Disclaimer: Most of the characters and situations in this story belong to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, and other entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. No infringement is intended in any way, and this story is not for profit. All others belong to me, particularly Cedric, and if you want to borrow them, you have to ask me first. Any errors are mine, all mine, no you can't have any.

Many thanks to Cincoflex, who knows why Pepper wanted the weekend alone!

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He could hardly wait for Pepper to arrive the next morning. In fact, Tony was tempted to go and fetch her, but her words about time to process kept coming back to him, and he finally decided that pissing her off first thing was probably not a good way to start their real engagement.

So he lay in wait instead, realizing as he watched Pepper's car come up the drive that one of the first changes that had to be made was having her park in the garage instead of out front. If she's moving in, she gets her own space.

There was really no reason why she didn't have a space in the garage; the habit dated from her first weeks as his PA, before she was authorized to enter his workshop, and somehow it had never changed. Tony mentally rearranged his cars to provide space for hers, and then his mind leaped to making copies of his various key sets. Pepper liked speed almost as much as he did, and while she'd driven one or another of his treasures on occasion, Tony had every intention of making her completely free with them now. He wanted to give her that; he wanted to give her everything.

Starting with a kiss when she walked in the door. It had barely closed behind her when he strode in from the living room and wrapped her up in a welcoming hug, cutting off her "Tony!" midword with his lips.

She kissed him back after an instant of surprise, vibrating against him with what he realized was stifled laughter. He drew out the kiss anyway, not sure what she was finding so amusing but too enraptured to care.

Her eyes were sparkling when he finally let her lips go, and she smiled at him without pulling her arms from around him. "Good morning, Mr. Stark."

Her demure tone made him grin back. "Good morning, Ms. Potts. Glad to see you prompt as always."

Pepper snickered. "I'm sure." Her smile softened. "Tony..."

"Hmm?" The curve of her throat, so close, was calling him, but Tony made himself concentrate on her face.

She opened her mouth, then closed it, shaking her head minutely. "Never mind."

That got his attention. "What? Come on, you can tell me."

Pepper shook her head again, a hint of color dusting her cheeks, and started to step back, but Tony tightened his embrace. "Give, Potts, or I'll tickle it out of you."

One elegant brow shot up, and her look was amused. "I'm not ticklish."

That was a challenge if he'd ever heard one. "Oh yeah? Prove it." Tony slid his hands quickly from the small of Pepper's back to her ribs, fingers dancing over the crisp cotton of her blouse, but she didn't flinch, merely giving him a curling and superior smile. "Dammit."

"Told you." Then her hand shot forward, and Tony, startled, squirmed away from her fingers as they teased along his stomach.

"Hey! If you're going to do that...do it a little harder." He made a snatch at her hand and missed as she pulled it back. The color was back in her cheeks, and he grinned wider.

Pepper cleared her throat, still smiling but obviously a touch embarrassed. "I...we should probably get to work."

Tony could think of better things to do, but she had a point, and while they would have to negotiate work eventually, it was probably a good idea to stick to their usual routine for the moment.

So he grabbed for her hand again and got it this time. "Fine, but you're having lunch with me so we can discuss the most important thing on the agenda."

"Oh? What's that?" Pepper's free hand quivered towards her hip, where her BlackBerry was holstered, as if preparing to take notes.

Tony lifted the one he held and kissed it. "Setting a wedding date."

Pepper blinked, and then blushed, this time a full vivid pink. "Tony--"

He pulled her hand through the curve of his elbow and started walking, heading towards her little office in the east wing. "In the meantime, though, let's get started on whatever endless list of chores you have for me--I need to see which ones I'm going to blow off."

That made her laugh, and he smirked, content.

As it turned out, lunch was late, because he got involved in programming and totally forgot about it. But eventually Tony looked up from his terminal to see Pepper coming through the door with a laden tray. "I hope you brought enough for two," he said, saving his work and swinging around in his chair.

Pepper's mouth curved up. "Are you that hungry?"

Tony snorted, and stood to take the tray as she brought it over. Despite her tease, there were two plates and two sets of silverware, and Tony cleared a place on the closest workbench and set down the food while Pepper went over to the kitchen area for drinks. "Red Bull please," he called after her, and she returned with the specified can and a Perrier for herself.

