Author's notes: Just wanted to say a quick thank-you to my wonderful beta Missy Mayhembecause this is all thanks to her help, encouragement and advice. Couldn't have done this without you, Miz.
Also, thank you to all my lovely readers, those who left reviews, those who put this story in their favourites list or story alert - you don't know how much it means to me, truly. And now, after three months, or more, here it is at last: chapter two. Enjoy!
* Chapter Two: Anywhere but here *
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"When I'm not with you,
I know that it's true, that I'd rather be anywhere but here
Without you.
Anywhere but here."
- by Safetysuit
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(AN UNDEFINED AMOUNT OF TIME EARLIER)
With a drink held safely in one hand, Pepper grinned and spun around, dancing to the tune, singing along. "Light a fire flame in my heaaaart. We'll run wiiiiild, we'll be gloh-wing in the daaaaaark...WOO! Glo-wing in the daaaark ... oooooohh ... run riot! Start glowing in the daaark... OH!"
Pepper whooped and danced on, letting the blood-pumping beats take over.
By the time the song was over, she still had a wide smile on her face, and was lightly flushed.
When Tony entered the room, his eyes were - always, always - glued to her. He paused mid-step, and looked at her with a slightly speculative look on his face, as though seeing her for the first time.
Her eyes were lit with pleasure and mirth he seldom saw in her, and her face was so open and ... bright that for a second he couldn't' look away, utterly mystified. I've never seen her like that, he thought as an honest smile lit his face.
The Zeppelin blared out another song, and Pepper, fantastically unrestrained, started singing again, spinning around unselfconscious and happy.
"Yeeehhh, yeeeeh. Yeeehh, yeeeeh...oh, oh oh! Oh the river oh the river it's running frEE! And I've seen it in the flights of birds... I've seen it in youuuuuu! ... just keep FOLLO-wiiiing the heartlines on your heaaaaaaaad ... cause I am!"
Her eyes were closed and her face was smooth and serene.
Something inside Tony seemed to melt right there, and his eyes became infinitely gentle as he looked at her. Then he stepped closer to her and drew his arms around her, guiding her in a little spin, before settling his hands intimatelyon her hips and drew her into his embrace.
Pepper smiled up at him, humming in pleasure. Tony's smile widened. He secretly loved these moments because he knew that were it any other woman, heck anyone else for that matter, he could never be so himself, could never be so open. But it was Pepper, and their discovery and mutual understanding of each other improved with each day. He didn't have to hide himself from her.
They continued swaying on the spot, but neither spoke. After a moment, Tony took the tumbler from her hand, took a tiny sip, then set it on the table and enfolded her in his arms again.
Pepper's smile narrowed, and the light in her eyes adjusted in tandem with his in the moment that had suddenly become more intimate. The music that was playing now was just perfect for the mood in the air, Sade's powerful vocals weaving a magical spell over them.
Pepper whispered as she sang along to the lyrics, unable to look away from the gentle, hot look on Tony's face. "My love is wider ... wider than Victoria Lake. My love is taller ... taller than the Empire State ... tell meeee ... is it a - criiiiime..."
Tony suddenly leaned down and covered her lips with his own, fusing them together in a gentle kiss that was heavy with emotion which was to this day unspoken but mutual.
Pepper's heart trembled and she carded his hair with her fingers, loving the thick and soft texture of his multiple-hundred dollar haircut.
Their tongues courted one another, and then Tony took charge, exploring the sweet mouth he could never get enough of. His hands moved up to her back and brought her closer still, humming at the little noises she was making.
Tony's brain carried on working.
He was a genius, after all.
But kissing Pepper - indeed anything with Pepper – always distractedhim a little, just enough that not all of his brain power could focus on calculations and schematics. But he didn't consider that a bad thing anymore, to have his mind consumed by a woman, and his heart too. It was Pepper, after all.
Wait - Pepper was lightly scratching at the sensitive nape of his neck, and he couldn't help shivering. Tony compensated by lightly running his digits over the best thighs - always admired Pepper's legs, yep - he had ever seen, and felt smug when she pushed insistently against him in response to this caress.
The music carried on but they were busy in a dance of a different kind now.
What had started out as a light, innocent moment of closeness, had quickly transformed into hot, steady fire that was starting to spark, a fire that could not be denied.
Pepper's hands were now sweeping his chest, up his throat, tracing his jaw, inhaling the powerful scent that she found intoxicating.
Tony's hands were not home birds, by any means. They roamed, had always liked travelling, touching, tracing, studying, learning curves - be they metal, or a woman's.
