Anyone still there reading this? I haven't heard from you guys for so long. Well, anyway, I hope you like this chapter!
The song is 'All About Us' by He Is We feat. Owl City.
I don't own the characters or places!
Pepper
The weeks after Tony's visit in Washington passed in a blur. There were so many things to do that I didn't have much time for anything else in my life. Unfortunately, that also included spending times with the ones I loved.
Luckily, things were good between Tony and me after we had the conversation about John. I knew that Tony had checked on him again to find out more about the mysterious girlfriend. Whatever he found there, it seemed to have soothed his mind. The next day, Tony started a long conversation with John about his career and his life before he entered politics and ever since, they got along well. It also made me feel better. I hated the thought of Tony feeling insecure. He should never doubt my feelings for him or that I wanted to spent the rest of our lives together.
The first trips abroad left me quite nervous and I called Tony as often as possible. That wasn't always that easy because of the time shift, but we managed it at least every two days. We both hated being apart for so long, but it couldn't be changed. I had to go on those trips, people expected it from me. A part of me also enjoyed seeing the world, even if I would have preferred that with Tony by my side.
When we finally returned to the US to start touring there, I felt relieved. It was good to be back in our own country. Somehow, it felt like the expectations were different here. I would have loved to go directly to LA to see Tony, but things weren't so easy. First, much more work had to be done. And besides, he was busy working on the Arc reactor. Apparently, it was nearly finished and Stark Industries could go public with their new technology soon. I couldn't have been more proud and knew that it would be a world wide sensation. After all this time, people were nearly going mad speculating about the things Tony was doing. He still denied it, but he was already a celebrity all around the world. His time as Robert Smith had started it, but now that he wasn't pretending to be someone else anymore, he'd won over even those who'd hated him back then.
After nearly two weeks in Washington, we started the tour through America. First, we travelled down the east coast. In Miami, Clint showed Phil and me his home and how his life had been before we showed up so unexpectedly during the campaign. Then we travelled to the west, crossing Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana until our path led us to Chicago and then Minneapolis.
When we arrived in that city, I began to feel uneasy. I hadn't been there ever since the attack on Tony and me took place a year ago. Sometimes, I still saw that messed up hotel room in my nightmares. Tony, standing in front of me, covered in blood. The moon was shining through the window behind him. Don't you get it? I have to keep you safe, Pepper! I just have to! How could I have been so blind all this time and not realize how Tony felt for me? When I looked back at the events during the campaign now, I wasn't sure how I could have been so blind. Or maybe I just didn't want to see it, thinking that it would make things too complicated?
"We booked another hotel." Phil said quietly when we left the airport. He didn't have to say anything else, I understood that he also thought of that night. In fact, my entire team was nervous. Well, except for John, but he hadn't been with us back then.
I smiled. "Thank you, Phil."
"Not for that." He shook his head and smiled back at me. "Nothing will happen here. It's just the gala this evening and one night. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to Sioux Falls." Somehow, this trip felt like the campaign, just the other way around.
"We will meet Horatio Slade again there, won't we?" I asked curiously, remembering the man quite well.
Phil nodded. "I bet he won't stop telling us that he's been right about Tony all along." It was true, he'd guessed who Tony was last year, simply because he resembled his father so much.
"He wasn't right." I shook my head determinedly. "Tony isn't like his father at all."
"I didn't want to suggest that." He threw in quickly. "I was just saying -"
"That he already thought that Tony wasn't Robert Smith back then, I know." I finished his sentence. The conversation made it easier to ignore in which city we were and I was glad about it. I didn't need to be reminded of all the events that happened in this city.
"Did I show you the dress you will be wearing this evening?" Daisy asked suddenly, interrupting our conversation. The tension in her shoulders and the way she looked out of the window of the car every few moments told me that she also didn't like to be back in Minneapolis.
"Another new dress?" By now, it felt like I was wearing something different on every public appearance. Which was most probably true. Daisy insisted that I couldn't be seen in the same outfit twice. The press would never forgive me for that.
The hotel was across town from the one we stayed at the previous year. It wasn't a very fancy place, but I liked it. The hotel rooms weren't too small, everything was clean and looked modern. A sharp contrast to the a little old-fashioned place from last time.
