See a/n at the end

Chapter 22: Looking Forward

Returning to work after a three week absence is not the easiest thing to do—for most people. Forget about the post vacation blues, or the intimidation of the amount of work that must be caught up on—for Pepper Potts, the work load was welcomed with open arms and a relief from the fact that she had missed work terribly. After the shocking and violent events that had taken place nearly a month ago, Pepper knew that things would be different for her at Stark Industries. In particular, things would be different between her and its CEO, Tony Stark.

Imagine her surprise and amusement when the 'difference' turned out to be a positive one.

Upon her return to work last week, she and Tony immediately fell back into their comfortable work routine of her listing off his daily schedule, and he doing his best to get out of all unnecessary appointments. She managed to clear the clutter off of his desk on the very first day, returned countless emails and phone calls that had been left ignored, made two trips to the dry cleaners, and even managed to treat all of the interns to a well-deserved lunch—after all, they were the ones who had to deal with Tony in her absence.

Despite his dodging of some commitments, Tony himself had taken the time to sit with each of the members of the board and discuss with them the new changes that were happening within Stark Industries. He had taken all of his conference calls, signed all of his documents, and he even took the time to make an appearance on a local TV news program. Pepper took note of new and improved behavior, making sure to remember it and ask him about it sometime in the future.

A few days after her return she had noticed another change in him.

Unlike his improved work performance and the ability to keep his schedule, this change was unrelated to work in general, and happened to have a direct connection to Pepper. Specifically, in the way he had started looking at her. The first time she noticed it was during their usual morning briefing. After checking off a few 'to-do' list items on her notepad, she glanced up to catch Tony smiling languidly at her with his attention focused unabashedly on her lips. The sound of her voice stopping snapped him out of it, but not quick enough to cover up the fact that he had been staring. The moment was enough to produce a small smile of her own, but other than that, she ignored it and carried on with her list.

Throughout the day she had caught him on three more occasions, staring at her. The first time, he was watching her lips again with that same far off look in his eyes. The second time, she had just returned from lunch and was walking back to her desk only to find him perched on the edge of it. He said he had been looking for the file on Redback Industries and had no luck. As she was sorting through the pile of manila folders on her desk, she noticed him staring at the nape of her neck. Once again, she pushed it aside; allowing him his little moment of impropriety.

Nonetheless, even Pepper has a breaking point; and when she caught him staring for a third time that day, it was time to speak up.

With the sun setting and the cool air settling in upon the city, it was the perfect temperature to allow the fresh air in through the open window of the limo. Tony sat in his usual place at the back of the car; his designer sunglasses still in place, and a glass of amber liquor settled in his right hand. Pepper sat across from him on the seat that ran parallel with the car; scribbling diligently on her notepad and preparing Tony's notes for his late night board meeting.

They sat in a comfortable silence as Happy drove them fluidly to their destination; the cool breeze of Tony's open window blew soothingly around them. The sunset flashed in the tinted window ahead of her, and Pepper looks up to see its final progression down into the horizon. As she turns her head, she notices Tony's sunglasses pointed in her direction.

"Stop it," she says casually, bringing her attention back down to her notepad.

Tony tilts his head to one side; a lazy smile playing at the corner of his lips. "Stop what?"

"Staring at my legs," she sighs.

He furrows his brow. "Do you always wear pantyhose?"

"Yes."

"Well, you shouldn't. There's no need. You have great legs." His eyes travel once more up and down the expanse of her nylon covered legs.

She tries to hide a smile so that he can't tell she's somewhat flattered by his comment. "Thank you. Now, stop staring at them. You should be reading over the R&D report I gave you."

He turns his head to stare back out the window. "Mhmm."

The sun has finally set completely, basking the interior of the limo with a luminous glow from the city lights that surround them. Tony lifts his glasses up onto his head and rolls up the window. A few minutes pass and Pepper once again catches his blatant stare in her direction.

"Seriously." She shifts uncomfortably in her seat.

"Now what?"

"You're going to have to stop looking at me like that."

He smiles. "Like what?"

Her head snaps up to look him in the face. "Like you're trying to undress me with your eyes." She points to the folder in his hands. "Now please, focus!"

He angles his body so that he faces her completely. "For your information, Miss Potts, I have been undressing you with my eyes for years now. This," he points his finger back and forth between his eyes and her legs, "is nothing new."

"Well, we're about to pick up Rhodey and two members of the board, and I would appreciate it if you would keep your wandering stare to yourself." Despite her best effort to keep her voice curt and to the point, she can't help the way it breaks slightly at the end. Her cheeks flush faintly, causing Tony to grin again.

