accidentally startled him, and he raised his head ever so slightly to acknowledge her presence. She noticed the way his eyes widened for an instant, and how his eyes all but undressed her while he looked at her up and down, taking in every inch of her body in that fitting, black dress. At this point in their lives, she had honestly thought there was no clothing item left on the planet that could still make him do a double-take on her. Evidently, she was once again wrong.
And, evidently, he had once again realized she had caught him looking.
He pulled his gaze away from her, finding something else to look at while he gathered his thoughts. She stood there, watching him intently, while he reigned in whatever else was clearly distressing him right now.
"Almost ready," he finally said, and then grimaced in that way that told her he was about to do or say something that made him uncomfortable – or something that he knew would make her upset.
"You look ready," she observed, her right index finger lazily pointing at his form.
"Not yet. Either of us, I mean. We aren't quite ready yet."
He patted the space to his right and she slowly sat next to him on the couch, her heart beating just a tad faster due to the tension she could feel in the air. He cleared his throat, scratched a non-existent itch on his left knee, and then turned to the side so that he was facing her as much as it was possible from their sideways-sitting positions.
"Should I… or should you?"
Pepper frowned for a moment, unsure as to what he was trying to convey to her. His physical contextual clues were garbled, more so than his seemingly disconnected words were, until he hesitantly opened his left hand to show her the rings he had been almost crushing within it. She immediately recognized the engagement ring she had rejected from him, only to then hold back a guilty groan when she also recognized the set of wedding rings.
"No time to get new ones?" she asked as casually as possible as she grabbed the engagement ring and slid it on the appropriate finger, not once looking at his face lest the ghost of pain caused by sad memories still haunted his features.
"Never intended on getting new ones."
"Oh."
She watched him in silence as he placed the smaller ring on his right knee and then slid the larger ring on his left hand. His gaze focused on said ring, a million wishful thoughts drowning his typically logical brain, not reconnecting to the real world until he felt Pepper grabbing the other ring from his lap. He spared her a swift glance, not wanting to see her do the job he was supposed to do, but her loud gasp forced him to stare at her.
He followed her line of sight and knitted his brow in concentration as he tried to decipher what had shocked her just now. She had not put it on yet, so it could not be that it did not fit – he had made sure that it did. This was not the real deal, so her huff could have not come from a place of actual happiness with their current situation. It had been her idea to play pretend, too, so he could not attribute her look of discomfort to being forced into doing something she did not want – even if, technically, she was doing something she had previously declined.
It took him another short moment to figure it out, but once it hit him; once he realized what had taken her ragged breath away, he grimaced once more before he spoke.
"Sorry," he anxiously rubbed his right index finger against his forehead. "Forgot I did that… gotten them engraved. Don't… don't read it, OK? Just…"
Too late, she wanted to say aloud. It was too late.
The writing was almost too small. It needed to be in order to fit such a long sentence. But it was not the strain her eyes had had to rely upon to read the line that was making her eyes water. It was the message itself. It was the greater message the simple phrase carried with it.
"Tony… Tony, I can't… I just can't…"
"Hey, hey! None of that," he grabbed the ring from her when he saw her nearly drop it on her lap and then reached for her left hand. "We got a job to do, right? Just focus on the job, Pep. Be done before you know it."
"But, Tony… this… I… I never meant for you to–"
"Don't know wadja talking about, single lady. I'm just temporarily putting a ring on it."
He tenderly yet firmly held her hand as he began to slide the ring on her finger, pretending that she did not feel he was shaking as much as he could feel her trembling. She felt even more shamefaced than she had already felt before setting her foot outside the master bedroom door. She had not only broken his heart and ruined the first time he had ever truly hoped to do right by a woman, she also now felt that she was soiling something that was so pure and so precious to him. His parents' wedding rings, the only things he had left of them, had been readied for him and her to carry for the rest of their lives, and she had all but tossed them back at him with her words and breakup.
Thankfully for them, the entire uncomfortable affair was over quickly, all in an effort to avoid the awkwardness and wave of overwhelming emotions his current task was causing him. She wanted to scream apologies at him; get down on her knees and beg him for forgiveness for even considering it their only option to go through their fake marriage, knowing how much harm and emotional scarring it could cause them, but her voice refused to work. She had anticipated the phony act would bring back unwanted memories and sentiments to both. What she had not seen coming was the truly immense magnitude of it all.