Besides, Pepper's hypnotising derrière was a thing of beauty that he could not resist for long.
HOW he had managed to keep his hungry hands off it all these years, he would probably never know. He truly must have been both mad and blind.
But, no dwelling on the past right now.
His hands cupped her and brought her into blessed contact with a very interesting - interested? Oh, YES - area south of his belt. Tony gave a happy groan, finding this new-found closeness extremely satisfying.
A shiver ran through Pepper at the shockingly possessive move, and her legs seemed to turn into jell-o as his masculine growl reverberated through his chest. She still found it difficult to come to terms with the sheer depth of his desire for her, something that had never happened with her previous partners.
Her innermost feminine side instinctively replied to his masculine call. Pepper's face became warmer as her hips started undulating slightly, unable to stay still when the evidence of his desire was so obvious and so close to her own yielding flesh.
His name escaped her lips in a breathy whisper. She felt drugged, and deliciously wanton, and so, so ready to be with him.
Tony's eyes dilated as he read her answer in her languorous eyes, half-lidded and alluring.
Taking a firm grip of her bottom again, he hoisted her up and Pepper gave a soft squeak at the unexpected move, her long delicious legs wrapping around him to secure her position. She leaned close to him and took his bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it and soothing it with a fire trail of her tongue.
Tony growled again, his hard fingers digging more firmly into her flesh. Oh yeah. She was gorgeous. His -out-of-control-gorgeous Pepper.
Flames licked at his belly, and he started moving towards the general direction of the bedroom, holding her safely close, her legs securely anchored at his hips, she the sweetest weight he had ever held.
"Oh, bed-time Mr. Stark."
Tony felt for the door and pushed it open, dipping her briefly as he kissed her. She wound her arms around his neck and her toes curled from the delicious anticipation as he straightened and lifted her a few inches higher up his chest, before lowering her again, her legs entwining lovingly at his back.
Pepper whimpered at the friction. "Tony..."
He nipped at her throat, feeling a ripple of savage satisfaction as she purred. His breath ghosted over her ear, and her breath hitched at his whisper. "Amore..."
They fell onto the bed and did not sleep for many hours.
The next day Pepper stepped off the plane and took a moment to breathe in the delicious warm air, fragrant with vitality and sweet natural mystery.
Tony had utterly surprised her - actually, it was more of a shock, really - because he'd sprung his fabulous idea on her last week, had managed to do it all by himself - therein lay the shock - and now here she was, thousands of miles away from the company and everything stress-related, in a paradise location.
Even working for Tony Stark so many years, this was the first time she had set foot in the Bahamas, and already she felt lighter, more care-free, and as thoughso many possibilities stretched at a mere reach of her fingertips.
Tony had proposed they go on a little vacation to unwind a little, just the two of them.
Of course, as usual when he told her they were in one of those energy-absorbing moments where the company needed all their brainpower and efforts combined, and shecouldn't possibly contemplate making an escape, a retreat.
A retreat, at a time like this?
Well, I'm just saying, you know, get a chance to recharge your batteries …
Not everybody runs on batteries, Tony.
She firmly pushed that memory out of her mind, determined she would enjoy these seven days fully.
She still couldn't believe that he'd done it all himself, with the help of JARVIS as his ever faithful guide/enabler, of course. Tony had sprung his genius on her at a particularly harried moment, she'd distractedly turned him down (she usually SHOT him down), and he'd listened to her opinions, then disregarded them and embraced his own.
As usual. But not only that, he'd cleared both their schedules, had two important 'be-there-or-I-will-neuter-you' meetings ahead of time, got things done with PR, and now here she was.
Seven days and eight nights stretched ahead of her, and Pepper had to admit to herself that she was very glad of the break.
Now if only her wayward boyfriend could be persuaded to come join her in this spotless plot of paradise. Unfortunately, Tony had been called away at the very last second, and it had been so important that he couldn't put it off.
They had agreed -much to her displeasure, but he insisted- that she would travel ahead on the jet, and as soon as he tied off this last unexpected knot, he would join her that evening, and give way to their romantic retreat in tropical paradise.
Pepper sighed regretfully; she'd have to wait to put on the little hot pink bikini that Tony was absolutely dying to see on her.
But then she cheered up as she thought of all the activities she could do on the private island, and ... The Spa. Apparently the Shambhala Retreat had one of the most extensive treatment list in the world for its Spa ... that sounded like - paradise. Her body being made to sing - and not because of great sex with Tony - just a phone call away.