Silence settles back in around them. Tony has since started chewing on a piece of gum.

Then…

"If it makes you feel any better, you can undress me with your eyes."

She keeps her eyes safely focused on the notepad in her lap. "No, it wouldn't make me feel any better," she sighs, a hint of frustration now creeping into her voice. "And besides, I've seen you naked before—that's nothing new."

"And?"

"And what?" she asks, glancing up briefly.

He smirks. "It's good, right?" He is waggling his eyebrows at her.

"You--" She opens her mouth to respond, but the opening of the limo door sucks the words out of her mouth.

"Gentlemen!" Tony roars, welcoming the new passengers into his limo. Pepper pulls her belongings into her lap and begins to slide to the front of the limo, making room for the three men.

"Mr. Stark," the first man in shakes Tony's vigorously, "nice to see you out and about this evening. Thank you for the ride," he says, moving towards the seat near Pepper.

"Oh, no Frank, here—sit here…much more room. I'll move down here," Tony says, offering his seat to the older man. He ducks his head and moves quickly to where Pepper is sitting and plops down next to her. Clearing her throat, Pepper grabs her notepad and moves herself over a fraction of inch so that their hips don't touch. Tony looks down at the space between them and then back up at her, grinning.

She ignores him.

Pepper smiles up at the two board members. "Good evening gentlemen," she greets them politely and they return the hellos in kind. Rhodes is the last to enter and once he does, Happy is once again driving them all off towards their destination.

A few minutes into the drive, the two older men at the end of the limo are engrossed in conversation, leaving the three people at the front of the limo riding in silence. Rhodey perks up suddenly and leans towards Tony with an enthusiastic grin on his face. "Hey, so I just heard about the Halloween Ball at the City Center on Friday. I got an invitation from the Mayor himself!"

At the mention of the Halloween Ball, Pepper's pencil halts its movement on the paper in her lap. She keeps her eyes focused on the legal pad, but her attention is directed at the conversation to her left.

"That's great buddy! I say you go as Batman." Tony quips.

Rhodes frowns. "Haha…I don't think so. Are you even going?"

Tony purses his lips. "Thinkin' about it." His head snaps up. "Hey, you think I can get away with wearing a toga?"

Rhodes makes a face. "I don't think that really goes along with the theme. Besides…the party is going to be full of hoity-toity types and business geeks—no offense."

Tony shrugs. "None taken," he says, then waves his hand dismissively in the air, then slaps it down on the knee closest to his assistant. "Besides, I don't have date." He sinks a little bit lower in his seat, causing his hip to rest flush alongside a more feminine one. Pepper glances at where his hand is sitting on his knee—dangerously close to her own.

Rhodes lets out an exasperated puff of air. "That's never stopped you from crashing a party before!"

"Yeah, well…" he turns his head towards Pepper, watching her pretend to write notes on her legal pad. "I guess it's a bit different this time," he says softly. Rhodes senses there is more going on here than Tony is letting on to. His mouth hangs open slightly and his eyes bounce back and forth between the pair across from him. Pepper is doing her best trying to ignore Tony, and he is doing his best trying to fluster her.

Rhodes starts nodding his head. "Mhmm…I see what's going on here," he points at Tony, then at Pepper. At the sound of his definitive words, the lead on Pepper's pencil breaks and her eyes fly up to his face. Tony's head turns in Rhodey's direction as well. "You two are messing with me. I get it. 'Let's pretend we're fighting and make Rhodes uncomfortable again'—just like last time I was in this damn limo with you two."

Thankful that his conclusion has lead him in an entirely different direction that what she had expected, Pepper shakes her head and smiles, then turns her attention back to her paperwork; this time with a pen.

"Shit, Rhodey. You got us," Tony says boisterously, causing the men on the other end of the limo to turn their attention towards him. Then, much to Pepper's surprise, his hand flies up in the air and lands unceremoniously on her knee, causing her to flinch at the contact. Tony starts chewing his gum noisily and the grin on his face breaks into a wide smile as he addresses the board members. "Miss Potts and I were just saying how long it's been since we've played a good joke on the Colonel here!"

The two men nod vigorously, clearly amused by Tony's explanation. Rhodey and Pepper on the other hand, are not. Pepper bats at his hand, and Tony regretfully removes it.

"Man, you are something else," Rhodes sighs.

Tony smirks. "So I've been told." Pepper laughs at his comment, and his eyes fly to her profile in surprise. He's just about to make a remark when the car breaks, and the glass divider slides down, revealing Happy and the front of the limo. "Sir, we're here. Would you like me to pull up to the main entrance, or the rear?"

