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Thank you for the favorite/follow: josianeyuki, LovernonFighter89 and Adutoodguy.

Guest: You're doing a great job with this story. Please don't take too long to update. I'm really looking forward to where you're gonna take their story. – Thank you so much :D I wish I could make promises with the updates, but I don't want to disappoint. Hope this doesn't deter you from coming back for more :)

A/N: This is officially the middle part of the story. Thought some of you would like to know that ;)

Chapter 8: Dhaka

He tried opening his eyes but his eyelids felt heavy. He then tried to move his hands, but his entire body felt non-responsive and numb. He partly licked his lips and was surprised by the minor taste of cooper he found there, only adding to his current state of confusion. Had he bit his tongue? Chapped his lips? Why was everything so jumbled in his mind? Why did his body feel like it was made of lead? Why could he not open his eyes?

And, while he was at it, could someone please tell him where the fuck he was?

xxxXXXxxx

Pepper was pleasantly surprised when her left foot fit into her heel with no issue. She was even more surprised when she stood up and there was no pain at all to be felt. The two days that she had been off her feet had yielded a speedy recovery from her ice skating accident, just in time for their next meeting with their investor in Dhaka. It appeared as if Tony's efforts to tend to her injury had truly paid off – no matter how ridiculous his actions had felt at some point. Carrying her everywhere (even into the bathroom, before being shoved away from the premises); alternating attention to her foot by having it be under ice and then inside a bucket of warm water infused with bath salts; gently massaging it after watching online videos on how to increase blood flow by targeting pressure points; and not letting her leave the bed for any reason without his help had all contributed to her present state: one in which she was cured and ready to take on the challenges of the day.

"So, what's the verdict, Potts?" the inventor asked from his position by the entrance of the bathroom, his left side pressed against the threshold and his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're in the wrong profession," she replied at his reflection in the mirror, a small smile threatening to leave her.

"How so?"

Pepper turned in place to face him, her back resting against the vanity. Her hands grabbed onto the edge of the counter to support her weight, and she made no move to approach him just yet.

"You've got what it takes to be a boo-boo fixer, especially if the injury is an ankle sprain."

The loud snort that came out of him made Pepper laugh.

"Yeah, you keep poking fun at my magic hands and you won't have them all over you anymore, Pepper."

"They weren't all over me," she narrowed her eyes at him in mock anger.

"I beg to differ," he shrugged. "I carried you everywhere, tucked you into bed and helped you get undressed. My hands had to be all over you to do all of that."

"You're incorrigible," she sighed.

Tony scoffed and further dismissed her argument with a lazy wave of his right hand. "As if you'd like me to be any other way. There's nothing you'd change about me and you know it."

"The word humility comes to mind," she said as she began to walk towards him.

"Never heard of it," Tony shrugged again and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Of course, you haven't," Pepper shook her head at him in feigned disapproval of his antics.

"Honestly, I think you made it up. Just now."

"Sure. I did," she was now standing so close to him that she had to throw her head back to be able to look at his face. "Because that's what I do: make up words on the spot."

"At least you admit to it. That's the first step to recovery. Or so I've heard."

"You're not sure?"

"Nope. Haven't had to deal with something like that, ever."

"Oh?" Pepper arched an eyebrow, simultaneously hating and loving their bantering. "Let me guess. You haven't had to deal with it because there's nothing you need to recover from."

"Exactly."

"Because you're perfect."

"You're catching on."

Pepper rolled her eyes, sighed, and then walked around him towards the bedroom. "Are we ready to roll or what?"

"We are," he turned in place and then began to follow her towards the main exit. "Param's going to meet us at the restaurant."

"Alright," Pepper said as she picked up her purse.

xxxXXXxxx

The musty smell was a sure sign that the place was humid, probably also moldy as hell, but this was not at all surprising to her. Dhaka was pretty wet during the summer months; it was monsoon season after all. Strong storms were the order of the day and, without proper care and maintenance, any building would soon turn into an asthmatic's worst nightmare. As much as she hated the current conditions surrounding her, the knowledge that she was still in known territory brought her relief. Even if she had no idea where she was, or how long she had been there, she was almost certain that she was still in Bangladesh.

And, even if she were not, even if she found herself in another dimension or world, she knew he would come. Her only hope and wish was that, when he did, he did not find her dead… for his sake.

xxxXXXxxx

After one last glance towards their current living quarters, Tony snatched the keys to their rented vehicle from the keyholder near the exit before intertwining his left hand with Pepper's, leading them both out into the hall. He let the door to their room close itself behind them, which made them both cringe when the sound it made was louder than they had expected.

"Oops," Tony visibly winced once more and Pepper agreed with a nod, both flinching when a few scowling guests opened their doors to see what the commotion was about. The couple simply waved apologetically at the guests and then quickened their pace towards the elevator. The last thing either of them needed or wanted at the moment was even more attention than what they had received as of yet.

"Help the door close next time?" the redhead proposed as she pressed the button to call on the elevator.

"Yup."