The car was waiting for her on the tarmac of the private airstrip, and Pepper hurried inside. She reclined back on the luxurious seat and looked at the beautifully stunning scenery zooming past outside the windows, waiting to get to Saadet House, the villa Tony owned. It was all beautiful and magical … she only wished Tony was here with her.
Stretching her tired muscles, she settled more comfortably into the soft leather seat and, resting her head back, let the car lull her into a state of semi-sleep.
Pepper emerged from the en-suite bathroom, a fluffy white towel wrapped around her body whilst she scrubbed at her wet hair with another, her dreamy gaze immediately drawn onto thebalcony outside, and the inviting horizon that stretched beyond that, seemingly into eternity. She'd picked the western master-suite to stay in, and since she'd also taken Tony's luggage with her, she figured that would be the first thing she'd have to see to.
After having helpfully taken care of this, and neatly placed all their belongings in the large walk-in closet, the staff made themselves scarce.
"Oh, how beautiful is this place!" Pepper sighed happily, feeling much better after the luxurious shower that had lifted all the invisibleweightoff her shoulders.
She was going to have a light breakfast and then head over to the private beach with her trusty camera companion, in search of beautiful scenery to snapshot. It looked like there was only too much of that in every direction she turned.
Tony had told her to take it easy and do whatever she wanted after arriving at the house, but Pepper was torn between doing a little more thorough sight-seeing, and staying close to the property in readiness for Tony's arrival that evening.
Dressing quickly in a light shirt and tiny white sailor's shorts, Pepper took her beach bag and headed downstairs towards the pool. She settled for a little fresh air in the perfectly manicured lush tropical garden and plenty of sunshine, on a comfy recliner. Settling in, she applied sun lotion and her sunglasses – everything was so bright here, it took some getting used to – she dug into her fresh fruit and blueberry cupcake breakfast with gusto, loving the feel of the salty warm breeze through her hair. She'd read her book for a couple of hours, then head down to the beach for some Catamaran sailing with an instructor 'Sheron', or some other. She'd have to have a look at the itinerary planned out in her notebook to make sure she got the name right though, because she honestly couldn't be certain she remembered it correctly.
Pepper hoisted her Canon up to her face, adjusted the lenses, and snapped a shot of the gorgeously simple colours of the pier leading down to the private beach, the wind ruffling her hair. She'd just returned from sailing with 'Sheron' – who had not been a woman as she had assumed. Pepper had been pleasantly surprised when the guys down at the agency had introduced her to a very fit looking rippled man with a tumbled head of blonde hair and shocking grey eyes … but she wouldn't mention this to Tony in so many words, Pepper thought. Best to leave certain thoughts to herself. It was all innocent after all, but Tony being Tony, he'd never leave her alone about it, constantly demanding she tell him every little detail about going out on a boat with Sheron and his crew, in order to assuage his (jealous) fears.
After sailing with Sheron (which had been great fun as she'd never been in a catamaran before), she'd returned to the house and had a chicken al pesto salad sandwich, surprised at how hungry she was. It must be the sea-air, she reasoned, it did wonders for the well-being … and the appetite.
Then again, who wouldn't feel practically god-like after just a few hours in this corner of the earth? The Turks and Caicos Islands were her first foray into the Caribbean, and were working their magic on her already. Pepper was used to travelling up and down the country, and out of country for the company. She did it both as Tony's PA and now as CEO of Stark Enterprises. She'd seen many, many wondrous exotic places, both in the orient and in the Old Continent, and had acquired over the years her own personal favourite locations. Saadet House was huge – one of the biggest of Tony's real estate properties, but it was quickly going into her topmost favourite list.
Speaking of appetite -
Pepper gnawed on her lower lip as she absently went through the stunning photographs on her camera, thinking about Tony.
She supposed she should tell herself to stop mooning and to just fill her time doing some of the many activities that the islands offered in his absence, to enjoy herself to the maximum. She definitely should be glad of this small window of time she had to herself, where she could relax and unwind a little from her daily life.
Truth is, this was meantto be an utterly romantic get-away with her exuberant and larger-than-life other half, and she missed him.
She began strolling on the white sand, completely focused on her own inner musings. This too was a rare luxury. There were still plenty of hours left until his arrival, and so many ways for her to kill the time … like planning how she'd welcome him.
Pepper's lips quirked in a secret little smile as she thought of the truly gorgeous items of clothing she'd brought with her. And the lingerie, as well as the bikinis.