It wasn't out of the ordinary for them to eat together, though it wasn't that frequent outside of the last few months' masquerading. Tony found a chair for Pepper underneath a bird's-nest of cable, and even remembered to check it for grease and dust before wheeling it over. Pepper sat with a murmur of thanks, and Tony rounded the workbench to reclaim his own place.

One of their small unspoken habits was that they didn't discuss business during these quiet meals, unless something was particularly urgent. Pepper settled her napkin on her lap and picked up her fork. "How's it going?"

Absently Tony opened her bottle for her before starting on his own food. "Not bad. Next time I mention weather algorithms, though, just shoot me. And here I thought Jarvis was complicated."

Pepper snickered as Jarvis spoke. "I am, sir. A better descriptor for the wind patterns of the North Atlantic would be 'intricate'."

Tony rolled his eyes, which only made Pepper laugh out loud. "I'll keep the pistol handy. Why weather?"

Tony swallowed his mouthful of pasta salad. "Repurposing the Seraphim satellite design if I can. In the end we'll want an entirely new design, but with as many as we've got in storage, why waste 'em?"

Pepper nodded, chasing a cherry tomato with her fork. "What's involved?"

That gave him license to ramble a bit, so in between bites Tony did. He knew that a large part of what he was talking about was over Pepper's head, at least as far as the technical details went, but that was no reflection on her; it would be over the head of just about anyone else, too. But she could easily grasp his overall idea, and even if not she would encourage him to talk, because it helped him both focus and brainstorm.

It was yet another of the many reasons he needed her. Certainly Jarvis could perform a similar function, and often did, but the AI could not ask the unexpected question, nor see with quite as broad a view. Pepper served as sounding board and occasionally devil's advocate, and for that alone Tony thought he would have kept her around.

When he ran down, he got up to get another drink, glancing back at Pepper as he reached the kitchen area. She shook her head, so he only grabbed a can and took it back with him. "Wedding date," he said, cracking open the Red Bull and collapsing into his chair.

Pepper set down her fork and began folding her napkin, very precisely. "Do we need to do this now? I mean, there's time--"

Cold seized his gut, and Tony felt his hand tightening on the can. "Have you changed your mind?"

His words were low, but Pepper's head snapped up, her expression startled. "Oh--no! I just--Tony, we only decided this yesterday."

"Six weeks ago," Tony corrected, setting down the can, his sudden fear subsiding only slightly. Rising, he came around to her side and shoved her plate over, hitching a hip up on the workbench and taking the napkin from her hands. "Are you sure, Pepper? Because I don't think I could deal with it if you backed out later."

He tried to keep his voice calm, but it wavered just slightly on the last word. Pepper's hands wrapped around his and she looked up at him; her eyes were clear and warm, and the knot of chill eased further.

"I'm sure," she told him softly. To his utter surprise, she turned his hand in hers and pressed a kiss to his palm, a light delicate touch. "I'm sure, Tony."

Tony didn't how to name the emotion flooding through him, but whatever it was, it felt incredible. His hand closed over the imprint of Pepper's kiss as if to keep it forever, and then he was lifting her to her feet, wanting that seal on his lips as well.

He'd only meant to take one kiss, or maybe two, but the little happy sounds that Pepper was making kept him going, reeling her in until she leaned against him, one of her arms around his waist and the other hand tangling in his hair. So he kissed her blissfully, forgetting time and work and all else until she pulled back a fraction.

"Six weeks?"

Tony blinked, trying to get his synapses back on track. "Huh? Oh." He grinned at her. "Potts, I've been taking this seriously since Day One."

Pepper's cheeks, already pink, darkened further, but her expression was bordering on angry. "You mean--but you--all that was for real?" At his nod, she frowned deeply. "Tony, why didn't you say something?"

Tony tightened his arms, not letting her step back. "Would you have listened?"

She opened her mouth, paused, and then sighed. "You're right." The anger faded, though her mouth quirked in annoyance. "I guess I'm still adjusting."

Idiot. Tony gave himself a mental smack. You're pushing again. "Hey, Pepper, don't. Take all the time you need, I can wait." He ignored the small whine inside his skull, the irrational fear that she would somehow slip away before those promises were spoken.

Pepper bit her lip, regarding him thoughtfully, then shook her head. "Three months," she said. "Unless you want something really elaborate."

For an instant ideas pinwheeled through Tony's head, extravaganzas of celebration, hundreds of guests, all the magnificent gestures he could make to glory in the fact that Pepper would be marrying him--

--And then he looked at the woman in his arms, who preferred the background to the spotlight and whose elegance was quiet, and let them go with scarcely a qualm.