The elevator took about two minutes to reach their floor, and nearly one to help them reach the ground floor, but it at least had remained empty of other guests the entire time. After Pepper's incident had reached the masses via the magic of the Internet, people had been more forward in reaching out to them while in public places, all showing their sympathy for the ginger and asking if she was all right – some even offering home remedies to speed up her recovery. For this reason, their trek from their jet to their rented vehicle had taken longer than expected. They had been stopped by almost twenty different people by the time they had jumped into the car, while all they had been able to do during it was wave, nod, and accept the unsolicited information with a bright smile.

The hotel employees had not been as fanatical in their behavior as the general public had been about the subject, but the accident had been brought up, nonetheless. The staff had offered to get Pepper a wheelchair or even get them a ground floor room, but both options had been immediately and politely turned down by the couple. The last thing they needed was to exacerbate the situation by using a wheelchair for Pepper or exposing themselves to even more interruptions by staying near the entrance of the hotel.

Catching a bit of good luck, the walk from the elevator to their car was done without interruptions and in a comfortable silence, as was the drive towards the restaurant where they were to meet Param Huq. After the break they had gotten while visiting Abd al Jabbar Sayegh in Dubai, and after further strengthening their once-broken bond with Tony's confession about the events in Afghanistan, they were both relaxed, in high spirits, and ready to tackle the business purpose of this trip.

This meeting marked the halfway point of their six-weeks of travel time and, at the end of their visit with Param, they were expected to brief the Board on their efforts thus far. Despite what they had suffered through to get here, both Tony and Pepper were happy and looking forward to what they were going to relay to the board members. The combined amounts of investments accepted so far were enough to cover seventy-five percent of the Foundation's pledges, and they still had six other investors to speak with – most of which were not as crazy as three of the five they had met with up to now. Or at least not crazy in a way that made them fear for their lives.

Then again, there was their investor in Moscow, Anton Mikhailov, who loved adventures. And vodka. And mixing adventures with vodka.

But at least he would not drug them and then tie them to a bed.

xxxXXXxxx

It had been quiet for a while. The men that had been roaming around appeared to have left for now, perhaps for the rest of the day. Still, she was afraid to move or make a sound. It was surprising that they were yet to figure out who she was, but it was probably because they had not bothered to take a look at either of them before they had put the bags onto their heads – just as Tony had already experienced once before while in Afghanistan.

xxxXXXxxx

True to his word, Param was at the restaurant by the time they arrived. He waved at them enthusiastically as they walked toward his table. The waiter had immediately recognized them and had promptly walked them toward the back of the restaurant to reach what he had deemed to be Mr. Huq's favorite table. Tony and Pepper could tell why this was the man's preferred location in the entire place: the lights were dimmed, there was hardly any people back there, and privacy was easily attained. This was the perfect place to have a business meeting while enjoying a meal.

Param stood up to greet the couple with a strong handshake and a wide smile, not at all forgetting to congratulate them on their nuptials. Tony and Pepper thanked him for his kind words and then sat across from him, opting to share one side of the four-person table they were at. They picked up the menus and began perusing them, knowing that Param was a very humble man who was of the school of 'food first, business later.'

"I love this restaurant," Param began as he read the menu, "I used to walk by it when I was a child. It was too expensive for my family to afford eating here – or out anywhere. We didn't have much back then. But whenever we got to walk by the door, the smell would get me to drool every time."

"So, one might say that you became wealthy just to eat here," Tony deadpanned in that tone that told people he was joking around.

Param laughed aloud. "At the rate I eat here, I don't think I can deny that!"

xxxXXXxxx

He was not sure how much time had passed since he had become aware of not knowing where he was, but his body was starting to finally listen to his commands. His fingers and toes started curling. His neck complained but was compliant to his demands to move to the side. His throat hurt something awful, but his voice felt compelled to help him let out a loud groan.

"He's coming to," he heard someone say nearby. "Hurry! Get everyone else back here right now!"

xxxXXXxxx

The meal had been surprisingly good and, had Tony and Pepper not known beforehand that this was actually a business meeting, they would have sworn that this was nothing more than a lunch date with the nice and slightly quirky uncle they had never had. Despite his riches, Param had never lost his humbleness or had used his status to get more than what was considered fair. The man still rode public transportation, did not live in a mansion or have a limousine, and went to work as many hours as he expected of his employees. He hardly ever attended the pompous galas the other billionaires loved to use to boast their new acquisitions of wealth or power, and it was more likely to see Param spend his weekends at home with his family than at a golf park with the good ol' boys.

All in all, Tony partially envied the man. He had everything that Tony hoped to one day have for himself. The inventor wondered if Param knew how lucky he truly was.

"The terms of your renewal contract seem reasonable," Param said, breaking Tony's train of thought, and signaling to the couple that business time had finally arrived.

Pepper nodded. "We tried to remain as true to the original terms as possible. No one likes surprises, especially ones that have financial implications."

"I wouldn't expect any less from either of you. I'm very fortunate to do business with you. I wish more of my other business partners retained as much ethic as you two. You wouldn't believe the kind of crap I have to deal with when meeting some of my investors. It's like going to a circus. A bad one!"

Pepper and Tony exchanged a knowing look before returning their attention to Param.

"Oh, I think we have an idea," Pepper replied.