So many choices … She started planning it all: where she would meet him – out in the pool deck, or inside, like in the master suite? – and what she would wear (the lacy two-piecewith pale fuchsia details, or the red bikini?) It felt great to be able to allow herself to think such thoughts with regards to Tony; after years of repressed and sublimated feelings, she could finally let it happen. She could let herself dare to want it.
That's when she felt something strange.
Pepper stopped walking and stood stock still as a strange shiver ran up her spine, making her flesh crawl. Instinctively, she raised her head and looked about her, towards the trees and bushes, then further back to her left towards the shoreline, almost expecting to see someone else there.
But there was no one.
The shivers became so pronounced her shoulder jerked towards her neck, almost as if she were cold. Her breathing sped up slightly. Her body was trying to warn her of something, and feeling slightly alarmed, Pepper wondered what on earth was going on. And then her body became rigid, all the joints seemingly locked down. What was happening? She wanted to move, and envisioned placing one foot in front of the other in order to carry on walking … and found herself incapable of even raising her ankles, as though she was glued to the ground.
A cold breeze swept over her, so cold it was almost icy, and Pepper shivered more violently, wanting desperately to move, to understand what was happening.
And then her body seemed to lose all the rigidity. Her legs felt like they were made of jell-o, but she could move again. So she did.
Pepper stumbled forward, almost as if she had been pulling on something that had suddenly snapped back and carried her in its momentum. Her icy fingers almost lost their grip on the camera, but she righted herself just in time. Her head swung this way and that, feeling disconcerted by what had just happened. When her heart rate normalised, she shook herself off and hurried back to the house, feeling an infinite number of eyes following her up the path, although when she looked there was no one there, her skin prickling with it. She hurriedly shut the front doors and leaned against them for a moment, exhaling softly. She felt a bit better now that she was no longer out in the open and in a house with people she could-
"Oh, stop it. Stop, Virginia." Pepper rallied her efforts and calmed down, dismissing the whole thing as too much stress that she needed to let go of; clearly Tony had been right, in this instance if not in others, a vacation would do them both a world of good.
Later that afternoon she connected the memory card to her laptop and downloaded all the photos she'd taken earlier, and they were faithful representations of the stunning beauty that surrounded her. She picked one of the ocean and the beach and set it as her desktop wallpaper. Looking through the ones she'd taken on the catamaran, she smiled as Sheron's goofy face cropped up here and there in a couple of shots, posing comically for the camera. Pepper particularly liked the one where almost all the crew was captured in the same shot, all working together with ropes and sails.
All in all, she thought, not a bad morning at all. Next she checked her phone for emails and messages, but there were none from Tony. She figured that he must still be pretty tied up and couldn't spare even a moment to text her. Pepper refused to dwell too much on the inkling of disappointment accompanied by the longing she felt.
Never mind, she thought, I'll have him all to myself in a few hours. Soon they could finally take a break from it all, and just be. And she'd be keeping him very busy for the rest of the week. What a perfectly delicious prospect that was.
Next she looked up her schedule with island activities for the rest of the day, and she was due in for an Indonesian massage in a couple of hours. Pepper left the computer on standby, hoisted it under her arm and dropped her phone next to it on the desk, making her way upstairs and into the shower. There she placed it on the desk in front of the French doors and went into the en-suite.
Pepper stepped out into the bedroom and paused. The floaty white drapes on the French door were swaying gently in the breeze of the coming night air, almost as if they had a will of their own and a specific choreography to follow, beckoning the blue horizon and the setting sun.
She could have sworn she'd shut the door before entering the bathroom. A niggling feeling made her nape tingle. Maybe one of the staff had opened it whilst she was in the shower, Loretta perhaps? But she hadn't heard anyone come in and move about.. Pepper's uneasy frown was not completely smoothed off her face as she considered this. The chillier breeze swept her wet flesh and she hurriedly stepped forward to shut the door. She stilled for a moment, hand on the handle gazing out into the balcony and the approaching twilight.
She could make out her own reflection in the glass surface, and did not like the veiled worry in her own eyes. The corners of her mouth curved down slightly, and then shook her head. She making a mountain out of an ant hill. The massage would do her some good.
Then suddenly something in the reflection just next to her moved. Pepper yelled and quickly turned around, startled out of her wits. There was no one there, but she had seen something behind her moving. She was losing her mind, there couldn't be any other explanation. She heard the staff's voices floating up to her from the ground floor, and felt some reassurance. Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. She breathed deeply and then quickly dressed.