We didn't stay in the hotel for long, only about two hours. Daisy would need one of them to get my hair done. I decided to call Tony before that happened, last time it was difficult to talk on the phone while Daisy was doing crazy things with my hair. I also didn't want to put him on speaker. I knew that everything she heard would be analysed later and I didn't need that on top of all the stress this tour caused me.
He answered after the second ring. "Hey Pep, good to hear from you." There was a strange noise in the background, nearly as if he was driving.
"Are you driving?" I asked, knowing that most probably, he was travelling back and forth between the company and his house in Malibu. It was nearly finished now and I knew that he'd be able to move in soon.
"Just on my way back to LA. They have done incredible things to the place in Malibu." He confirmed my assumption.
I smiled. "I can't wait to see the house. I bet it will be wonderful." So far, Tony had refused to show me pictures. I knew he wanted it to be a surprise, but I was a little curious anyway.
"You'll be here in a few weeks. Until then, everything will be finished." This made me grimace, even if he couldn't see my face. A few weeks without him were too long. "But let's talk about something else. How are you feeling?" He didn't even try to hide his concern.
"I'm fine." We both didn't have to mention that the reason for his question was the city we stayed it. "We're in another hotel and the gala this evening will also be somewhere else. It's just one night. I'll live through that."
"I wish I could be with you." He sounded unhappy. "You shouldn't have to be there alone."
"But I am not alone. The others are with me."
"I bet they also don't like the city." He scoffed. "Don't say that everything's fine, Pepper. I know you. You would love to leave for Sioux Falls right now, wouldn't you?" His voice turned softer at the end.
"I'm not keen on meeting Mr. Slade again." I threw in. "But yes, I would like to leave."
"Don't think about it. No one can hurt you. Nick has doubled security for those two days." That was new to me and I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
"He did?"
"I might have told him so." Tony chuckled nervously. "Don't be mad. I'm just looking out for you." Even when he couldn't be with me, Tony still did everything to make sure that I was alright. My heart swelled at this.
"I love you." I whispered, the longing to see him getting stronger than ever. "And I miss you."
"I love you too." There was a beeping noise in the background, like the horn of a car. I wondered how fast he was driving with those fancy cars he owned now. I didn't get a chance to ask, though. There was a knock on the door and then Daisy came in, many supplies in her arms. I groaned inwardly at that.
"I think I need to leave. Daisy seems to have many plans for my looks this evening." A look at the clock told me that we still had one and a half hour before we needed to leave.
"Make sure to send me a picture." Tony replied and I knew that he was grinning.
"I will." I promised and threw the phone onto the bed. Then I turned to my best friend, already dreading what was about to come.
The gala was just like all the others. Boring and uneventful. We were in a big ballroom in some famous museum and all the important people from Minneapolis and the small towns surrounding it were there. Also many other politicians and of course reporters. I had to make a speech and after that, there was a banquet. Then the main part of the event started. Lots of talking and dancing. I kept a smile on my lips the entire time, but I felt uneasy anyway. In this location, we had also been last time.
I was just talking to one of the organizers when the constant chatting of people in the background suddenly stopped, making place for surprised questions and even a few gasps. I turned around, not sure what was going on. Everyone was looking towards the entrance doors of the ballroom and I tried to see what had attracted the attention of the other people. However, I was too far away and all my attempts were useless. I could see Phil in the crowd and to my surprise, he was completely relaxed. I took that as a good sign. Whatever happened over there couldn't be so bad when Phil remained calm.
Then suddenly, the crowd parted and my eyes fell on the person who had caused the distraction. For a moment, it felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. Then our eyes met and I felt a smile spread on my lips. "If you would excuse me?" I whispered to the man I'd just been talking to and without waiting for a reply, I began to walk through the room. The hem of the long, blue dress I was wearing waved softly with my movements. Until now, it had distracted me, but in this moment I didn't care. I only had eyes for the person in front of me.
"You look beautiful." Tony said with a brilliant smile on his lips. His eyes were shining.
"How are you here?" I asked, not sure if this was just a dream or reality.
"I had to see you." He held out his hand. "Would you like to dance?"
I took his hand without hesitation and when we began to move on the dancefloor slowly, the constant chatting of people around us started again. I was fully aware that everyone was watching us, but I didn't care. Most probably, they were watching Tony anyway. In his black tux with the white tie, he looked stunning.
"I couldn't stay away from you today." Tony whispered while we were dancing. "I had to be with you in this city."
