I can honestly say the response I received for this story was totally unexpected, so thank you to everyone who added this to their favourites/alerts/reviewed. =) I'm going to take some artistic liberty with this, since they never really make Pepper's background clear and don't explain what happened to her after she "quits"

Vacation

"So I hear Fury is letting you off the grid, for a while." Pepper whispered as she played with the glowing arc reactor in Tony's chest.

"You heard correctly." Tony says taking her hand in his.

"We could use a vacation, I remember your last vacation, we all nearly died…you were dying." Pepper rolled over so she was snuggled in to Tony's side.

"And where would Miss Potts like to go?"

"Home."

"Pepper, Malibu is hardly a vacation." Tony laughed.

"No, not our home. My home, the one in Ohio where my Mom and brother live."

"Parents don't like me." Tony said

"Please Tony." Pepper cooed.

"How is the torture of being forced to spend time with disapproving family members a vacation? I'd have to be on my best behaviour. Somewhere more fun was what I was thinking. Somewhere where clothing is optional." Tony's hands started to wander.

"How about 3 days in Ohio, and then as long as you want wherever you want."

Tony smiled as he rolled on top of Pepper "I can live with that."

…..

"Mr Stark, we'll be landing at Wood County Airport in 10 minutes, you and Miss Potts may want buckle up." The pilots voice came over the intercom system. Pepper smiled at Tony, who returned the smile somewhat sarcastically.

"I'm looking forward to my 4 days in Tahiti." Tony smirked, Pepper had always wanted to go to Tahiti, it was just a shame he had no plans for her to see it.

The plane slowed to halt on the tarmac, and the pair disembarked, waiting for them was a beat up ford pickup and a very tall, muscled man. Pepper squealed when she saw him, let go of Tony's hand and ran towards him, he picked her up and spun her around.

"Joey!" She said as she hugged him, whilst she was being returned to earth.

Tony approached the two "Pepper, aren't you going to introduce us."

"Tony this is my older brother." She told him.

Tony held out his hand "Tony Stark."

"Joe Potts." Pepper's brother shook his hand. "Get in the car you two, Mr Stark…"

"Tony please." Tony interrupted.

"…Tony, I'll be driving you in to town tomorrow to pick up a rental car."

It was only a 30 minute drive from the airport in bowling green, to the small community of Wayne, Ohio, they pulled up in front of a medium sized house, where an older version of Pepper stood waiting by the door.

"Hey Mom!" Pepper called as she opened her car door.

"Ginny!" Her mother called back, as she hurried down the stairs. "Ginny?" Tony smirked behind Pepper.

Pepper embraced her mother as soon as she'd arrived at the car "Joseph be a dear and carry the bags in."

"Mom, I'd like you to meet Tony Stark."

"Hello Tony, I'm Susan Potts."

"Nice to meet you Mrs Potts."

"Susan please dear." Susan smiled at Tony, not quite sure what to make of him. "Let's get inside."

Tony followed Susan and Pepper up the stairs her brother had ascended before them. Pepper showed Tony up to her room. He peered around the room, looking at all the stuff on Pepper's shelves, pictures of her and a boy at what was clearly her High School Prom, there was a picture of Pepper at her graduation with the same guy.

"Pepper, who is this?" He asked waving the photo in her face.

"Rob, my high school boyfriend." She smiled, as she took the photo from his hands placing it back on the shelf, before adding quietly "you'll meet him tomorrow at the reunion"

"Sorry Pep, what was that? Reunion?"

"Yes, Tony a reunion, one where you get together with all the people you used to go to school with."

"You tricked me." He sounded offended

"I did. Will that be all Mr Stark?"

"No Miss Potts it won't be all." But it was too late she'd already gone down stairs.

He slowly found his way to the kitchen where he found Pepper, her mother and brother. "Oh Tony excellent, Ginny said you were just freshening up. We can eat now." Pepper's mother smiled and placed dishes of lasagne on the table in front of everyone before taking a seat.

Tony picked up the knife and fork and was immediately kicked by Pepper, before her mother asked "Tony would you like to say Grace." Pepper looked at him encouragingly.

Tony clasped his hands together and began to speak "For what we are about to receive may the Lord make us eternally grateful. Amen." He heard Pepper let out a sigh of relief.

"Beautifully said Tony, thank you." Susan Potts smiled.

"So Tony what's it like being Iron Man? I saw the battle in New York, looked pretty cool" Joe asked.

"It is pretty cool." Tony smiled "flying around saving the world. Pepper thinks it's hot."

"Pepper?" Susan asked

"It's Tony's nickname for me." Pepper said.

"It's a very interesting story." Tony pointed out

"No it's not."

"I think it is" He smiled at her; this was in part his revenge for tricking him in to attending her high school reunion with him.

"I'd love to hear it." Joe said, Susan nodded in agreement.

"She was working in the secretarial pool and came across a math error, which somebody made…" Tony was cut off.

"You made the math error" Pepper said pointedly

"I don't make math errors. Anyway, nobody would take her seriously, and so she chased me down…"

"It was hardly chasing you down."

"…so she chased me down, and happy, that's my body guard, happy wouldn't let her near me. So she threatened to empty the can of pepper spray in her purse, in to his face, so I let her talk to me. She saved us a few million dollars. So I decided to make her my PA and I couldn't remember her name but I remembered the Pepper spray and the name stuck. Pepper Spray Potts, Pepper Potts."

The rest of the dinner passed by smoothly and as Pepper was about to load the dishes in to the dishwasher.

"Oh no honey don't do that!" Susan called "It's broken. Somebody is coming to fix it in a few days."

"If you're sure." Pepper looked at her mother sceptically.

"Yes dear, I'm sure." Then in an effort to change the subject. "Joey where are Sarah and the kids?"

"They were busy tonight, the twins had a scout thing."

Tony Stark couldn't sleep, Pepper was soundly asleep next to him, he thought it was weird they could share a bed but had to say grace before dinner. He looked at the digital clock next to the bed, 3:15am, well if he wasn't asleep by now, he probably wouldn't sleep at all.

Tony ventured downstairs and started poking around for a tool box, he eventually found one in the garage, now all he needed was a project, then he saw the dishwasher.

He switched on the radio, managing to find a classic rock station and began to dismantle the dishwasher, he tinkered away until just past 6am Pepper's mother came downstairs.

"Early riser?" She asked, switching on the coffee maker.

"Couldn't sleep." He replied.

"So you decided to dismantle my dishwasher?"

"I fixed it, you had some loose parts." He was slowly rebuilding it."

"Well thank you Tony." She handed him a mug of coffee.

"You don't like me very much do you?" Tony asked, he'd felt the vibe, as polite and friendly Susan Potts had been with Tony there lacked warmth in her voice.

"I don't know you very well, but what I do know is what I read in the trashy magazines at the salon. That you've never had a real girlfriend and that my daughter has been taking out your trash for years."

"She's all I've got. All I've ever had, it took me too long to realise it, but I do love her. Very much." He took a sip of the coffee "She should've left years ago, but she didn't and now she's the most important thing in my life."

Pepper, pretended not to hear the conversation between Tony and her mother, as she hid by the kitchen.

"Just don't hurt her." Susan warned.

"I don't intend to hurt her." Tony looked Susan dead in the eye. "I intend to marry her."

TBC…

Next chapter will contain the reunion, Rob and Pepper's reaction to Tony's revelation. Same as usual please, criticism is appreciated.