"We went to see Yolandi Venter," Tony added, prompting Param to make a face of disgust.

"My condolences," Param said with a shake of the head. "Meeting that woman face to face is like having to swallow someone else's snot. I sure hope the torture was worth it."

"I'd say so," Tony said with finality, covertly letting their host know that this was all they had to say in the matter. Thankfully for them, Param took the hint.

"Well, this meeting has been refreshing," Param began, "Why don't we go back to my office? I'll get my people to get the ball rolling on this contract, and I'll show you what we're working on right now while we wait. I promised the kids and the missus I'd take the rest of the week off to go on a family vacation, so I'd like to finalize this today, if you're OK with that."

"Oh," the couple said in unison, both taken aback.

Param looked distraught by their response. "I hope this isn't a problem."

"It's not," Tony replied. "It's actually even better for us. We've been traveling non-stop for three weeks and our next stop is Moscow. We can use the extra time to prepare."

"Moscow?" Param frowned for a moment and then a look of recognition fell on his face. "Anton? You're visiting Anton?"

"We are," Pepper nodded.

"Do you have medical insurance while traveling?"

Pepper sighed, knowing exactly what Param was referring to. "We do. We learned the need for it fast. Last time we were there, he and Tony swam with sharks."

"Sharks? In Russia?"

"In Australia," Pepper said with a grimace. "Great Whites."

"We flew there overnight," Tony clarified and rubbed the back of his neck, wincing slightly at what was clearly not one of his brightest moments.

"And you let him?" Param directed his question at Pepper, eyes opened wide. "My wife would've tied me to the bed if I told her I'd do that. With Anton, at that!"

The mention of being restrained on a bed made them both internally flinch, but the look on their faces never faltered at all.

"The time before that," Pepper said as she stole a glance at the inventor, "Anton and Tony went anaconda wrestling."

"Anaconda… wrestling…"

"Yup," Pepper smacked her lips with her response.

"Is that even a thing?" Param shook his head in disbelief.

"If it wasn't, it became a thing with Anton," Tony replied.

"Oh, Allah…" Param rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm suddenly so grateful to have turned down a getaway weekend with that man."

"I guess that means you're not interested in trading places with us?" Pepper asked, partly joking and partly hoping Param would take them up on the offer so that they did not have to subject themselves to whatever adventures Anton had in mind for them this time around.

"Sorry, Mrs. Stark. I'm afraid I will have to pass on that."

"Smart man," Tony said, his fingers playing with a napkin. "Too bad we aren't that smart."

"Well, who knows?" Param shrugged, "Maybe Anton will cut you some slack, seeing as the missus will be with you."

"Knowing him, he'll probably invite me to it."

"And knowing Tony," Param said, "He will probably tell Anton to… what is the term..."

"Fuck off?" Tony nodded sharply. "Yup. Probably. No anacondas or sharks near Pepper."

"Tony!"

"I would tell him the same thing," Param admitted. "He can do whatever he wants with me. But my wife and kids are off-limits. They're the best thing I have in my life. I would never put them in danger like that. Especially not just for fun. Or whatever it is that Anton thinks his adventures are."

"See?" Tony stared at Pepper as he spoke. "Param gets it."

"I don't think Param getting it is the problem. It's Anton not getting it," Pepper argued back.

"Well, I will keep you in my prayers. Maybe Anton will break a leg and not force you to join him on his crazy quests."

"Or maybe," Tony said, "I'll just save us the trouble and break my leg on purpose right now."

After a quick moment of shock and an exchange of surprised looks amongst them, the three of them laughed aloud.

xxxXXXxxx

"Are you alright?"

The sudden voice startled her, and it took her a moment to recognize who it was that was near her. Her eyes were open, of that much she was certain, but the bag was still over her head.

"Param?"

"Yes, my dear. It's me. Are you hurt?"

Pepper took a moment to consider Param's question, wiggling her restrained body a little as she did so.

"I don't think so. Are you?"

"No," Param replied. "But I don't know how long that will be the case."

Pepper swallowed hard. "Do you… do you know what they want? They were speaking in Bengali. I couldn't understand what they were saying."

"Money," Param said in a dejected tone. "They're were talking about how to negotiate my release and for how much to ask."

"Your release? Did they how… did they say what… what about me?"

Param gulped, his voice turning somber as he spoke again.

"They don't know yet. They don't know who you are, either. That's a good thing, for now."

"But, once they do…"

"Once they do, Allah help us."

"Or Allah help them, once Tony finds us."

"Or that."

Pepper took in a deep breath through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth, slowly processing Param's words. They had not meant to take her, only him. She had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. This meant that they had no plans for her. But, it also meant that they had no plans for her. Her future was up in the air for now – extremely uncertain, and that alone was cause for grave concern. She could become either disposable or indispensable. A liability or a way to rack up their reward. A life they would disregard and leave somewhere in a ditch… or an extra item they got to play with while they waited for their actual payoff.

"So am I. What she put you through – what she almost did… I can't imagine… If I'd been in your situation… if some man had tried to–"

"I'd fucking kill him."

Pepper closed her eyes, images of her last kidnapping coming to mind. This could not turn out to be as bad as that last time, could it? Extremis soldiers beat the hell out of any other type of abductors, right?