She skipped dinner and decided she might grab a quick bite at the spa, or just wait until Tony arrived so they could dine together, at least. She'd pigged out on enough food for the whole day anyway.
Pepper descended the staircase that lead to the hallway. The lights were slightly dimmed to make for a cosier ambiance, which probably meant that most of the staff had retired to their apartments.
She grabbed her bag and headed out the path towards the Shambhala Resort, where the spa centre was.
In the meantime, it had grown almost fully dark, and the sounds of night animals catcalling and moving in the brush made her extremely nervous. The Resort was only a ten minute walk away from the house, so she didn't see the need to disturb the chauffeur to driver her there, when she could walk. And the cool night air would probably do her some good. She'd been exposed to the hot sun all those hours during the day and wasn't used to it, so now it was all probably catching up with her, making her 'see' things and all. Pepper picked up her pace and breathed in the rich smells of a Caribbean night, feeling pleasure rolling all the way to her toes. It was beautiful, and it felt so great to be free for a few days of her responsibilities and her work.
But then a chill caressed her nape, making her shiver. It felt like the same chill she'd felt earlier in the afternoon out on the beach.
She clutched her bag tightly and walked faster, her stance rigid, like when (years ago) she had lived in a less than savoury part of town, and walking around the streets of her neighbourhood at night always put her on edge and on the alert for attackers. Her more logical side was telling her to stop being so ridiculous, for goodness' sake – she was perfectly safe here, Pepper knew this, but for some reason she just couldn't shake the feeling of warning.
She went thicker into the small palm tree thicket, but was reassured in seeing the bright lights of the Shambhala up ahead and not too far away. Exotic birds called to each other and insects buzzed lowly around her as she walked, being careful to avoid tripping, and following the general path lit up by small outdoors lanterns planted into the ground. She was very intent on reaching her destination, and focused on avoiding roots and stones on the ground, but Pepper still realised the very second it happened that suddenly everything around her went awfully quiet, like someone had abruptly muted all sounds.
The sound of her breathing was particularly loud in her ears as a result, and her eyes immediately scanned the area, her senses sharpening and stretching out to capture as much as possible.
Of course, of course she'd come all the way out here to the Caribbean only to be assaulted, it was typical of her luck. Her survival instincts kicked in and told her that staying out in the open and exposed to threats was not ideal survival material. She crept up to a palm tree and hid behind its trunk, alert to all and any possible sounds.
She thought she heard rustling noises in her vicinity, and desperately wished for a weapon of some kind, but in the dark she couldn't see very well. It sounded … oh god, it sounded like footsteps. Pepper bit her lip and firmly told herself to stay calm and be ready for a fight and flight; she wasn't stupid enough to think that if anyone had nefarious intents towards her person, that she could handle it without trying to get away. She waited with bated breath for a sign of something moving, the blood roaring in her ears and her heart beating madly against her ribcage, her body tensed and ready to spring into action.
An icy breeze swept in from the trees in front of her and though she was mostly sheltered by the palm trunk, she still felt its sting. The light wind that picked up moaned eerily through the thicket, and grated on nerves that were quickly wrought from anxiety. Her legs trembled slightly, but she refused to be completely intimidated and loose her cool ability to think clearly. The wind soon died down, and after that there was nothing.
Pepper waited and could almost feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, sustaining it. When nothing happened for a few minutes, she relaxed slightly and felt it was safe to step out from behind the tree trunk and get the hell out of there. That's exactly what she did, all but running down the lit path, her heart thundering in her ears, shivering as the adrenaline banked. She could see the trees thinning out up ahead and giving way to the resort grounds, and could have cried with relief. She was almost there now, and everything would be fine, and she was definitely going to ask the reception to organise motorised transport back to the house when her massage was over.
Pepper stepped more quickly down the path that gave way to steps into the courtyard with its brightly lit fountains. Her spine crawled again, and it felt like the breath had been knocked out of her lungs with the sheer intensity of her body's response. With a cry of alarm, Pepper whipped around … and never saw the hit coming.
The jet sped through the dark sky, cutting through fluffy white clouds noiselessly. The only crew inside, apart from the pilot, were two stewardesses who quietly attended to the catering service. The plane's only passenger, Tony Stark, sat in one of the comfortable chairs, looking over schematics for an SE project and nursing a tumbler of scotch.