"Whatever you want, I'll be happy with. Even if it is Elvis." Tony kissed her nose, which made her blink and laugh. "If it were up to me, Potts, I'd haul you off to Las Vegas tonight, but like you pointed out, no one would believe it."

Her smile was mischievous. "Don't tempt me. This will take time to set up."

Tony relaxed, and Pepper continued. "Well, as I said, we'll need something more than that to be taken seriously. But twelve weeks should be enough time, unless you want a location that needs to be booked well in advance."

"Whatever you want," Tony repeated. "Wherever you want. Do you want to hire one of those wedding planning people?"

Pepper grimaced. "Tony, a planner would take one look at your reputation, not to mention your budget, and the next thing you know we'd be having the ceremony on Mount Everest or something."

He had to laugh at that. "Not into high-altitude climbing? Okay. Pepper." Tony let her go and took her hands again. "I'm serious about this. Anything you want, and nothing you don't, as long as we come out of it married."

She shook her head again, her smile bemused. "I believe you, but it's still going to take a little time for me to get used to the idea."

"What, of us actually getting married?" Her skin was soft under his caressing thumbs.

"Not exactly...of you wanting to. Never mind." Pepper leaned in and kissed him gently.

Tony savored the press of her lips, licking his own when she ended the kiss. "Mmm...I've always wanted you, you know."

Her gaze was amused, and tender. "I know."

She tugged free of his grip and moved to stack the dishes neatly on the tray to carry back upstairs. Tony tossed the napkins on top and picked up his can, sipping as Pepper walked back to the stairwell door. As she pulled it open, she glanced back at him mischievously, one corner of her mouth tucking in. "Me too."

Tony choked on his drink, and by the time he'd cleared his airway she was halfway up the stairs, the faint sound of her laughter drifting back. Tony wiped his face with his shirt, amused that she'd got him again.

And stunned. Eight years. She's wanted me for eight years--

Wow.

The week was blissful. Pepper made sure the work still got done, but Tony took deep delight in making her close her computer and come eat dinner--not for show, but for real.

And after dinner, she would linger. Tony generally helped her clean up the kitchen just to speed up the process, because as soon as they were done it was necking time. Half the time the kissing devolved into just holding one another and talking, but he wasn't inclined to complain either way.

It was fascinating to learn more of Pepper, and not just physically. His life had pretty much been an open book to her for years, but Tony hadn't bothered to find out much about her in return--something he was a little ashamed of now, though he had to admit that Pepper probably wouldn't have told him much about herself prior to his recent changes anyway.

But now, between kisses, he found out she liked gardens and drawing, wanted a cat but was allergic, and couldn't tell one constellation from another. He'd known she had been raised in foster homes from the age of twelve, but not that she'd been lucky in her placements, to the point where her last set of foster parents had paid for her first year of college.

And he learned that she was as generous with her kisses as with her time and energy, moving past a slightly shy hesitancy into an enthusiasm that was as deep as his own, if quieter. Tony made an effort and let Pepper take the lead on things physical, keeping a tight check on his own libido. He knew she was aware of the effect she had on him, but aside from a few fairly tame caresses they went no further than kissing.

To Tony's surprise, he found that while his body was impatient to move things along, he himself was content to wait and take things at Pepper's pace. He'd spent so much of his life rushing, especially when he was only planning on a single night, but this he wanted to savor.

Though he knew they had to discuss the issue eventually.

But before it came up, the weekend arrived, and Pepper told him cheerfully that she wouldn't be back until Monday.

"Monday?" Tony frowned, distressed. "I thought you'd be back tomorrow. Or I could come over to your place."

Pepper smiled and shook her head. "I'd like that, Tony, but I have a project I need to handle this weekend, and I'll need all the time I can muster."

"I can help," he began, feeling a touch panicky. Normally Pepper worked at least one weekend day at his house, and the thought of two whole days without her was not something he liked.

She patted his arm. "Thank you, but no. This is something I need to do by myself."

Tony pouted at her. "Oh, come on, Pepper, don't leave me by my lonesome, you don't know what trouble I'll get into..."

Her look was admonitory as well as amused. "Actually, I do, and I'll thank you to avoid it." She leaned in and kissed him briefly. "Be good and let me get this done, and I guarantee you'll like the results."