Maybe it would. Maybe it would not.

Their only hope was that Tony found them in time, preferably before these people realized who she was. Because of course he would look for them; for her, unless he did not survive the distraction these men had used to snatch her and Param.

Oh, Tony, Pepper swallowed down the taste of bile that threatened to rise to her mouth at thinking that it was very likely that she was hopelessly waiting to see again a man that was probably already dead.

No, Pepper shook her head with confidence she was not sure she truly had. He's not dead. He's not gone.

"Call me crazy," Pepper finally said, unsure as to how much of her following statement was a joke and how much of it she believed to be true, "But I'd prefer to be anaconda wrestling right now."

"Call me crazy," Param replied before the door slammed open again, "But I'd prefer that, too."

xxxXXXxxx

The three of them were nearly out the door of the restaurant when Tony realized he had to go back.

"Darn it," the inventor patted his body several times, "I think I left my phone on the table."

"I'll go get it," Pepper offered, her feet already taking steps towards her destination, but Tony shook his head at her and halted her trek by holding onto her waist.

"No, Honey, it's OK. I'll get it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. Be right back."

It took no more than ten seconds for Tony to walk back to their table, pick up his phone, and then rush back outside. Unfortunately, he never really made it past the lobby of the restaurant.

A loud explosion made him and everyone else nearby halt in their tracks, instead.

xxxXXXxxx

The moment he saw the doctors and nurses frantically hovering over him was the moment his brain decided to hit him with what he had seemed to have forgotten. All of it. Every second of it. At the same time.

The bright light. The loud sounds. The feeling of flying backwards and crashing onto tables and chairs. The screaming of panicked people. The ringing in his ears. His voice calling out for Pepper. His entire body giving up on him and his brain blacking out. Someone had attacked them. Someone had attempted to end their lives. And this time, he was certain, it had not been a cruel dream.

"Shit!" Tony immediately sat up on the bed, only to then feel the room spinning around him with enough intensity to force him to close his eyes again.

"Lay back down, Mr. Stark," a man who Tony assumed was the main doctor in charge told the billionaire.

"The hell I will," Tony bit down on his tongue to keep him from throwing up. "Where's Pepper? Is she alive?"

The long silence that followed his questions made his eyes snap open again.

"Where is she?" this time, Tony directed his eyes and question at the man who had called his name just now. The medic should have known better than to call attention to himself.

The doctor looked towards his colleagues, unsure as to how to properly answer the genius' question. The last time the inventor had asked them this, he had been on a gurney, being taken away from the scene of the crime and to this hospital to receive urgent care. At that moment, the doctor had been lucky enough to have no way of knowing what the proper response to the man's question was. Right now, however, he did have a non-answer answer to provide. Grimacing, the doctor realized that he was not sure what was worse in this case: having an answer, or having no answer at all.

"I… I'm afraid I do not know the answer, Mr. Stark."

"What do you mean you don't know? She's not here?"

The doctor shook his head from side to side. "The police are still investigating the incident. Some people died – most bodies are still unidentified. Others were injured. I… no one knows for certain yet. It's only been a day or so."

"What?!" Tony threw the covers off his body and began examining his wounds as he spoke, "A day? I've been out a whole day?! Did you operate on me?"

"No! There was no need. You miraculously only had a concussion and some lacerations. But… You-you… well, we-we-we had to-to… sedate you… because… because you wouldn't–"

"Son of a bitch," the genius mumbled, fighting the screaming pain of his head as he slid his legs off to the side of the bed. He then pulled the IV line straight from his right arm and the heart monitor from his left index finger, which sent the machine into warning mode.

"Mr. Stark," the doctor pleaded while one of the nurses busied herself turning off the heart monitor, "I wouldn't advice that you–"

"Where's my stuff?"

"What?"

"My clothes! My phone! My wallet! Where are they?"

"Sir! I cannot… you cannot… your injuries. You must remain in observation. Your concussion–"

"I've had worse," Tony spat, forcing his body to stand on wobbly legs. "Now, either you get my stuff so I can leave, or I get my attorney so that you can get sued. Not your nurse or this hospital, or your buddies over there. You. So, what's it gonna be?"

The team of doctors and nurses stared at one another, clearly all at a loss about what to do. They knew that, had this man been any other patient, it was their medical duty to keep him from leaving the premises in his condition. However, knowing who he was and what he could do, they knew that they only had one option to choose from.

Begrudgingly, yet thankfully for Tony, the doctor opted to let him go.

xxxXXXxxx

While Tony rushed back to their table to gather his cell phone, Pepper and Param got inside the rented car. Param had wanted to take the bus back to his company, but Tony and Pepper had quickly rejected the notion of allowing their investor to use public transportation when they: a) had a perfectly working vehicle to share; and, b) they were all headed to the same destination.

"It's no big deal, Param, really," Pepper assured him while she climbed onto the passenger seat and the investor took the back. "In fact," she giggled, "It's gonna be really fun for you to watch To–"

BOOM.

The sound alone made her scream in confusion and surprise.