He liked the quiet of the cabin, his mind intensely focused on the papers before him. Taking this short break had truly been genius, both he and Pepper needed it. Considering the events that had transpired in New York five months previously, with S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers Initiative, the rebuilding of the Tower, and the company obligations both he and Pepper had, there had been very little time they could spend relaxing and truly enjoy each other's company.
Tony knew he had surprised her immensely – and this time it was a surprise of the good kind - and he felt both proud at having done something that pleased her, but also smug (because he was Tony Stark after all).
In just under thirty minutes the plane would land on the private strip, and then he'd race to the house, and to her, impatient to finally be with her.
Tony looked out the window and smiled, the ice clinking inside the tumbler a comforting sound for when he was feeling introspective – which happened more and more often these days. Seven days of pure bliss with Pepper in the Caribbean (and the nights, he was looking forward to those with barely restrained glee). Fantasies of Pepper wearing dozens of colourful and tastefully revealing bikinis and floaty peignoirs filled the largest portion of his mind, whilst the rest always worked in the background in some way, making calculations, considering algorithms, thinking up ways to improve the suit's durability during flight -
The suit.
Tony hadn't told her, but he'd brought the Mark VI with him this night. He fully intended to have nothing to do with Iron Man for the next week, but that didn't mean that the world had the same plans. He'd learned a hard lesson last year, that he must always be prepared. He also had JARVIS downloaded onto a small platform on his StarkPhone that would keep him updated on any situations that may require Iron Man to step in.
One of the stewardesses approached him with a dutiful, if lightly flirtatious smile. "We're landing in ten minutes, Mr. Stark, is there anything I can do for you?"
Her tone was both helpful and suggestive, and he was silently thankful that Pepper wasn't here with him.
With a wry smirk, he looked her steadily in the eye (no more looking down their shirts to their racks) and answered her, his tone steady and subtly stern. "No thank you Mora, that'll be all." He gulped the rest of the scotch, handed her the tumbler and closed his eyes. Having been clearly dismissed, the woman retreated as silently as she had come. It briefly occurred to him that actually her name was probably Laura, but his firm dismissal had had the desired effect, and there was no point in calling her back to apologise now.
The jet landed smoothly on the tarmac, and before the wheels had fully rolled to a stop, Tony was already out of his seat and striding purposefully to the exit, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for the crew on board to open the door and extend the stairs.
A couple of minutes later the pilot exited his cabin. Tony thanked Teddy for the flight and told him to pick them up next week, then fairly skipped down the stairs. The only thing he personally saw to was the casket in which the Mark VI was secretly hidden. After seeing that it followed his car, he got in, and smiled at the thought of seeing Pepper at last.
In the distance, at the Shambhala Resort, Tanesha had just stepped out for a cigarette through the staff's entrance where she had a clear view of the courtyard and beyond that the palm trees that formed a small thicket. The night air was warm and fragrant with exotic plants and the smell of the ocean breeze, both familiar and welcome in the aftermath of the kitchens' heat. She blew the smoke out and stood next to the door, looking out towards the dark water and crossing one arm on her midriff to hug herself.
A distant voice suddenly cried out, and Tanesha instinctively turned to her right to see where it came from.
She saw a woman on the far sideof the courtyard, barely out of the trees. Tanesha frowned and rolled her eyes, going back to her cigarette. These rich people, she thought, shaking her head. Out of curiosity she turned back to look.
A man appeared out of nowhere through the tree line. His features were indistinct to her at this distance, but she could see the dark hair. He wrapped his arms around the woman's torso, one hand going up to tilt her head backwards. The woman appeared to be struggling.
Tanesha's cigarette hung limply from her slack mouth and fell to the floor, unnoticed as she gasped. The woman seemed to stop fighting and sagged into the man's arms. He slowly retreated through the trees, and Tanesha saw them no more. She shakily placed a steadying hand on her chest and then ran back inside, banging the door shut.
Tony gave the butler who came out to greet him instructions as to what he wanted him to do with the casket, then grabbed his small holdall and jogged into the foyer, a brilliant smile on his face.
"Honey, I'm home!" In but a few moments he would be with Pepper again. He could barely contain his excitement; though he had insisted for her sake that she go ahead without him, Tony never liked being away from her for long periods of spied Loretta coming out of the large room overlooking the patio and turned to greet her. The middle-aged housekeeper he'd grown fond of over the years always had a big smile on her face and a warm hug for him.
"Loretta, you haven't aged a day! Where's Pepper?"
"Oh Mr. Stark, how you do run on! Ms. Potts isn't in residence." Tony frowned, feeling a little crushed that Pepper would be out of the house when she knew what time he was coming. Wait. What did that mean 'not in residence'? Pepper wasn't on the premises? His frown deepened.