"Hmm." Tony narrowed his eyes, intrigued. "Do I get to guess?"

"Feel free." Pepper's smile was a touch smug. "But I'm not going to tell you whether you're right."

It was a long, quiet weekend. Tony spent a couple of hours cleaning out his bedroom closet--more of a small room--in preparation for Pepper's eventual residence. He divided the space precisely down the middle, moving his suits and other items to the left side, then considered the empty side, frowning.

A few hours later he had removed half the built-in drawers on the right and replaced them with a shoe rack of his own design and Jarvis' manufacture. It occurred to him as he worked that he really didn't know how much clothing Pepper actually possessed, but he figured it was better to have too much space than too little. And anyway the closet in that apartment can't be this big.

By Sunday morning Tony was hoping for a mission just as a distraction, but despite an hour's conversation with Pepper on the phone the night before, he was forced to find his own diversions. Feeling that someone else should suffer if he was going to, he called his attorney.

"Tony, why are you calling me on a Sunday? I thought you'd given up on the wild escapades, what kind of bail money are we talking?" Josh Squire's amused voice echoed slightly over the workshop speakers, and Tony smirked at the air.

"Given the size of your retainer, Josh, I can call you any damn time I please." He tilted back in his chair, knowing that Squire was hardly as annoyed as he was trying to make himself sound.

"And you do. And I will bill you accordingly."

"You do that. In the meantime, get your ass over here, I'm ready to do the prenup you've been nagging me about."

"Oh?" Squire's tone sharpened with interest. "Good. I'll be right there."

He was as good as his word, driving in the gates a little less than forty-five minutes later, and Tony waved him into the living room. He trusted Squire a good deal, but there were only three people who were allowed down to his workshop, and the attorney wasn't one of them.

Josh Squire was tall, blond, and almost stereotypically handsome, but Tony liked the man because he possessed a sincerity that Tony didn't often see. Normally a sharp dresser, today Squire was wearing a polo shirt and shoes with no socks, presumably having been called away from whatever his Sunday usually held. He set his briefcase down on the low table in front of the long couch and raised his brows.

"Glad to see you're dealing with this at last, Tony--Ms. Potts is a lovely woman but with your assets it's always good to have this sort of thing firmly in place."

Tony dropped onto the couch and waved Squire to sit as well, reflecting with some amusement that the attorney was about to get an unwelcome surprise. "She is that, yes."

Squire opened his briefcase and pulled out a digital recorder and a thick sheaf of printout. "I brought the most recent inventory. You okay with a recording?"

"Sure." Tony watched as Squire clicked the little device on--the attorney preferred audio to note-taking--and took the printout when Squire handed it to him. "Pen?"

Squire found him one of those as well, and Tony flipped to the end of the inventory and scribbled in an addition.

"Have you got a structure in mind? There's several different ways of doing this, different divisions--"

"All of it," Tony interrupted, capping the pen and handing back the printout.

Squire blinked. "You want to exclude everything?"

"No, I want to include it." Tony sat back, anticipating trouble, and he was not disappointed.

"Tony, are you sure? I mean, Ms. Potts seems modest, but people do change--"

Tony held back his irritation at the implied slur on Pepper; Squire was, after all, doing his job of looking out for Tony's interests. "Everything, Josh. All-inclusive."

Squire's mouth twisted doubtfully. "All right. If you're sure." He paged through the inventory to Tony's note, and read aloud. "All unspecified workshop projects, to include Marks One through Three and power sources."

"Yep." Tony sat back. He'd designed the Iron Man armor to be damn near invulnerable, but there was always the chance that something would get through it, and if he were incapacitated he wanted Pepper's good sense controlling his assets, as it were.

I trust Rhodey--but he's military, and I know him. He wouldn't be able to keep himself from turning the armor over to the Air Force. And while Tony might eventually release some of his designs to the military, he didn't want all his plans in their hands. Not now, and maybe not ever.

"I want it on record that this is against legal advice," Squire grumbled, but he put the inventory back into his briefcase. "Now, about settlements--"

They hashed that out too; the lawyer's lips tightened at the amounts Tony named, but he'd seen the futility of arguing. Tony didn't want to imagine the circumstances in which he'd actually be paying, but he had to acknowledge the possibility; it wasn't the money that worried him, but the mere idea of separation from Pepper made him slightly queasy.