But the shifting of the vehicle into the air and then onto its back was what left her with no doubt that they were under attack. Instinctively, the redhead reached for her phone to dial 911, but she then realized that they were not in a place where emergency services could be contacted in that way.

"Mrs. Stark? Are you OK?" Pepper heard Param say from his position on what was essentially the ceiling of the car. He had not gotten the opportunity to put on his seat belt and was now sprawled all over the back of the car.

"Yeah," Pepper answered, her heart racing and her body trembling. "I'm OK. Are you OK? Tony… did you see–"

"GET OUT!"

"NO! Let me–"

Her next words died on her lips. Her struggle did nothing to help put a stop to the hands that grabbed her and dragged her out of the car. The darkness that engulfed her head made it almost impossible to react and prevent what was clearly happening to her. It all happened too suddenly and too unexpectedly. Simply kicking and screaming was not going to do any good at all.

The last she heard were approaching sirens, an almost faint yet desperate call for her name, and then the sound of a bulky object being slammed against her head.

xxxXXXxxx

"Tony!"

The genius' head snapped towards the sound of his name, sighing in relief when he saw none other than Happy Hogan fast walking towards him, his armored suitcase in hand.

"Where is she?" the inventor repeated his question, lousily swatting away Happy's worried hand from his face and arms and then snatched away the briefcase from the former boxer's grip.

"Are you good?" Happy asked instead as he followed Tony towards the exit of the building, already aware that he was very likely going to suit up and fly off to who-knew-where. "'Cuz you look like shit right now. Are you OK to leave the hospital so soon?"

"I'm dressed, kinda…" Tony frowned at his rushed and half-assed attempt at putting his clothes back on, "And I'm walking and talking. I'm good."

Happy Hogan gave the billionaire a skeptical look and Tony sighed in frustration.

"I'm good, Happy. You know this is nothing new to me. But what about Pepper? What do we know about her?"

Happy shook his head in disappointment and his shoulders sagged.

"I don't know, Tony. I got here just a few hours ago and no one is telling me anything because I'm not on the next-of-kin list," Happy rolled his eyes at the bureaucracy of the hospital. "I didn't even know if you were OK until just now."

Tony groaned. "What do we know about the attack?"

"Only what has been released to the press. There was a bomb. Homemade. Not too big but bad enough to kill anyone within a decent range. People inside the restaurant made it. A few people that were outside and near it, didn't."

Tony gulped and stopped in his tracks, his heart racing even more than it already was.

"Pepper was outside with Param," the sudden look of loss in his eyes made it clear to Happy that Tony was back in time, replaying the events of the bombing as if watching them in a reel. "They were getting in the car. I'd gone back inside to get my phone. She… she wanted to get it for me. I said no."

"The car was towed. It was…" Happy paused for a second, carefully measuring his next words. "It was empty, Tony."

Tony spared a glance at his friend before giving him a slow nod of understanding and asking a question he dreaded to be answered.

"Been to the morgue? Or wherever it is where they hold bodies here?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

Happy shrugged. "It was hard to tell. But I don't think she was there."

Tony closed his eyes tightly and exhaled through his nose, fighting against the panic that threatened to overtake him.

"What about Param?"

"Same. His family was here, hoping he was just mildly injured. But no one knows where he is. His wife couldn't identify him from any of the bodies. Or maybe she just didn't want to. Like I didn't want to for Pepper either."

Tony's head hung as he went over the situation at hand – the tiny portion he knew of it, at that. Part of him wanted to go to the morgue and see for himself if Pepper was there. Another part of him wanted to believe Happy's assessment and just get on with the search right now.

The search. Because, if Pepper was not dead and she was not at a hospital, that meant that she was still out there. Somewhere. Waiting for him. And so was Param.

"Are… are her belongings anywhere? Her bag? Her phone?"

"The police have them. You being her husband… I'm sure they'll give them to you. They didn't even let me ask."

"Then let's go," Tony said, by some miracle remaining as calm as he could be. "Let's go get her stuff."

xxxXXXxxx

"Who's the woman?"

"Didn't check. Probably his assistant."

"Or his wife?"

"Well, if she is, that's gotta be worth more, right?"

"To him, yes."

"Good."

"Let's make them wait a little and then see what we can get out of that."

xxxXXXxxx

"Stay calm. Don't move. Don't say a word."

The whispered advice coming from Param was the last thing she was able to make sense of before the language barrier made her lose a clear track of what was happening around her. The livid shouting did not need any translation, however, and neither did the blows she could hear Param receiving beside her from the men that had taken them. If his feet and hands were bound, just as hers were, she could imagine the level of defenselessness Param was experiencing right now.

They're going kill him! They're going to kill us!

No, she shook her head in denial at her own thoughts. She could not let that take place. That was not an option. They had to make it. They both had to make it. They only had to wing it until Tony arrived – whether that was in the next five hours or the next five minutes, they just had to survive somehow. And if these people became busy with something else, someone else… then Param…

Tony, I'm so sorry.

It only took two more punches for Pepper to finally lose the little control she had over herself. She could no longer bear to hear the sounds of flesh being pounded without mercy, or the sounds of pain Param was making with every blow. This man had a wife and kids to go back to. His family depended on him, and she doubted that he had ever done anything to anyone to deserve this, let alone to these people.

