Chapter 2: IWUL

And here is the next chapter! OMG! Guys, thank you so much for all those reviews! And thank you, mysterious followers who both followed and favorite this story! I was beyond happy, much more than happy really. Thank you!

Disclaimer: It almost made it to my hands, but someone else took it….

Pepper sat quietly on the floor. Maybe it wasn't exactly the most intelligent idea to leave the armory while Tony was fighting. She should've kept an eye on him, but the hurt and misery overwhelmed her. She was just so close to saying the "L" word that never seemed to escape either of their lips.

In fact, she made a face and pinched her index and thumb together. She was that close. "Me and my bad timing." She mumbled crossing her arms across her chest. Pepper was in a strange basement. There were steel bars that crossed, making it look like a trapdoor above. That was her only source of light in the cold, damp basement. She fumbled with her small purse, and dumped out its contents.

"Keys? No. Lipstick? No. Oh! There's my lip-gloss. YES! PHONE!" Pepper silently squealed and threw open the lid of the flip phone. She swore, there was no reception.

So, to pass the time, she managed to beat every game on her little phone. If it were Tony's she wouldn't have to worry about no reception. Tony's handy-dandy phone came with its own reception, so he could call from anywhere at anytime. "Lucky duck. Couldn't he at least think of making one for me? Well, I'm not the one talking…" Pepper mumbled.

Suddenly, there was a jingle from above. Pepper shielded her eyes and watched as a dark silhouette looked down at her. "Pepper." It said.

Pepper scowled. "Gene." She paused. "What do you want with me?" It came out harsh that was all Gene would be hearing from here on out. If there was one thing Pepper wouldn't be doing, it was being soft with him.

It was her walk from the armory, that Gene caught her. He poofed up right in front of her and was as The Mandarin. His rings were set ablaze, ready to caste any needed enchantment to take her away. Pepper had screamed, and tried running back, but one of Gene's eight rings blazed to life and silenced her. She fell into his arms, and that was it. She woke up in the basement cell of the Mandarin's mansion.

"My dearest Pepper, surely you know what I want." Gene teased, smiling down at her. His eyes glowed darkly, letting out a dark sense of humor. He leaned against the bars, smirking.

"Don't you ever call me dearest! I hate you, I hope you know that. I HATE YOU! Tony will come and save me, he'll find me and beat the living daylights out of-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" Gene shouted frustrated. He activated a ring and teleported directly in front of her. Pepper scrambled to her and pressed her back against the cool concrete wall. Gene threw his hand out, and wrapped his smooth hands around her throat, squeezing without mercy. Pepper choked, clawing helplessly at his bronze tinted hands. Gene ended up using his other hand to pin her two hands above her head. He leaned in very close to her. "Tony won't be here. You hear me? I called him on your phone while you were—sleeping." Gene looked down at her and looked back into her eyes. Pepper blushed.

"Tony will come and get me. I know he will." Pepper choked out quietly. Gene sighed and looked away from her. Then very suddenly, he slapped her roughly across the cheek, then he proceeded to pin her arms up again.

"You won't. He'll end up dying before reaching you. My security has been tripled." Gene added with a smirk.

"I'm flattered that you put all those thugs out there for me. But you don't know Tony like I do." Pepper choked out. Gene gave another hard squeeze before letting her go. Pepper fell to the ground.

"You're as stubborn as I imagined, Potts. I like that. You know why I kidnapped you?" He asked. Pepper shook her head.

"I want Tony to know I took something important from him. Just as he took, well previously took, my rings." Gene changed into The Mandarin. "Something that is valuable to him."

…

Tony was completely frantic. He ran around the armory, checking all the computers fro any sign of his girlfriend. He was, almost, close to tears. His heart ached from the rapid beating and his ribs hurt from running a wall from fear.

"Come on Pepper. Where are you?" Suddenly one of his fourteen computers beeped. Tony never felt so relieved. It was as though God had showered him with mountains of chocolate. He ran up to the computer, his heart pounding so hard he was afraid he would faint. He leaned against he computer, hoping to catch his breath.

"Please let it be Pepper. Computer, answer that and I promise you that you'll be donated to a community college." Tony shouted at this computer.

"Yes sir." The computer responded in its monotone voice. Tony face palmed. But, he didn't have the time to argue with his logical machine. He quickly scanned the computer screen and groaned. It was RobGlob. Instantly, fury rose inside Tony like an erupting volcano. His vision flooded in red, and in anger, he swept his hand across the holographic computer screen. If that stupid mutant hadn't interrupted the chat he and Pepper were having, this wouldn't have happened.

As he suited up, allowing the armor to engulf him, he tried remembering that chat. Pepper was about to say something. But what? She never acted this way around him before. They dated for so long, and had many dates together. But never once had she hugged him so vigorously, or avoided a kiss. She liked him, and he liked her. It was supposed to be that simple, right?

By the time Tony arrived to the scne of the crime, RobGlob was making a run for it. "Oh no you don't." Tony muttered. He quickly pulled out an invention he had made ages ago, and threw it towards the slimy mutant. The instant the invention hit RobGlob, it exploded into a bright blue light. Once the light subsided, Tony pushed towards the newly light box in the middle of the Manhattan streets. Tony laughed and picked up the container. RobGlob, uselessly, tried morphing in order to escape his cell.

"What did you do to me?" He yelled putting his hands on the box.

"Nothing. This electromagnetically created, airtight container will keep you in there. Oh and if you do happen to escape, let's just say you can't. The blue light that is flowing through the box? Yeah, it'll shock you so much you could possibly die." Tony responded coolly. There was an explosion of claps and flashes of camera light. Iron Man, absentmindedly, waved in the direction of his fans and flew into the sky.

"What, you're going to take me to jail? You know I'll get out you know." The villain teased. Tony merely laughed.

"I don't want to send you to jail just yet, Robby. I have some important questions, I want answers to. It, mind you, won't exactly be fun." Tony said, his voice suddenly darkened. RobGlob gulped.

"Look, Iron Man, don't hurt me. Just, I don't know what I did. I'm sorry…" He was interrupted.

"Computer, activate shock." The box shuddered, and RobGlob screeched, his body melting into a puddle of slime. "It's time I find where Pepper is." Tony landed his armor on the floor of the armory, and placed the box in the middle of the armory. In a few minutes RobGlob would wake up, by force if necessary. Then, the interrogation will begin.

YAY! I had to do this chapter bit by bit because of all this stuff I had to do over summer! Summer, I thought was too relax, but all I have been doing was learning. I guess it's both good and bad…. Whatever!

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