It was a feeling he'd begun experiencing some time before Afghanistan, and one that had only increased with time.

But once Pepper makes her mind up, she sticks with it. The thought was reassuring. Tony knew he would screw up at some point, probably more than once, but Pepper wasn't the type to walk away because of it. Hell, if she were, she'd be long gone.

"I need to update my will, too," he added when Squire had finished.

"Very good," the lawyer approved. "I brought a copy, just in case."

He extracted the sheaf of papers and handed it over. Tony took it and the pen, appreciating the man's efficiency, and scanned quickly through the document, scribbling in changes here and there before returning it.

"Nothing elaborate," he said as Squire looked it over. He'd made Pepper his main heir, both of his personal assets and his company, rather than leaving most of the latter to the board of directors and the former to various charities.

"Now this, I approve of," Squire said, relaxing somewhat. "Ms. Potts would be an excellent caretaker of your estate."

If she's not divorcing me and trying to take me for anything she can get? Tony didn't say. He reminded himself that Squire only knew Pepper professionally, not personally, and that her unshakeable integrity wasn't obvious to a man used to subterfuge. "Add the unspecified projects I noted on the inventory--I know it's imprecise, but I'm sure you can manage."

Squire snorted genially and put the papers away. "You'll have to decide what to do if she predeceases you."

Tony shrugged. "Revert to the old version, I guess, minus the specific bequests to Pepper herself."

Squire raised his eyes to Tony's. "And if you die at the same time?"

That...sounded good, actually. Tony wasn't sure he wanted to think about it, unless they both happened to be ninety-six and decrepit. "Ditto."

"Very good." The lawyer nodded and snapped the briefcase shut. "I'll get these written up and back to you within the week. When you've approved them, make an appointment so Ms. Potts can look the prenup over."

"Jarvis, take care of it," Tony said, waving a hand, and Squire jumped at the AI's calm "Will do, sir."

"Damn, I always forget about that thing." He shook his head and stood. "Again, congratulations, Tony--Virginia's a lucky woman."

Tony walked with him to the door. "Funny, usually people say I'm the lucky one."

Pepper was early the next morning; Tony was just finishing in the shower when Jarvis announced that she had arrived. Tony toweled hastily and pulled on a pair of shorts, grateful that he'd already brushed his teeth, and went to find her.

She was in the kitchen, every hair in place, leaning against the counter as she sipped from a mug of coffee. Tony barely gave her time to set the cup aside before pulling her into his arms and kissing her enthusiastically.

Her hands slid up over his chest to the nape of his neck, and Tony moaned happily into her mouth, wondering if there were some way to talk her into canceling the day and just spending it within his arms' reach.

"I'm glad to see you too," Pepper managed when he finally let her up for air. Her eyes were twinkling, and Tony grinned, not bothering to hide his body's welcome.

He'd never made a secret of his lust anyway.

"You were gone too long, Potts," he informed her. "I nearly wasted away from loneliness over the weekend."

"Yes, I can tell." Her tease was softened by the feel of her fingers rubbing the tendons of his neck, and Tony let his eyes slide shut, leaning back into the pressure.

"Uh. Don't stop."

"Do I need to schedule Tim for you again?" Her question was practical, and Tony opened his eyes again reluctantly.

"Not yet. But if you want to trade backrubs I'm totally there." He leaned forward and kissed her again. "What brings you by so early? Not that I'm not all for it--"

"I need to talk to you." Pepper stepped back a little, and Tony let her go with some reluctance.

"What about?" He picked up her mug and stole a sip from it, and Pepper rolled her eyes and took it back.

"I took you seriously when you said you wanted me to move in--"

"I hope the hell you did," Tony interrupted, giving her a slightly stern look.

Her lips twitched. "--And you may have been considering this a real engagement all along, but as far as I'm concerned we're just...starting."

She was turning a delicious shade of pink, and Tony raised his brows, waiting for her to continue. "I'm...willing to start spending some nights here. But I'm not ready to...well...sleep with you. Just yet."

Pepper's eyes were wide and unflinching, and Tony absorbed the mild blow to his ego and his libido without a wince, letting a small smile out. "Come on, Potts, you think I hadn't figured that out by now?"

Her blush deepened, and he laughed, lifting a hand to tap her nose gently. "Pepper, it's up to you to set the pace here. I can wait until you're ready." He let his finger trail down over her lips, not missing the way her breath drew in. "Though I might try to change your mind."