"Where did she go?"
"She left this evening to go to the Spa centre … but I'd have thought she should be done by now and back here. How odd."
Tony spoke hurriedly. "What time did she leave?"
"Around seven pm, sir."
Tony looked at his watch, feeling a little lost. It was almost half ten now.
"All right thank you, old girl. Incidentally, there is a very valuable casket waiting to be put into safe storage, I'll leave that in your capable hands and rely on your discretion."
Loretta nodded and excused herself. Tony went into the office and got on the phone with Chris Lawson, the hotel manager. He quickly explained the situation and asked him to check where Pepper was. Chris was an old friend, and he assured Tony that he would approach his Department Heads with the utmostdiscretion, and contact Tony the second he knew anything.
As soon as Chris hung up Tony immediately tried Pepper's phone, listening to it ringing. She didn't pick up. With a muttered curse, Tony hung up and paced around the desk.
During the next few minutes, whilstwaiting for Chris to call back, he tried her phone a handful more times but without luck. If she was in the spa, obviously she wouldn't have her phone next to her. Tony tried to smother the anxiety that rose within him, but experience guided him, and he knew, he just knew –
Don't panic Stark, don't panic –
The house phone rang and Tony immediately picked up, listening to the voice on the other end. His jaw became rigid and his expression taut. "Yes, I understand, thank you. I'll let you know as soon as there's anything to tell you.I appreciate your help in this Chris, I'll keep in touch." He hung up and clenched his fists by his side, looking out the large window. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be! Pepper was missing. Missing.
Okay, panic.
He took out his phone out and connected with JARVIS.
"JARV, you getting this?"
"I have indeed apprehended the situation, sir. I will commence GPS tracking of Ms. Potts' phone, and am scanning the security video feeds for her last known location."
Tony pressed a button on the desk intercom, and tersely spoke into it. His ribcage felt like it was squeezing his heart and lungs from the inside, and he struggled for breath. A horrible feeling took up residence in the pit of his stomach – and the scotch was probably making it worse – and it was difficult for him to stay calm. Tony didn't stay calm, Tony shot-fired-aimed. He'd always left the thinking to others, namely Pepper.
Two minutes later the butler, Loretta and all the house staff that had been on the premises since early this morning were in the office. Loretta looked very concerned.
"Guys, Ms. Potts arrived here this morning, as you all well know, and in between seven pm and ten thirty this evening she appears to have gone missing. I want each and every one of you to tell me what she did today, where she went, who she spoke to, everything you know. You, go. When did you see her last?"
The dark-skinned plump maid in charge of the master bedrooms upstairs spoke haltingly, looking upset.
"I make the rooms this morning in preparation for your arrival, Mr. Stark. Madam had the luggage set up in the western suite, then she go out to the pool for sun. All afternoon, I only see her once."
"When? When did you see her?" Tony's voice was harsh, and he fought to restrain the angry growl forming in his throat.
"I see her just after three, I think. She come in from sailing."
"Sailing with who? Where?" Tony stepped closer to the woman, his stance unconsciously more aggressive, his body fraught with tension.
The woman shook her head. The butler,Mason, spoke up. "She went catamaran sailing around lunch-time, sir, I believe it was with the OysterSun team down by the beach. I will call them now and make enquiries as to who took her out."
"Thank you Mason, tell them I need to know everything. Now!"
Tony turned to the others, the five maids and three gardeners as well as Loretta. "What else can you tell me? Did she eat here, what did she do between three and seven? Come on, come on!" He snapped, glaring at them all.
Loretta told him that Pepper had eaten in the house, then said she'd go for a walk out into the beach to take photos. Tony's breathing halted for a second. Photos. She'd taken pictures of-
"Loretta, where's her camera?" His heart beat faster like a hummingbird behind the buzzing arc reactor in his chest.
"I think she hooked it up to her computer when she came back, to put the photos in there. She left her computer in the suite, sir." Tony quickly left the office and ran down the corridor. When he reached the hallway, he bounded up the staircase and was inside the master suite in no time. He immediately saw that her laptop was on the small desk next to the French doors, and that is was still turned on. His heart beating out a frantic tune, he quickly pressed a key on the keyboard and brought up the image folder with her latest photos.
Tony carried the laptop to the settee at the foot of the bed and sat down, skimming through the hundred plus photos. Most wereof the scenery, the house, the boats, the sea, a few with her in it, some with other people on a boat out to sea – the catamaran.
