Chapter 9: Surprises

6 Days later: Friday

The appearance of Tony Stark at the office on Monday morning did not surprise Pepper. But him showing up on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday did. Not only did he arrive at Stark Industries central headquarters on time every day, but he also attended his board meetings, met with his engineers, and had each and every document signed and reviewed before Pepper even had the chance to look at them herself.

So, come Friday, it was expected that Stark himself would be sitting at his desk, awaiting his morning coffee when Pepper walked in at 9am.

"Good morning, Miss Potts!" The security guard greeted her politely as she arrived at the security check-point.

Pepper smiled back at the familiar face. "Good morning to you too, Harry." She placed her purse and laptop bag onto the scanner. "Has Mr. Stark arrived yet?"

Harry shook his head in the negative. "No, ma'am. My boss said that he won't be in today. Something about him not feelin' too well I guess. Strange though…he seemed fine yesterday. We had pretty good debate about the Lakers and their off season trades--" His suddenly giddy explanation turned into a ramble, and Pepper had to cut him off.

"Right…thanks Harry!" She said sweetly, patted him on the shoulder and continued through the corridor to her office, her heels clicking rapidly all the way.

Setting her things down at her own desk, she walked towards Stark's office and cracked the door open, peering inside. According to security he wasn't there, but she wouldn't put it past Tony Stark to be able to elude detection of his own security team and sneak into his office without anyone knowing just for kicks. She half expected him to pop out from behind his desk or from around the corner just to give her a scare.

Glancing around the expansive room, she finally concluded that he was in fact not here, and entered the office. The lights were off, but the morning sunlight lit her path towards the large desk at the opposite end of the room. Approaching it, she ran her hand along its smooth surface as she came to stand behind it. She surveyed the contents spread out near the computer, and across its top. Design specs, notes, a few unsigned contracts, and a stack of newspaper clippings—all of which, Pepper guessed, had mentions of Iron Man written within their contents.

She straightened up the desk a bit, making neat little piles, setting the pens back in their place, and tossing crumpled pieces of papers into the trash. Bumping the mouse during her cleaning spree, the computer screen in front of her blinked on, bringing up the Stark Industries main screen. She settled herself into Tony's chair and maneuvered the mouse to shut the computer down.

Pulling herself closer to the desk, she glanced back at the newspaper clippings sitting on her right. She reached for them, bringing them to sit directly in front of her. Flipping through them, she found that her earlier conjecture was correct. The New York Times, LA Examiner, Washington Post, and even a few tabloid magazine clippings had made their way into Tony's collection of media coverage featuring Iron Man in their headlines. She mused to herself that this was Tony's way of reminding himself of all of the good he has done—and also his way of burying the past.

She looked at the desk again and noticed there were a few more articles behind the computer as well. Adding them to the pile in her hand, she moved to open the desk drawer to her right and discovered several more clippings hiding inside the small space. Ok, now I'm beginning to think this is all to keep his ego intact, she thought to herself. Once again, she gathered up the articles and added them to the growing pile. Considering her latest find, she decided to look in the bottom desk drawer to see if any more clippings were stashed away in there.

Opening the last drawer, she was not surprised to see one more piece of a mutilated newspaper lying on the bottom awaiting discovery. She snatched it up and turned it over, ready to be done with this collection game. However, after finally unfolding it and taking a good look at the cut out article, she froze.

The headline read, Billionaire Tony Stark Makes Surprise Appearance

…and then there was the picture.

Although the paper was old and the color was faded a bit, it clearly showed herself, Pepper Potts, dressed in her beautiful new birthday gown, dancing hand in hand with a dashingly handsome Tony Stark. The photograph had been taken nearly a year ago during the Firefighter's Family Fund event. The paper itself, she noticed, was worn around the edges—as if it had been handled quite a bit. She also noticed that it had been folded in such a way that the article itself was out of sight, leaving only the captured image of herself and Stark looking intently at each other as they danced together on the ballroom floor.

She glanced at the caption,

Tony Stark, dancing the night away with his lovely assistant, Miss Virginia 'Pepper' Potts

Several thoughts swam through her head at that moment, but none of them seemed logical enough to explain why, out of all the other newspaper and magazine clippings she had clutched in her hand, he had stashed this one little piece of paper in his bottom desk drawer away from the others. Perhaps, she considered, on some random occasion he would reveal it to her and remind her how good he looks in a tux. Or, maybe he will show it to her one day and reiterate the fact that the dress she wore that night was bought as a birthday present from him—even though he didn't shop for it or pick it out.