"So you left everything in LA and came here? Sounds very romantic." I noted.
He smiled slightly. "I guess it is. I hope you don't mind."
This made me laugh. "As if I could ever mind having you with us." I beamed at him. "I'm happier than in a long time."
"I'm glad." He whirled me around in time with the music. "So you're feeling alright?"
"I'm fine." I replied. "Wonderful even, now that you're here." I frowned. "But aren't you needed in Los Angeles?"
"They will survive a few days without me." He said simply. "You're the most important thing right now. Not work."
"How long will you be staying?" I knew that we would see each other again in LA, but the thought of him leaving so soon hurt.
"I'll be with you the entire week. If that's alright for you, of course." He quirked an eyebrow. "People might talk."
I laughed. "They are already talking. Have you noticed how many cameras are pointing at us in this moment?"
"No." Came his immediate reply. "I only have eyes for you. You're stunning."
"You should tell Daisy. She spent more than an hour on my hair." I fought the urge to roll my eyes, considering that we were being watched. "So you weren't driving when we talked?"
"I was. From the airport to our hotel."
"Your hotel?"
"It could be the same as yours." He didn't even look uncomfortable while saying this. "We arrived when you were with Daisy and left for this event when we were sure that you're already gone."
"We?" I felt like a parrot, but there were so many things I didn't understand.
"Loki came with me." Tony grinned. "He can't wait to see you again."
"Is he here?" I asked, looking around from the corner of my eyes to see if I could spot Tom in the crowd.
"He's waiting outside, not wanting to give the people even more to talk about. I think Clint is with him." Tony explained.
For some time, we danced in silence. In the end, it was me who broke it. "I'm glad you're here."
He smiled softly. "Me too, Pepper." The last word wasn't more than a whisper.
As soon as we left the dancefloor, we were surrounded by people. Of course everyone wanted to know why Tony was here. Was it planned that he joined us in Minneapolis? Would he accompany us to more cities? Why wasn't he in LA, working on his new technology? And of course there were dozens of comments and questions about our relationship. One reporter even asked why we weren't married yet, saying that it was scandalous that I was still unmarried as President.
Tony and I answered all of those questions together. I wasn't surprised by how well that worked. During the campaign, we did lots of things like these, just about politics and not our private lives. We were the perfect team. Only once did Tony hesitate to answer a question and that was when we were asked about marriage. I could understand his reaction. We only met a little more than a year ago. Most probably, he wasn't ready to think of marriage yet. Or would it be too much for him considering my current position? I forced those thoughts out of my head, knowing that most probably, he just thought that the question was rude. It had also been my first thought.
When we were finally able to leave the event, I breathed a sigh of relief. "That was exhausting." I muttered as soon as the doors of our car were closed, blocking out the lights of all the cameras.
"It was to be expected." Daisy threw in with a look at Tony. "You could at least have given us a warning."
"It was fine like this." To all our surprise, it was Phil who spoke. "He called me a few days ago, asking if we could make it work."
"Couldn't you have announced it?" Daisy asked incredulously.
"I wanted it to be a surprise." Tony said simply, taking my hand.
"But all those questions -" She started, but he interrupted her.
"Are answered now and that's that. Stop worrying, everything will be alright."
Daisy stared at him. "I liked you better as Robert Smith."
As soon as the comment was out, I couldn't hold back any longer. I started to laugh. Soon, the others joined me. "I'm sure it will be fine." I agreed with what Tony said. "I think we did a good job at answering those questions. And honestly, I don't care what they write in their articles about us."
My best friend sighed. "You're impossible. Did you ever consider that this doesn't make my job easier?"
"Stop complaining, Daisy." Jim threw in. "This will be the topic of the month! I can already see pictures of you two dancing together in all the magazines." He winked at me while saying that. "It will make you two even more popular, if that's even possible."
"I'm not sure if this is good." Daisy muttered, but she didn't add anything else. Luckily, we arrived at the hotel in this moment, which ended the conversation.
Having Tony and Loki with us was a wonderful experience. For the first time, we were travelling together and they didn't have to hide. It was still a little strange to see people calling Tony by his real name when we were outside, but slowly, I was getting used to it.
I was also getting used to the fact that we could hold hands in public very fast. Jim had been right, the fact that Tony joined us in Minneapolis was all over the news. As were pictures of us dancing together. Even our interview in which we answered questions was published. It felt like we were all people talked about these days.