"Stop! STOP, please!"

Despite her pleas, the barrage continued for a few more seconds before it stopped as abruptly as it had been born. She felt and heard Param groan and slide down to the ground, and she then gasped loudly when the bag was pulled away from her head.

Ugh!

The change in the amount of light made her pupils hurt, but she shook her head from the discomfort before looking up to face her captors with a shuddering breath.

Her gaze quickly flickered to her right to see how Param was fairing. When her eyes returned to the four people standing before her, she saw a glint of confusion in their eyes – as if they had been expecting her to be someone else.

The four men stared silently at one another for a minute. Then, one of them leaned down and towards to her, holding her head in place by her chin. He moved her head from side to side, as if he were examining an unknown specimen, and then suddenly slapped her cheek with enough force to send her to the ground on her side.

Before she was able to do anything else, a second man grabbed her by the hair and used it to pull her towards the door, all the while a bleeding and bruised Param begged for them to let her go.

XxxXXXxxx

"No, Tony. Just… no!"

He wanted to be right and for Happy to be wrong, but this was without a doubt one of the occasions in which Iron Man would honestly only make things worse. Arriving in full Iron Man gear at the location where the authorities suspected the kidnappers were in hiding was not the smart play. Standing behind and doing nothing, however, was also not something Tony could live with.

The police had informed the media that it had been determined that the bomb had simply been a decoy – a way to distract and confuse people while the real crime took place: the planned kidnapping of Param Huq, and the unintended kidnapping of Pepper Potts.

A ransom demand had been expected to be received by now, but there was no sign of any attempts at negotiating the release of the captives. And even if they did eventually hear something from the criminals, Tony was not sure that Pepper would be part of the deal. They had no reason to include her, if they even knew who she was. In fact, if he were them and he realized who he had accidentally kidnapped, he would not even mention that he had taken a celebrity with him. Param was well-known in Bangladesh. Pepper was known around the world. If the captors believed that the FBI, S.H.I.E.L.D., the Interpol and Iron Man himself were on their tail, they would have no problem killing her to avoid the extra heat. Or perhaps just because there would be no getting out of the altercation alive. Might as well take everyone down with them.

"Happy," Tony paced back and forth near Happy's rented car, "I can't leave her there. I can't just trust these people to–"

"Don't," Happy warned his friend, both of them waiting for the officers to leave the station so that they could follow them. "If we do this, we're only there to do it covertly. We'll look around, see what the cops do, and then find our way in. No blasting walls, or using laser beams, or remote satellites to bring in nukes or any of that. No Iron Man. We don't know exactly where Pepper is. The last thing we want to do is hurt her. I know you don't want to hurt her."

Tony sighed and rested his weight against the side of the car, his entire demeanor crestfallen. His head was still pounding. He still felt slightly dizzy and was hungry despite the knots he felt forming in his stomach. The marks of the IV line he had pulled off his arm without care were turning into bruises. He had taken a look at his face while Happy had been driving them to the station and he knew that he had scratches and dried blood on the right side of his face and neck. Nothing that would leave a terrible scar behind, but he was sure that his physical state was not helping him make a case.

He could only hope that Pepper was doing better than him. And that the men that had taken them had not laid a finger on her.

xxxXXXxxx

The five long minutes of glares and manhandling had ended when one of the men had suddenly gasped loudly before taking out his phone from his pocket and used it to show something to the other men. They were still speaking in Bengali, and she could only guess that what they were talking about by the frantic waving of their arms and the angry pointing of fingers was something pretty important. Important enough to forget about her presence for several minutes while they argued. Important enough for them to then speak English to her.

"Iron Man?" the man that had pulled her by the hair asked, "You're Iron Man's wife?"

Pepper swallowed hard and then gave the men a single nod.

"Told you!" the men with the phone in his hands shouted at the other three as he pointed at a picture of the ginger and the inventor. "We are fucked!"

"Is he here?" the question was directed at Pepper now. "In Bangladesh? Iron Man, is he here?"

"Yes," Pepper cleared her throat. "Tony is here. He was at the restaurant with me. He's probably looking for me – for us, right now. Param is our friend."

"Shit!" the hair-puller guy screamed. "Shit! SHIT!"

"He's coming," cell phone man said. "He IS coming for her. What do we do now? With her? With Param? We can't take on Iron Man!"

"No, we can't," slapper guy said.

"So? What do we do?"

"There's only one thing we can do," the man that had slapped her twice continued as he took out a switchblade from his back pocket and took a step towards the redhead. "I'll take care of her. You take Param."

And just like that, Pepper's blood turned cold.

xxxXXXxxx

Their plans to run their own rescue mission were ruined the moment they realized that more police officers than they had expected had shown up at the scene. There was no way to sneak inside the building now without making a big scene. No way to even try. At the very least, no one had tried to tell him or Happy to leave the premises for now. They had just told them to stay back and let the professionals do their jobs.

Professionals, my iron ass, Tony groaned but remained rooted to his spot, eyes glued to the main entrance of the abandoned warehouse, waiting for the perfect chance to bust inside.