He made himself lower his arm, and slowly Pepper smiled back. Tony knew he could be overwhelming at times--he'd used it to his advantage occasionally--and despite the fact that just being around Pepper now made him want to carry her off to his bedroom and not come out for days, the desire for her to be comfortable was stronger still.

You've had plenty of practice being celibate lately, he reminded himself. You can manage a little while longer. Pepper's trust was more important than sex, much as he hated to wait.

Her hand on his cheek was soft. "Thank you for understanding," Pepper told him, and the look in her eyes made up for her hesitancy. "I'll take the white guest room for the moment."

She nodded at the corner of the kitchen, and Tony spotted the small suitcase there. The pulse of joy at the thought of having her staying made him grin. "We'll have a pajama party."

Pepper laughed.

Her good mood lasted until they met with Josh Squire that afternoon in his big, tastefully plush office. The three of them sat in the comfortable chairs in front of Squire's wide desk, and the attorney handed Pepper the prenuptial agreement.

She read through the document, and raised shocked eyes to Tony's. "You can't possibly be serious."

"I assure you, he is," Squire said ruefully, but Pepper ignored him.

"Tony, this is--it's way too much. And the inclusions--" She paged back through the document. "It's insane!"

Squire was eyeing Pepper thoughtfully, but Tony wasn't interested in the man's reactions at the moment. "Josh, can you give us a moment?"

"Of course." The attorney stood, slipping past the chairs and heading out the door to the outer office. Tony didn't take his eyes from Pepper, and as soon as he heard the latch click he leaned forward.

"Pepper, it's what I want, and it's what you deserve." He reached over and took her left hand in his, the feel of the ring against his palm a subtle reassurance. "Not that I expect it ever to come into play, but still."

Her face was set in the familiar stubborn expression, though her fingers were curving against his wrist. "The point of a prenup for someone with your assets is to protect them. This gives up your power, Tony."

"So? You have power over me already." Her mouth tightened, and he tried to explain. "I don't want you to doubt me, Pepper. As for the settlements--" He shrugged. "No biggie. Remember, you said I was generous."

Pepper shook her head minutely, her lips softening towards a smile. "You really trust me to not walk off with nearly everything you own? Not to mention enough money for me to live off for twice my expected lifespan?"

Tony held her gaze. "Yes."

Her breath escaped in a small huff, and then she bit her lip, her eyes reddening. Before Tony could panic, she leaned in and kissed him, a firm touch of lips that felt like...like a promise.

And then she sat back. "No."

He blinked. "What?"

"No. Tony, I can't imagine wanting to do anything like that, and I appreciate your trust in me more than I can say, but one of my responsibilities is to make sure you don't do anything stupid--at least, that I can prevent. And this--" She tapped the papers still in her lap. "--Is stupid."

Tony drew in a breath to argue, anger rising, but she twisted her hand around to clasp his fingers. "It is exactly the generosity I'd expect from you, and I'm not rejecting it out of hand, but I'm not going to sign this as it stands."

He wanted to argue. He wanted to insist, to yell at her until she accepted what was her due, but looking at her steady eyes Tony knew he wouldn't win. And it dawned on him between one thought and the next that there was more than one way to be generous.

"Okay," he said abruptly, and saw Pepper relax a little. "But I want it on record that I'm giving in under protest, Ms. Potts."

"Noted, Mr. Stark," she said serenely, and rose to call Squire back in.

He watched her go, and considered the notion.

Generous. Huh.

He got absorbed in a project after work, and almost forgot that Pepper was not actually going home, remembering when she brought him down dinner and he looked up to see her dressed in a soft blue cardigan over a white t-shirt and a pair of loose yoga pants. She smiled at him a bit shyly, and he straightened from his microwelding and shot her a grin. "So much for imagining that you lounge around in lingerie after hours."

"Too chilly down here," Pepper responded promptly, setting down the tray on the edge of the nearest workbench.

"I could change that. Jarvis, what's the optimal temperature for a woman dressed in nothin' much?"

"Approximately eighty-eight degrees, sir," the AI answered.

Pepper snickered. "Thank you, Jarvis, I'm perfectly capable of adjusting the thermostat myself."

Tony gave a dramatic sigh. "Damn."

Pepper smirked and found herself a stool, and Tony wiped his hands on a rag and went to collect drinks for them both.