It was severe, crippling, and crushing, the cascade of misery she could sense flowing out from every pore in him. This was clearly more than just unbelievably painful for him. It was raw anguish and despair nibbling on his heart and soul, gnawing them to death. It was a fatal illness. A debilitating and widely spread cancer outbreak in his body. It was taking over everything, including itself, and taking it all down with its own demise.
This was not fair, what she was making them go through. It was not fair to them, but it was especially not fair for him. This was all one colossal mistake. One huge clusterfuck of bad decisions after bad decisions. She fucking loved him, more than she had ever imagined she could love someone. Needed him. Wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She had just made one wrong choice that had spiraled it all out of control. And he was paying the price more than she was. She was the reason he was slowly falling apart.
This had to end. Right about fucking now. They could not go through with this. This was a greater mistake than lying to him about the short existence of his would-be child. Or that his hero actions in Sokovia had caused her to lose it. Or keeping it to herself that she had, as a result, made sure that she would never be able to bear him another child.
It was insulting to him, she knew that now, to have made such an important decision without consulting with him first. It was her body and it was her choice, but the aftermath also affected his life. This man had been willing, able, and ready to have a family with her, and he had the right to know the truth.
She had to tell him. She had to come clean. She had to clear things up with him and accept whatever fate or punishment he thought she was worthy of. He did not deserve any of this. He had suffered enough. She was supposed to be his saving grace; the one thing that cheered him up and proved to him that the world could be a better place. But she had failed him in that regard. She had utterly and completely fucked it up. And now she had the gonads to expect him to wave and smile in front of people, pretending that she had not walked all over his heart.
I was pregnant, her mind was screaming. I was pregnant and I lost it and I love you and I'm sorry for not telling you that!
There was a chance he would understand her. Not hate her. Forgive her, perhaps. But there was also a chance he would react like any reasonable human being in his position by telling her to kindly jump off a bridge and die.
She opened her mouth a few times, gulped a handful more, but her thoughts and torturing emotions got away from her before she could do or say anything at all.
"It's not a big deal, Pepper," he stood up from the couch and began walking away from her and towards the front door, his cell phone in hand.
"Tony…"
"It's just tonight. And then a few weeks after that. We'll be back home in no time. Forget this ever happened. Move on with our lives."
"But, Tony, I–"
"Please, Pep," he gave his back to her and briefly rested his palm against the door, as if his legs were suddenly unable to hold his weight and he needed support. "Please don't say anything else."
Her mouth instantly snapped shut on its own accord and she nodded even though he was not looking at her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, yet as silently as possible to not call much attention to herself. She needed to calm the hell down and to hold it together for the both of them tonight. She needed to delay her repentant confession so that it was made at a time when they were not about to be in the midst of a crucial business affair. She knew that Tony had even less of a hold on himself when he was emotionally compromised. This was how this new mess they were currently in had started in the first place. There was no sense in escalating what was already making holes through roofs.
"I need a moment," Pepper said, her hand clutching the wedding ring within it. "Is that OK?"
"Of course. I'll be downstairs. The... the limousine…" he stared at his phone, "It's already waiting for us. I'll have it pick you up through the back. Don't want to call even more unwanted attention, right?"
"Right," Pepper replied.
"See you in five."
Not a second later, Tony made his escape from the situation at hand, leaving the redhead inside an empty and impossibly large room that felt as if it was succeeding at suffocating her without much of a try.
Her hands trembled as she held onto her wedding ring and pulled it off her finger, only to then hold it inside her opened hand for another long, silent moment; the engraved words repeatedly stabbing at her heart. She took in deep, calming breaths and exhaled just as slowly, bracing herself for the long night she knew they would have.
It was not until her five minutes were almost up that she had gathered enough courage to give the painful legend one last sad glance before she slid the ring back on her finger yet again. She took her palms to her chest, swallowed hard, and then stood up from the couch with a newfound determination of excelling at what she and Tony had to do tonight. It was the least she could do for him. For helping him with carrying on the dream he had. For proving to him that she would be there when he needed her, just as she had promised him that she would be, no matter what.
Proof that she could do the impossible for him; just as the ring she was wearing was evidence of what his perceived reality was – just as the inscription itself said what she was of him.
Proof.
Undeniable proof.
Proof that Pepper Potts has my heart.
A/N: Forgot to say this: I DON'T HATE SPAIN! OR SPANIARDS! OR CHRISTIANS! I LOVE EVERYONE! This Raul guy just served my purposes here. He actually behaves like someone I know from work. Most of the stuff Raul said here is stuff this coworker of mine has told me. Sigh. He's such a bother to be around. SPAIN FTW! :)
Thank you for the favorite/follow: pepperonyaddict,TreeHuggers111, Ashlee Swift,anddoggy bye.