The morning after the gala, Tony even received a call from Rosa Gonzales. She congratulated us on being such a beautiful couple and even invited us over to her place when we were in LA. I knew that this was a big honour, considering that she was such a powerful woman with so much influence. Tony had told me many things about her in the past, but I'd never met her myself. He insisted that she was the nicest woman on earth, but I was a little nervous anyway.
We didn't have the time to go out on a walk in Minneapolis, but I wasn't too sad about it. I couldn't leave this city fast enough. However, we would have two days in Sioux Falls, so we could explore the city some more.
As expected, Horatio Slade was already waiting for us at the airport, a big smile on his lips. I glanced at Tony next to me, but his expression gave nothing away. He only smiled when the other man approached us. "Virginia, such a pleasure to see you again!" Horatio greeted me. "Or should I say Ms. President now?"
"Virginia is fine." I replied with a smile and just like last time, he kissed the top of my hand. Then he turned to Phil.
"You look good, Phil. But you should see the sun some more, you're incredibly pale." After also greeting my team, he turned to Tony. "Mr. Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you officially."
Tony shook his hand. "I would say the pleasure is all mine, but since we already met, I think we can stop with all those polite and empty phrases."
Horatio laughed. "Your father also hated all sorts of pleasantries."
"I think that's the only thing in which we're alike." Tony replied simply. "You will soon notice that I don't agree with the things my father did. We didn't get along well."
"Yet you can't deny that you're related. Only the eyes. You got them from your mother." Next to me, Tony tensed, but there was also a curious look on his face.
"You knew my mother?"
"That's how I met Howard in the first place." Horatio nodded. "We met on an art exhibition many years ago. Your mother liked my portraits of the west coast and we started to talk. I didn't know who your parents were back then."
Suddenly, Tony frowned. "You painted the pictures of the coastline my mother loved so much?"
"Three of them, yes." Horatio looked thoughtful. "The third one was a gift for her. Your father paid far too much for the first two anyway." He smiled, a far-away look on his face. It was obvious that he'd liked Tony's mother.
"I couldn't throw them away." Tony said suddenly, his dislike of the man in front of him seemingly gone. "I wanted to throw away everything in that house, but I knew how much she liked those paintings."
"I'm sorry that I made a wrong impression on you during our first meeting, Mr. Stark." Mr. Slade's words seemed to be honest. "I never wanted to seem like someone who would just tell everyone about your secret."
"It's Tony." His voice was quiet and he cleared his throat. To my surprise, Tony held out his hand again. "Nice to meet you."
"Call me Horatio." And just like that, the two men got along very well.
After spending a quite relaxed day in the company of Horatio Slade, Tony and I decided to go for a walk. Back on our first visit, I didn't fully realize how beautiful Sioux Falls was. Too many thoughts had clouded my mind back then. But now I could fully enjoy the place.
"Seems like Horatio Slade isn't so bad, after all." I said thoughtfully, recalling the long conversation Tony had with him in the afternoon.
He shook his head. "I didn't even know that those paintings in the house are from him. When I think of it now, I should have already seen it last year." He ran a hand through his hair. "Seems like we've been distracted back then."
"We all were." I looked around. "I didn't even remember how beautiful this place is."
"I'm thinking of letting him paint something." Tony said suddenly. "For the company. All those white walls in there can get really depressing."
"Do you have something special in mind?" I wanted to know.
"Not really. Maybe Boston. Or New York. I haven't decided yet. Maybe I'll just let him surprise me." He smiled, seeming to like that thought.
"I'm glad that you get along now. To be honest, I've dreaded coming here again." I admitted with a sigh. "We were sure that he wouldn't stop mentioning being right about you last year."
"I bet he didn't expect me to be with you." Tony smiled slightly. "First, I was determined to hate him for knowing my father. Seems like we were all wrong about him." It turned out that Horatio liked Tony's mother much more than Howard Stark.
"It surely makes our stay in the city much easier. After all, he hosts the event tomorrow." I was looking forward to a time when I wouldn't have to stand in front of a camera every few days.
"You'll be brilliant, as usual." Tony squeezed my hand.
"You only say that to make me feel better." I threw in with a smile.
It made him laugh. "I say that because I love you, Ms. Potts. More than anything."
"I love you too, Tony." I smiled back at him.