Denial is a funny thing.

The logical part of her brain never considered that perhaps the reason it had been cut away from its original place in the paper was because on the evening it was found, the person doing the cutting had just finished half a bottle of scotch and was feeling angry and betrayed by his former mentor and he needed to be reminded of something good in his life.

Nor had it considered that after it had been cut out, it had been placed and re-placed into the pocket of several extremely expensive suits for almost three months straight, just so it would not be lost or misplaced. Then, after serving its initial purpose of being an anchor, a comfort, for its owner, it was placed in the bottom drawer of his desk—only to be taken out occasionally for a quick glance, or a quick reminder of a moment that he never wanted to overlook again.

The logical part of her brain did not consider any of those things.

She smoothed the paper out, neatly folding it back to its original shape, placed it back in its hiding spot in the desk drawer, and then slid it shut. Her eyes lingered on the closed drawer a moment longer, then she drew them back to stare at the contents of her hands. Reminded of where she was and the work that still needed to be done for the day, she shook the remaining thoughts from head, placed the articles back on top of the desk, and got up from the chair. Straightening her skirt, she replaced the chair to its original location and proceeded to leave Stark's office.

Deciding that a very large, very strong cup of coffee was desperately needed, she grabbed her coffee cup at the edge of her own desk, ready to make her way to the office kitchen. She was about to walk away when something else caught her eye. There, under the keyboard of her computer—its corner just barely visible, was a small blue envelope. Curiosity itching at her fingertips, Pepper slid the envelope out from its hiding spot and into her hands. She flipped it over and noticed a small 'p' written over the sealed edge of it. Eyebrows peaked, and her curiosity even more aroused, she hesitated only a moment more before tearing open the small envelope. Inside was a little white piece of paper with the unmistakable handwriting of Tony Stark scrawled across it:

P

Meet me at the Stark Waterfront this afternoon. 1 o'clock. Dock 12.

Use your secondary access code.

Don't tell anyone where you're going, just say lunch.

Don't be late.

T

Pepper sighed out loud. She was beginning to hate all of these cryptic messages. Tucking the envelope into the pocket of her slim skirt, she replaced the keyboard back in front of the monitor and made her way to the coffee machine.

"So, tell me again why we're here?" Tony Stark said in between bites of his cheeseburger.

Rhodes sighed. "Like I said twice before, this is where my agents said the latest robbery had taken place." Rhodes gestured to the front of the large steel doors blocking the entrance into dock 12. The security cameras had been shot out, leaving them inoperable. "The cameras had been shot out…we found the bullet casings on the rooftop across the wharf. They were sniper bullets. Our sniper bullets." Rhodes looked directly at Stark, making sure he understood.

"Fortunately, there were only two shipments being stored in this facility…so it looks as if they didn't get away with much--"

"One is too many." Stark interjected, the frustration apparent in his voice. "These guys have the balls to come straight down here to my dock and steal from me—using my weapons?"

"Look, we caught the guys linked to this robbery. But it's not just about this one incident." Rhodes' voice got softer, and he continued cautiously, "When you were…missing…there was a string of robberies down here at the wharf, and at the storage facilities down south. They knew we were concentrating on finding you, and so they hit us while we were vulnerable. They got away with a lot of stuff Tony."

Stark thrust his hands into his pants' pockets and looked out into space. "And now they're sellin' them on the streets."

Rhodes nodded his head sadly.

"So, this 'Dealer' guy…no one has ever seen his face, right?" Stark questioned.

"Right."

"And the guys we have in custody are of no use?"

"Right"

"And we don't know how to find him?"

"Ahh, no."

"Well, we seem to be up shit creek without a paddle." Stark pointed out.

Rhodes shook his hand in the air. "Not exactly." he offered. Stark's eyebrows rose questioningly.

"Thing is, the Dealer is getting too damn greedy for his own good. He's getting careless and therefore giving us a chance to beat him at his own game. We know he wants more weaponry—otherwise he wouldn't have ordered the hit on dock 12."

"OK…" Stark agreed.



"If we're right, and I know we are, something big is gonna go down sometime soon…we are thinkin' within the next two weeks." Rhodes began walking closer to Stark, motioning for him to come closer as well.

Stark was getting impatient. "What are you getting at Rhodey?"

Rhodes grasped his left shoulder and grinned at him. "Rather than sit around and wait for something to happen, let's give them a reason to make a move."

Now Stark was intrigued. "Right…set the trap…"

"With the right bait…" Rhodes continued.