"Loretta!" He shouted to make his voice carry down to the ground floor. A few minutes later Loretta entered the suite, slightly out of breath.
"Where's Mason? How long is it going to take for him to get the information I require?"
"I'll send someone down to see how it's going, sir. Did … did you find anything, Mr. Stark?" Her soft voice was hesitant, and for a moment Tony took comfort that Loretta had a soft spot for Pepper, and she too was genuinely concerned; it was good to know that others cared about her and would lend their help without a thought.
"I can tell from these photos that she didn't go very far into the island. You said she went outside on the pool deck this morning, and then went down to the beach for sailing. Did she leave a message, or instructions before she left for her spa appointment, anything at all?"
"Well, from what I understand Ms. Potts kept herself busy today, but never wandered very far from the premises. The only time she must have truly put some distance between herself and the house is when she went sailing. She had lunch, went out for a walk and – oh."
"What? Loretta, what?" He all but shouted, fear twisting his gut.
Loretta hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly as she tried to recall something. "Yes I – yes, there was something, sir. When she returned from her walk. She looked … strange and slightly worried about something. I tried to know more about what had upset her, but she told me it was just stress, I – oh! This is all my fault!" Loretta exclaimed softly, and covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly.
Tony got up and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders, speaking soothingly. "What do you mean, Lore? What are you talking about?"
Loretta sniffed and looked up at him with teary eyes. "She said that she'd felt something in her back and the shoulders, so I suggested that she go for one of the massage treatments up at the spa tonight, before your arrival. I'm the one who sent her out to the resort, I did this!" Loretta gulped down the tears, her face a mask of misery.
Tony comforted her. "You couldn't have known, old girl. It wasn't your fault. None of us could have-" he broke off and tightened his mouth. Loretta saw the fraught anxiety in his face, and felt all the more guiltyfor sending Pepper out, for not insisting that she be taken to the resort by car.
Mason knocked lightly and entered the suite, clearing his throat, a piece of paper in his hands. Tony approached him immediately with a fierce expression on his face. "Mason, what have you got?"
The old butler too looked worried. "I spoke with OysterSun Sailing and they gave me a number for the instructor who took Ms. Potts out today. I asked them to contact him immediately and he told them that he would come up here directly to talk to you, sir. He and a crew of three took Ms. Potts out on the catamaran for a couple of hours, offered her to lunch with them, which she declined and that was all there was to it."
"Okay. Okay, tell me the moment this guy arrives and show him into the office."
Tony tried to reassess the situation and to put all the pieces together to form a cohesive history of her day.
Chris Lawson called to tell him what he'd discovered. Pepper had booked an appointment for seven that evening in the spa, but she never made the appointment. He apologised profusely because no one at the resort had thought anything of it, certainly hadn't contacted the house to inquire as to why Ms. Potts wasn't coming. He'd sounded truly contrite when it became clear that Pepper went missing just before her appointment, because the hotel should have raised the alarm sooner. Tony understood that he'd gained an infinite well of personal favours from Lawson, who was extremely embarrassed by the incident with one of his wealthiest and most trusted clients and acquaintances.
Acid made its way up Tony's gut and burned his throat. Silently, he cursed himself to the nth ring of hell for insisting that she precede him in coming out here alone. Pepper hadn't wanted to leave without him, and told him that a day wouldn't matter all that much, that they could take the jet and travel together. He'd insisted, damn him, he always had to have things his way, always had to have the last word. He'd adamantly told her that he wanted her to begin the vacation straight away, and that he would join her that evening, because he wanted her to have fun as soon as possible.
They'd bickered about it until she gave in. He left the house to go in to the R&D Department where Matt Frackas awaited his help on a complex algorithm. He recalled very vividly their kiss goodbye, her hands on his jaw and caressing his hair, his gentle hold of her upper arms, sweeping his hands down to her wrists, something he'd been doing for years. It had been their las-
NO! No, he wasn't going to think that way, he wouldn't!
Loretta had gone to supervise the preparations of the kitchen staff and to make sure that his casket had been stored properly. Tony bitterly thought that he'd been right again to bring the Mark VI with him, it looked like he was going to need it.
He looked out the window into the dark night, feeling his heart break and his chest seize in pain at the thought of her goodness knew where, with whom, and in what state. His eyes filled with grief, Tony placed a fist by his head onto the glass, and he knew true fear once more. Where are you Pepper?
End of chapter two. Please R&R!