They ate. Tony couldn't help the smile that kept returning as they talked about the day and Tony's latest ideas for improving the arc reactor; the warm sense of wonder nestled behind his chest implant kept reminding him that Pepper would not be leaving after they finished the day, but instead would settle down in the white guest room to sleep.

And still be there in the morning.

"Is there anything you want to change?" he asked, making her blink.

"Sorry?"

"Here." Tony waved a hand. "Not here here, I mean I've got the workshop pretty much like I like it, except we need to set you up a parking space down here, but the house. Do you want to redecorate, or get new furniture, or anything? It's your home too now, or it's going to be, and--"

"Tony." Pepper leaned across the workbench and laid a gentle hand on his arm, stopping his babble. "Thank you." She smiled. "I don't know yet."

"Okay." He grimaced. "Would you rather have a new place? I--we could do that too, but it'd take a little time."

"What? No!" Pepper looked startled. "I'll admit that you kind of permeate the house, but it's yours, after all. I'll find a space, don't worry."

Ours was his immediate thought, but Tony didn't voice it. Time enough to adjust the legalities as they went along. He reminded himself for the nth time to be patient. Just like engineering, some things had to be taken step by careful step if you didn't want them to blow up in your face.

After supper Pepper carried the dishes back upstairs, and Tony went back to his work, becoming instantly absorbed in the intricacies of circuitry and not looking up until the door beeped open once more.

Pepper's sweater was gone, but she looked the same--slightly shorter than usual in what looked like ballet slippers. She smiled at him, a little shyly, stopping short of his workbench. "I just came down to say goodnight."

Tony blinked and glanced at the clock on the nearest terminal. "Damn, when did it get so late? I promised you a pajama party."

She snickered, her posture softening. "Save it for some other time. And remember you have a ten o'clock meeting in the morning, so don't stay up all night."

The chide was affectionate and just about useless, as they both knew. But Tony frowned, wiping his hands on his pants. "Party schmarty--I want a good-night kiss, Potts."

She pinkened slightly, but came closer, and slid her hands over his shoulders, leaning up to press her lips to his. It was odd to feel her shorter, but Tony didn't hesitate, stepping right into her and deepening the kiss, letting his hands find her spine and stroke it. Pepper's slight gasp disappeared into his mouth, but she didn't protest at all, instead standing on her tiptoes to bring them into better alignment. The move rubbed her pleasantly against him, and Tony tightened his grip and lifted her off her feet.

It wasn't the first time he'd carried a woman towards a horizontal surface without breaking his concentration on more important things, though he'd never done it in his workshop before. But Pepper acceded to his hand sliding along her thigh, and lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, bringing her head higher than his and ending the kiss.

Tony left one hand splayed on her ass, reasoning virtuously that it was the safest way to carry her, and kept going. Pepper laughed, her grip tight on his shoulders. "Tony, aren't I a little heavy for this?"

"Nope." He resisted the impulse to move his head forward an inch or two, and instead glanced up at her smiling face. "I bench-press more than you on a regular basis."

His former modus operandi would have called for him to tumble her gently to the couch and follow her down, but instead Tony turned and sat, bringing Pepper with him and settling her on his lap--not straddling, but sideways. Before she could get uncomfortable, he cupped her cheek with one hand and kissed her again.

And she relaxed against him with a soft sound that made his heart swell. Because this was the most important thing--making Pepper comfortable. Content. If she were content, she would stay, was his hazy, half-conscious reasoning, stay until she'd promised, and then she'd stay forever and he'd never be alone again....

They kissed for a long time in the cool of the workshop, slow lazy kisses, simmering with pleasure but without urgency. Tony kept rubbing her hair through his fingers, fascinated with the soft, cool-warm texture of it; Pepper's hand rested on the juncture of his neck and shoulder, her thumb stroking the hollow of his throat just above the collar of his shirt. Her other arm was tucked between them, pressed between his abdomen and her side, and eventually she pulled her mouth from his and rested her head under his chin.

Tony immediately felt the loss, but the trusting weight of her against him more than made up for it, and he cradled her close, eyes shutting at the sheer quiet bliss of it.

When the weight moved, he muttered in protest, reaching for her vanishing warmth, but was answered only by a chuckle. Hands on his shoulders guided him down to rest, and he felt a blanket settle down over him, tucked in and smoothed by those same gentle hands. A kiss brushed his cheek, and then sleep took him once more.