"And surprise, surprise, Iron Man is there waiting to catch 'em." Stark finished. Rhodes threw his hands up making his point clear. Stark smirked. "I like that plan."

The two men continued chatting about the details of their plan as a silver Audi pulled itself around the corner of the dock, parking quickly next to their own vehicles. Emerging from its sleek interior, Pepper Potts squinted in the sunshine, threw on her sunglasses, and walked towards them.

"Gentlemen…" She greeted them with a smile and a hand on her hip. Stark's lips lifted into a smile of his own, and Rhodes reached out for her hand. He took it gently into his and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles.

"Miss Potts, it's been far too long…" He said considerately, and then released her hand. Pepper smiled graciously at her friend.

Pepper's eyes went from Rhodey to Stark. She saw him watching her, and she was suddenly grateful that her eyes were hidden behind her dark sunglasses.

"You got my note." He said softly.

"Obviously." She replied, avoiding eye contanct while trying to sound nonchalant and trying desperately not to picture him in a tuxedo. Taking a calming breath, she asked, "And what, pray tell, may I ask, am I doing out here in the middle of this scorching hot day, at a smelly waterfront, with the two of you?" She walked herself into the shade of the building and pushed her sunglasses up onto her head. Stark followed her movement, and wondered about her fidgety behavior.

Rhodes spoke first. "We were just discussing a strategic plan."

"One that will involve your expertise and assistance." Stark added.

Pepper glanced back and forth between the two men in front of her. "What, exactly, are you two talking about?"

"We are going to need you to put out some documents stating that there will be a large weapons shipment leaving from this dock next week." Rhodes explained.

Pepper furrowed her brow and frowned. She brought her gaze back to Stark, looking him straight in the eyes. "I thought you said no more weapons manufacturing."

Stark held her gaze. "I did. And I meant that." He stepped closer to her. "We are just making it up. It's just a cover. We are looking to spring a trap on a group of Arms dealers that have been selling my weapons on the streets."

"Oh." The word fell from her lips, and she dropped her eyes down to her hands.

Rhodes spoke again, regaining her attention. "It is extremely important that this conversation and this plan of action remain completely confidential. The next few days will be crucial in order to establish a believable reason for Stark to begin moving weapons again. I will leave that in your very capable hands." He nodded at Pepper.

"Alright…ok. I'll help." Pepper stated confidently.

Rhodes clapped his hands together. "Great!" He glanced at his watch. "OK kids, I gotta get outa here…But I'll be in contact. We can do this!" Rhodes waved his hand for a goodbye, then jogged to his car, and sped away, leaving Pepper and Tony alone, standing in the shade of the warehouse.

Tony broke the silence. "So, 7:30 then?" He asked.

Confused, Pepper said, "Huh?"

Tony began walking back to his car. "We should go over the details of this 'plan' of ours. Come by the house around 7:30, I'll have pizza deliver--"

"I'm sorry, I can't tonight." Pepper interrupted. Tony stopped and turned, looking almost stunned, but smiled anyway. He sauntered back towards Pepper. He always knew where this conversation would lead. She would say she had plans, he would have a rebuttal to her argument, she would concede, and he would see her at his house at the agreed upon time.

"And, why's that?" He asked, ready to begin the exchange.

Pepper blinked, she was on to him—but decided to play along anyhow—considering that this time, she truly did have a reason not to come over.

"Uh...well, not that it's any of your business, but I have a…date." She admitted, a shy smile playing across her lips. Tony's brow shot up in surprise. A curl of heat--unrelated to the sun--crept up his collar. He studied her face. She looked serious, but he wasn't quite convinced.

"A date? Really? Where? With whom?" He questioned rapidly.

"No one you know." She dodged his line of questioning.

"You'd be surprised, I know a lot of people." He retorted.

"Yes, well, I'm sure you do." she said, still evading his questions--and his eyes.

The silence stretched a bit longer than either of them intended it to.

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but Pepper beat him to it. "So, I have to get back to the office. There are some phone calls to be made. I will get started on the press releases and the necessary documents for this…situation…first thing Saturday morning." She moved to replace her sunglasses over her eyes. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

Tony pursed his lips together, trying desperately to think of a reason to say no—but to no avail.

"Yes, Miss Potts, that will be all." And he watched as she turned quickly on her expensive stiletto heels and walked back to her car, leaving him there wondering what lucky bastard was fortunate enough to be taking her out this evening.

Chapter 10—Sunday? Hopefully…