The Field of Heaven

Chapter 6

"Tony. Are you ready?" Pepper knew they were going to be late.

Tony and Pepper were going to the Annual Stark Industries Ball. Pepper had on a dark purple dress, which glistened in the light. Although they only had to drive ten minutes down the street to Stark Industries, Pepper knew they were defiantly going to be late. Tony had just gotten out of the shower and hadn't even gotten dressed yet. Pepper was sitting on the bed waiting, impatiently, for Tony to finish fixing his hair and come put his tuxedo on.

Tony's tuxedo was laid out on the bed waiting for him. His bow tie, lapels, and cumber bun were all the same purple color as Pepper's dress. He loved matching his fiancé.

"Hey Pep. How much do you think my hair is worth?" Tony's voice came from inside the bathroom, where he was still doing his hair.

"What?" Pepper had no idea why Tony was asking such a ridiculous question.

"How much do you think my hair is worth?" Tony repeated his question a little louder now, making sure Pepper heard him.

"Um… I don't know, Tony." Pepper decided to just play along. "Tony if this is your way of telling me the company is bankrupt, then you should get an award for the worst way to bring it up."

The door to the bathroom opened after Pepper finished talking. Tony stood in the doorway in nothing but his boxers with a puzzled look on his face. He looked at his fiancé, who had an equally puzzled look on her face. "The company is not going bankrupt. Besides, I think you would probably know that before I would." Tony said as he walked over to his tuxedo laid out on the bed.

"Ok." Pepper still had no idea what Tony was getting at. "What are you asking me then, Tony? You certainly don't need any extra money, unless you wasted all of it on this ring."

Pepper looked down at her engagement ring. It had a ring of red and yellow diamonds surrounding a larger, light blue diamond, which represented Tony's arc reactor. Pepper knew that Tony had made it himself; she just wanted to tease him.

Tony stopped buttoning his shirt and looked down at Pepper, still sitting on the bed. "I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that." Pepper laughed as Tony finished buttoning his shirt and put on his pants.

"You know I'm teasing you." Pepper stood up and walked over to Tony. Pepper wrapped her arms around Tony's waist from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder. Pepper looked down at Tony's watch as he adjusted his cumber bun. "We are so late." Pepper mumbled into Tony's shoulder.

Tony turned around in Pepper's arms and wrapped his arms around Pepper's waist. "We can sell my hair to them."

Pepper laughed and raised her hands up to play with the hair on the back of Tony's neck. "I like your hair right where it is. It's worth so much more."

Tony smiled and kissed Pepper deeply. Pepper moaned softly against Tony's lips, pulling his head into her, deepening their kiss.

Suddenly Pepper heard the door swing open and recognized the voice. "Boss, are you ready to whoa… Oh… I had no idea… I'm so sorry…" Happy Hogan wished he had just stayed in the car.

Pepper buried her face in Tony's shoulder in embarrassment. This was the second time in one week that someone had interrupted their make out session. Pepper was a little more embarrassed this time because she knew that the waiter would probably not remember them, if he even ever saw them again. However, Happy was different. Pepper saw him every day.

Tony turned to see his driver/bodyguard standing in the doorway to his bedroom. "Hogan. Do you have no respect for privacy?"

Happy blushed. "I'm sorry. I really am. I should have stayed in the car." Happy turned and left, leaving Tony and Pepper alone.

Pepper still had her face buried in Tony's shoulder. She didn't want to move for fear of who else might be watching them.

Tony looked at his watch and realized they were now going to be over an hour late. "Pep. He's gone and we really should get going if we want to even make an appearance tonight."

Pepper finally lifted her head and looked at Tony. "Twice in one week. I think that's a new record."

Tony smiled. "I could make that number a lot higher if you wanted."

"No." Pepper replied quickly. "Please don't. Twice is enough for my lifetime."

"Yes dear." Tony placed another quick kiss to Pepper's lips and unwound his arms from her waist as she did the same with her arms around her neck. He walked over to the bed to pick up his jacket and bow tie. He walked back over to Pepper, who took his bow tie from his hand and began to tie it around his neck.

Tony put his jacket on and Pepper made a few final adjustments to his attire before grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

When they climbed in the car, Happy started talking at a million limes an hour. "I am really sorry for that. I didn't mean to intrude, I just-"

"Let's just pretend in never happened." Tony cut off Happy, knowing that Pepper didn't want to think about it anymore.

When Tony and Pepper finally arrived at Stark Industries, they were greeted by the usual crowd of people and paparazzi lining the red carpet. Tony got out of the car first and then offered a hand to Pepper. Tony put a hand around Pepper's waist and led her down the carpet, stopping shortly to pose for a few pictures.

Once inside Tony and Pepper spent at least an hour talking to the party guests. Once they had finished they returned to their reserved table and took a break.

"Do you want a drink, Pep?" Tony asked after they sat down.

"Sure. Thanks." Pepper smiled and Tony returned her smile as her got up and found the bar.

"Two martinis, extra dry, with extra olives, and make one of them dirty." Tony said to the bar tender, who nodded and began to make Tony's drinks.

Tony looked over at Pepper, while the bar tender made his drinks. Tony noticed that Pepper was talking to a man and she looked very awkward. Then the guy wrapped an arm around Pepper's waist and pulled her into him. Pepper struggled, trying to get away, but it was no use, he only held onto her tighter.

Just as Tony was about to storm over there without his drinks, the bar tender placed two martinis in front of him. Tony quickly picked them up and hurried over to Pepper.