Tony sighs frustratingly at the interruption. "The main entrance is just fine, Hap," he says quickly and then scoots forward in his seat, clapping his hands together. "Alright everyone…let's get this party started!" he says with a little but more energy than is to be expected at 8:00pm.

It's not often that the board calls such late night meetings; but ever since Tony had announced that Stark Industries would no longer be manufacturing weapons, it has been an uphill battle trying to get the military back on their good side. Now, with Rhodey's help, several military advisors have agreed to meet with Tony and the board to discuss some alternative projects.

Moments later, the door opens and the two older men exit swiftly, followed by Rhodes, then Tony and Pepper. The chill of the night air has settled in upon the city, bringing with it a large storm cloud. The sound of thunder is heard in the distance, and Rhodes and Happy break into a run and heads toward the office building. Pepper is about to follow, but is held back by a gentle hand on her arm.

She turns to find Tony holding on to her tenderly. "Hey," he looks around to make sure they are alone. "So…how 'bout it?"

"What? Tony, you have a board meeting to go to," she insists, pulling her arm out of his grasp and motioning towards the entrance.

"They can wait. I want to know what your answer is." The wind picks up, ruffling his hair. He shivers at the feeling.

Pepper's eyebrows lift and a shiver of her own travels along the length of her spine. She tells herself it's because of the cold wind. "You're talking about the Halloween thing? Now?" she asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, well the party is in two days and I'd like to know if I'm going or not." He throws his suit jacket around her shoulders and is rewarded with a thankful smile. He smiles back and pulls the lapels of the coat tighter around her. The thunder clap is getting closer, and a flash of lightening illuminates the space around them.

Pepper sighs, speaking softly, "Tony, you don't need me to go with you--"

"No, I don't need you to go with me, I want you to go with me," he replies sincerely, dropping his hands and shoving them into his pockets. "Look…think of it as a—a reward for being such a great assistant."

Pepper's eyebrows shoot up in amusement. "Reward? C'mon, Tony…that was lame—even for you," she laughs lightheartedly.

"I know—I know. So…whaddya say?"

Pepper looks at her watch nervously and then back to the front door of the building. The first sprinkling of rain has started to fall, dotting Tony's sky-blue shirt with dark spots. "Alright, fine!" she concedes and begins pushing him towards the building. The smile on Tony's face is so large, she's sure it hits both of his ears. "Now would you please…?" she urges, pushing harder.

"Excellent!" he shouts, grabbing her hand and running for cover from the rain. Once they've reached the awning of the building, he turns back towards her, taking note of how lovely she looks with damp, tousled hair. "I'll pick you up--"

She raises her hand in front of him. "No—no picking up. I'll meet you there," she informs him kindly. He gives her a confused look. "This is not a date, Mr. Stark…merely a night out where we both happen to be in the same place at the same time." Pepper cringes at her own words, hoping that she didn't sound as stupid as she felt by saying them.

But when Tony begins nodding his head, she feels much more reassured. "Fine. Sounds good. Not a date." He smiles once more, and then starts smacking his gum again.

Pepper frowns at him and lifts her hand under his chin. "Gum," she says sternly.

Tony spits his gum into the palm of her hand just as Rhodes turns the corner. He makes a face of disgust. "Ugh!" he says, shaking his head. "I swear, the two of you were made for each other…" Tony and Pepper glance at one another. "Now come on! We're late!" he barks at Tony and then walks back into the building.

Tony and Pepper share one more moment of silence together, then Tony opens the door. "After you, Miss Potts," he says graciously.

She nods her head politely, a smile playing at her lips. "Why thank you, Mr. Stark," she says gratefully, and walks briskly past him; never noticing his appreciative gaze upon her backside.

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A/N: OOooohhh, that TONY!! He's incorrigible! I know this chapter is a lot shorter than others—and many of you were hoping to read about the ball in this one…but I have a little bit more research to do before I finish that one…

Alright folks…I've dragged this out long enough. I can tell you that the next three chapter will be a final resolution to a story that has been my companion for the last two months.

So, I have gotten two concerns that the higher rating may be a bit too high for some readers…If that is the case for you…please let me know, and I can make available an edited version of anything too explicit.

Thank you to all of the NEW folks who I've had the pleasure of speaking (well, typing) with over the last few days!

And to all of my regulars…well, you inspire me to keep going…and the remaining chapters are dedicated to you!

I hope you've enjoyed this one…it was a lot of fun to write.