"How sure are we that they're even in there?" Happy rubbed his chin nervously. "What if they're wrong and Pepper's already somewhere else? Or… gone?"

"It's the only lead they have. And without her phone with her… with hardly any other clues or leads… I can't track her any other way. Not without hacking a bunch of computers and satellites and taking hours to find her like that."

"Maybe you should've put a tracker in her ring."

"Huh… a tracker in her ring. That screams… divorce."

"Well, you're gonna get one anyway," Happy scoffed, his fear for Pepper's life getting the best of him. "Or an annulment, if you don't have her sign the damn papers."

"Is this really the time to discuss this?" Tony snapped back. "Because I don't think it is."

"Maybe not," Happy conceded. "But we've waiting for two hours and nothing's going on!"

"So, the solution to your boredom is to throw my shortcomings and poor decisions in my face?"

"No! My solution, to my anxiety at what could be happening to Pepper right now, is to remind you that, if Pepper is alive and walks out that door, you better make a decision fast. How much more danger are you going to put her in without her consent? How much more are you going to drag your feet on this? Tell her the truth or let her go!"

"I'm working on it, Happy, OK? I am. I…" Tony gulped. "We've been having some pretty deep conversations lately. I'm building up to it."

"Well, build up to it faster. You don't have your entire life. And neither does she," Happy rubbed his face with his hands. "And sorry for being an ass to you just now. I know you're worried about her. I am too."

"I know. Does Rhodey know what's going on here right now?"

"I haven't told him. He's still in therapy. I called the docs there and told them not to let him watch TV."

"He has a phone, you know?"

"Yeah. Well. Not much I can do about that."

"I guess. Actually, I probably should–"

"INCOMING!" the sudden shout from the captain of the police force made Tony and Happy jump inside their skin, "WEAPONS READY! FIRE ON MY MARK!"

Happy rushed to stand in front of Tony when he realized that the genius was about to break into a run towards the front door that had been suddenly opened up. There was no light inside the building and it was already night. If the captors were about to come out guns blazing, there would not be enough time to properly react.

"WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!" the captain said through the megaphone. "PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN AND SURRENDER!"

Everyone outside held their breath as they waited for any response from the inside. Snippers were aiming at the many broken windows the front of the building held. Others were trekking behind the building, slowly approaching it, guns raised. The rest of the officers had their guns pointed at the entrance, nervously eyeing their captain from the corners of their eyes, all waiting for the order to make a move.

"COME ON OUT, WEAPONS DOWN. WE KNOW YOU HAVE HOSTAGES. WE ARE AIMING AND WE WILL FIRE!"

"DON'T SHOOT!" a raspy, weak-sounding male voice said from the inside. "WE ARE COMING OUT, BUT WE'RE UNARMED!"

Everybody stared at one another, the same thought going through everyone's mind: was this a real act of surrendering or was it just a stupid trick to make them let their guard down?

"SHOW US YOUR WEAPONS NOW!"

"WE DON'T HAVE ANY! PLEASE, DON'T SHOOT!"

This time, the voice had been female, and it made Tony's breath hitch in his throat.

A moment later, the silhouettes of two people began taking shape near the main door. The closer they got to the exit, the more their identities became clear to everyone. The closer they got to the lights of the vehicles parked around the building, the more in disbelief everyone became.

Slowly but surely, the two hostages walked out from the building, seemingly in one piece, with Param relying heavily on Pepper to walk. She had his left arm thrown around her shoulders, holding it in place with her left hand in his. Her right arm held him by the waist, her pace as sluggish as the man she was supporting. The headlights made her flinch once she was in full view of everybody present, forcing her to blink several times to compensate for the yet again drastic change in brightness.

"ARE YOU ALONE?" the captain asked, wary of the sudden turn of events.

"We are," the redhead nodded but no longer made an attempt to shout. "They left us. They untied us and left us, hours ago. They're gone. Param… he needs help… he–"

"PEPPER!"

"TONY, WAIT!"

"TONY!"

Happy Hogan was the only person that tried to stop Tony from rushing towards his wife since it was not yet deemed safe for anyone to do so, but he was not even close to being successful in his attempts. The inventor was in front of her in the blink of an eye, helping her support Param while taking in a quick inventory of her wounds.

"Pepper. Oh, God, Pepper! I didn't know! I… what did they do? Did they… did they…"

"No," she replied, tears of happiness in her eyes. "What about you?" her gaze fell on the marks on his neck and face left behind by broken glass. "Oh! Oh, Tony! You're hurt! You're–"

"We'll take him," Param's weight was suddenly off their hands, the officers finally being allowed to jump into action. "We called the paramedics. They're on their way."

"He was beaten," Pepper called after the retreating law enforcement agents. "He was kicked and punched."

"And you?" Tony's hands were on her face now, cradling it and keeping it inches from his; his eyes locked on hers, her hands on his. "Pepper, tell me the truth. Please… what did they do? Are you hurt anywhere? God, your cheek is swollen! Did they hit you, too?"

"Slapped me," the redhead said. "But I'm fine. Other than that, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then pressed their foreheads together. "Are you sure, baby? Is that all they did?"