MarieLecter: Oh how I wish it was true! Mr&Mrs Stark... it sounds just perfect! Writte soon! ;) – It DOES sound perfect! Better than, say, Tony and Aunt May Stark. Ugh! I recently watched the trailer for Homecoming. I was very disappointed that there was no mention of Pepperony on it.
KymEsk: Cada vez hay más misterio y mas tensión. Me dejas intrigada. Este fic alimenta mis ganas de PEPPERONY ya que no se que pasara en el MCU. Espero con ansias el próximo capítulo. Pobre Tony intenta hacer las cosas bien pero todo se vuelve en su contra y Pepper es en mi oipinión su alma gemela. Quiero ver romance y honestidad. Cuidate – ¡Disculpa la espera eternal! Creo que te encantará este capitulo :D
lillily: I can't wait to read more - it's written so well, and the suspense of wanting to know more is killing me! That being said, I was a little confused at the purpose of the dream-sequence. I'm hoping that more will be explained later and it wasn't just there for some action. Keep up the great work and update soon! – The dream-sequence had a specific purpose that I am almost certain I will abandon for something else. It wasn't even supposed to be a dream; but then an idea popped into my head that made the sequence more appropriate to make it a dream. I was looking forward to some action, but then realized what we really want is probably just plain ole Pepperony ;)
Guest: When will you update? I am anxious to say the least. Pls write more. Thank you so much for this! I really love it. – Sorry it's taking so long. I have a week off from work this week, so I hope I can get some more writing done ^_^
Lintanya: Hola, me encanta esta historia, especialmente porque arregla ese desastre llamado Civil War, donde separaron a mi pareja favorita. Gracias por escribirla – Gracias a ti por leer y comentar :) Este año fue patético para todos mis ships, empezando por este. Es mi favorito y el MCU lo mandó al caño :(
A/N: Thank you all for your continued support, my Faithful Readers. 2016 is not done with me, so I apologize for my long absence. On top of everything I had shared with you before, the winter break has not been kind to me either. Long story short: I was pregnant – 4 or 5 weeks, to be exact. Now I am not – biology said no. Still recovering and feeling exhausted and out of it. Not sure when I'll have the chance to update again. I'm working on getting my groove back (my mood's all over the place). Been reading a lot of fics. Hanging out TWD forums. Took a vacation. Sleeping a lot. But 2017 is around the corner. Gotta move on. I will.
I hope 2017 brings all of you love, happiness and satisfaction :D I miss you all, my Faithful Readers, so very much.
Thank you for the favorite/follow: FifteenpointstoGryffindor, CmHotchnissGeek101, Elisabpshady, Shadestriker27, and Life Can't Be Normal.
Stark13: Really happy with this new chapter ! I need more ! Hope it will be happier for Tony in next chapters Can't wait to read more Thanks – Thanks for reading, reviewing and waiting for an update :D I am trying to organize myself a little more and have started to write a timeline and outline for this fic. I typically have the entire outline of a story done before I even start it, but this one was a spur of the moment fic. I want it to be of quality and good for you all, though, so I can't promise more timely updates until I have a clear path. I know where it's going and how it can get there, but not all the pieces are there yet. I really, really, REALLY appreciate how patient you and everyone else has been with me, though. PEPPERONY FOREVER!
KymEsk: Hola. Estoy emocionada con cada capítulo que sale. Aunque me gustaría que fueran más seguido. pero no se puede todo en esta vida. Por cierto has checado las últimas noticias de Pepper Pottss en el UCM. Yo estoy emocionada ya que el parecer tenemos a Pepper de regreso. Y la misma Gwyneth es quien lo dice. Gwyneth Paltrow: Aclaró que aún tiene obligaciones contractuales con Marvel, con "creo que es Avengers o Captain America, una de esas". AHHHH! por cierto que curioso que decidieras escribir este fic en inglés, ya que en español no hay muchos. Ojalá y en algún momento lo publiques en español o decidas hacer uno. Te mando un gran abrazo. Yo me siento muy emocionada y espero nuevas noticias. PEPPERONY 3 – Vale más que regrese Pepper y que los reunan. Digo, es lo mínimo que deben hacer por nosotros, los fans :P Tengo algunos fic en Español, pero no de UCM Pepperony, sino de Iron Man: Aventuras de Hierro Pepperony Tal vez en el futuro traduzca mis historias de UCM Pepperony, pero ahorita me pondría contenta con poder actualizar mas seguido