"Excuse me, but I do believe you are making my fiancé quite uncomfortable." Tony said to the man as he set the martinis down on the table next to him.

"Fiancé?" The man looked puzzlingly at Pepper. "Ginny, you didn't tell me you were engaged." He said, using Pepper's old college nickname.

"I most certainly did." Pepper was annoyed.

"Hmm. Must have slipped my mind." The man said as he squeezed Pepper's waist.

"Well she is." Tony blurted out. "And I would appreciate it if you took your hands off her." Tony spoke with a demanding voice.

"Fine."

The man pushed Pepper away from him. Tony jumped and caught Pepper's wobbly form from falling to the ground. Pepper steadied herself against Tony and turned to glare at the man who had pushed her.

The man turned to walk away, but suddenly turned back and punched Tony in the face, causing Tony to stumble backwards a few steps and reach for his jaw.

"Tony!" Pepper screamed and turned around to look at him. She cupped his face with one hand, while the other hand wrapped around his neck. "Are you ok?"

Tony nodded and spoke after making sure he wasn't bleeding. "Are you crazy? Do you even have the slightest idea who I am?"

All the man could do was shake his head with a look of fear in his eyes.

"I'm Tony Stark. Billionaire and CEO of Stark Industries, the greatest weapons company in the world." Tony said with an edge to his voice.

Everyone in the whole place was now looking at the scene this guy had created. Happy came running over. "I everything ok, boss?"

"No, everything is not ok." Tony raised his voice even more. "This guy punched me in the face and, not to mention, he was hitting on Pepper."

Another agent came running over and grabbed the guy by his collar and threw him out, but not before he was able to pick up a knife and throw it.

Tony moaned loudly and clenched his stomach, where his shirt was now red with blood. The knife had just grazed Tony when it flew by.

Pepper turned to see what Tony was moaning about. Pepper's face went pale when she saw Tony's hand covered in blood, clenching the lower, left side of his stomach. Tony fell to the floor on his knees in weakness as his breathing increased. Pepper also dropped to her knees in front of Tony.

"Tony." Pepper breathed softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and other on his thigh.

Tony looked up at Pepper with a look of pain in his eyes. Happy came up from behind Pepper, letting them both know that the car was ready.

Pepper turned her head and nodded at Happy. She quickly turned her head back to Tony. "Can you walk?"

Tony nodded and began to rise to his feet. He leaned heavily against Pepper, still clenching his stomach, as they walked to the car. Tony climbed in the back seat slowly, followed by Pepper, and then Happy in the front, driver's seat.

"Home." Tony just managed to get out.

"No." Pepper looked over at Tony. "Tony, you need to go to a hospital."

"Please, Pepper." Tony coughed. "You know I hate hospitals. Besides, I have much better equipment and technology in the workshop than any hospital."

Pepper sighed heavily. "Fine. Take us home Happy."

Tony's bleeding had not slowed by the time they got home. He gingerly walked inside, stilling leaning heavily on Pepper, and was greeted by Jarvis's usual monotone.

"Welcome home, sir. It seems you have received a wound to your lower, left abdomen. Would you like me to prep a surgical kit?"

"Yeah, put it next to the couch in the workshop." Tony said as he began descending the stairs to his workshop with Pepper on his right side, to support him. Pepper entered her code into the door and led Tony over to the couch, where a surgical kit was ready for use. Pepper slowly lowered Tony to the couch, then sat down herself, and took off his jacket. Followed by undoing his bow tie and removing his cumber bun. Pepper unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it un-tucked. She slid the shirt down and off his arms, before moving his hand to get a better look at the wound. It wasn't deep, but it would need stitches.

Pepper opened the surgical kit on the table in front of them and pulled out a bottle of hydro peroxide and a gauze pad. She dampened the gauze pad with the liquid and began to wipe the blood from Tony's wound, causing him to wince at her every touch.

Pepper then stitched up his wound and put a dressing over it. Pepper went upstairs and then came back down a minute later with a glass of water and some Motrin. Tony took the pills and laid his head back on the couch.

"Who was that guy anyway?" Tony asked after a minute.

"He was my old boyfriend from college. I broke up with him on graduation day, because he was a jerk. I guess he still hasn't gotten over me." Pepper said leaning gently against Tony's good side.

"Well, I think a couple years in prison and then a restraining order will do him good." Tony said as he kissed Pepper's head.

Pepper yawned and nuzzled her nose into Tony's bare chest.

"Come on, Pep." Tony said shaking Pepper's sleepy form. "Time for bed."

Pepper moaned and stood up from the couch, turning to Tony waiting for him to rise. Pepper put out her hand, which Tony took, and helped him up from the couch and over to the elevator. Tony rested his head on Pepper's shoulder as they waited from the elevator. The doors to the elevator opened and Tony stumbled in, pulling Pepper with him. Pepper hit the button for the top floor. The elevator doors opened again and Pepper guided Tony to the bedroom.

Tony collapsed on the bed when Pepper let him go. Pepper took off her dress and changed into one of Tony's MIT t-shirts. She looked at Tony's unmoved body on the bed. She walked and sat down on the bed next to him. She took off his belt and unbuttoned his pants. She pulled them off of him and threw them on the floor. She pulled his body under the covers and then climbed under herself.

"Good night, Tony." Pepper said softly as she drifted off to sleep.

"Good night, Pep." Tony just managed to say, before he fell asleep.