"I'm sure, Tony. I'm sure. I promise. I'm sure."

"Pepper, thank God!"

"Happy?" Pepper slightly pulled away from Tony's face and eyed her bodyguard. "What are you doing here?"

"Came to help. Or tried," Happy shrugged, hugging whatever he could of his friend since Tony refused to let go of her completely. "And to keep your husband from getting into trouble. You know how it goes with him."

Despite the situation, Pepper laughed and held Happy's hand. "I know. I do. Thank you."

"Are you–"

"I'm fine," Pepper answered Happy's question before he finished stating it. "Just tired. Hungry. Want to get out of here now."

"OK," Happy nodded, a relieved smile on his face. "Let me go find out what they'll need from us. From you. Probably a statement or something like that. Meet you in the car?"

"Yeah, Hap," Tony replied. "Thanks."

After pressing a kiss to Pepper's forehead, Happy Hogan walked straight towards the captain of the force, leaving the couple on their own to catch up. It took Tony about ten more seconds to find his bearings, but once he did so, he pulled Pepper into a tight hug she was more than willing and happy to give back.

"I thought we wouldn't find you in time. I was so scared, Pepper. I thought you'd…"

"I was scared, too. For you. I didn't know if you'd gotten the worst of the blast. I didn't know if they had you in another room in there. The place is a freaking maze. Took us such a long time to find our way out."

"And the ones that took you? Are they really gone? Just like that?"

"Yeah. Once they figured out who I was… and I told them you were coming for me. They didn't want to deal with that. They cut my ropes and then Param's, and then just ran off."

"Do you remember them? What they looked like?"

"Tony, please," Pepper pulled her head back a little so that she could lock eyes with him. "Don't. They failed. They hardly even touched me. Let the cops here deal with it. Let's just wrap this up, make sure Param's going to be all right, and go to Moscow. That's all I want."

Tony shook his head.

"You know I can't. You know… they took you, Pep. They hurt you. They probably wanted to… They don't get to get away with it. They don't. Don't tell me not to go looking for them. They… no one gets away with doing this to the woman I love. No one. No. One."

Pepper's eyes looked down, unable to hold his angry stare much longer. She knew that he was not mad at her, but at himself and at the men that had taken her and Param. Though, this knowledge did nothing to placate the fast beating of her heart. She knew that his anger was justified – she was angry too, but she also feared it would go over-the-top. The last thing she wanted was for Tony to go into a vengeful rampage. It was against The Accords. It was against his non-combatant contract with S.H.I.E.L.D. It was against everything he had wanted to let live in the past.

"Pepper?" he lifted her face with a hand under her chin. "I need to do this. Set an example. No one kidnaps my wife and goes scot-free."

"But, Tony, you'll get arrested for even trying. You can't do things like this anymore."

Tony gave her a small smile, his heart practically melting at hearing and seeing her concern.

"I can when someone owes me a favor. A big one. It'll be alright."

Pepper looked skeptical for another moment but she then sighed in defeat.

"You promise? You won't get in trouble and you'll come back to me?"

"Always, Pep," Tony pressed a long kiss to her lips before whispering on her mouth. "Always."

xxxXXXxxx

The four men dejectedly sat around an almost crumbling table playing cards. The kidnapping job had not gone as expected, but they at least had escaped with their lives. Had they known that the woman they had accidentally taken with them was Iron Man's wife, they would have called it quits on the spot. Instead, they had wasted time and money that they already did not have.

"At least I wasn't the one that slapped her," one of the men said as he put down his cards, not having a good hand to play.

"Or dragged her by her hair," another man said, eyeing the remaining two men at the table – the ones that had left Pepper with a red cheek and had disheveled her mane.

"It doesn't matter what we did or didn't do," the man that had slapped Pepper defended himself. "We blew the job. We had to let them go. We're gonna have to find another person to take."

"At least Stark's gone," the man that had pulled Pepper by the hair said. "We can try for Param again."

"Nah, I wouldn't risk it. We'll wait a few weeks and try again with someone else."

After grunts of assent from everyone else, the table turned silent again. The three men who still had cards with them debated on whether or not to play their hands while the fourth one, the one that was no longer playing, frowned and looked over his shoulder at something that had caught his attention behind him. It appeared that their neighbor was using their vacuum again, for the third damn time that day. The lights tended to flicker when that happened. It was annoying as hell.

One of the players threw another couple of chips in the middle of the table, daring with an arrogant smirk towards the other two players to give up. The other men seemed to be considering their options, their hands alternating between playing with the last of their chips and tapping their cards against the table; no one wanting to be the one who lost their bluff first. Nevertheless, before any of them was able to make another move or call the increase in the betting pool, the game was interrupted by a loud blast.

One of the concrete walls had just been blown into pieces, sending the men flying off their seats and onto the ground. Behind the screen of smoke and dust, and the debris and rubble that had once been a solid wall, stood a rather pissed off Iron Man.

"You didn't actually think you were gonna get away with it, did you?"

Wide eyes and slack jaws were the four men's only response.

"Yeah," Iron Man took a step towards the cowering men, his fists ready for payback. "That's what I thought."