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.
Angst, huh? Okay, you got it.
**************************************
The party was about what he expected--another working event, after a fashion. Jack Roberts' fiftieth birthday was ostensibly a celebration, but it was also a venue for informal deals, schmoozing, and gossip, and Tony slid into it easily, conscious of the bright pride of having his fianceé on his arm--for real this time.
Pepper looked especially lovely in a silk concoction almost the same shade as the ice-blue satin she'd worn months before at the firefighters' benefit. This time, however, the back was not quite as low, and Tony had had the privilege of putting on Pepper's stockings for her, rolling them slowly up her legs and fastening the garters with unashamed pleasure.
He'd insisted.
Their host and celebrant was quick to find them when they entered the big Roberts mansion--twice the size of Tony's home and much more traditional. The tall silver-haired man beamed at the sight of them. "Tony, Virginia, glad you could make it!"
He leaned over to press a kiss to Pepper's cheek, which she accepted with calm demureness, and shook Tony's hand. "Happy birthday, Jack," Tony said cordially. "There's life in the old dog yet, huh?"
Roberts regarded him with acid humor, the glint in his eye recognizing their eternal rivalry. "Plenty of it. Virginia, my dear, are you sure you don't want to put your talents to better use? It's a crime to let your intelligence go to waste on such a less than fulfilling position...and whatever Tony pays you, I assure you I can do better."
Tony stiffened at the blatant insult; Roberts was usually much subtler, and Tony realized that on some level the man must be pissed off at their engagement. But before he could speak, Pepper's hand tightened on his arm.
"It's a generous offer, Jack, but actually I think I'd be bored," she said sweetly, delicately conveying both knowledge of the affront and unconcern at the attempt. "Let me wish you many happy returns of the day, though."
Before Roberts could answer, she guided Tony away, and glancing back over his shoulder, Tony saw Roberts' attention drawn by other new arrivals. "Nice," he told Pepper in a low voice.
She sighed. "I think he's had too much champagne. Usually he's a lot more subtle."
"Still, I'll have to kick his ass later at squash or something," Tony said, still stung. "That's just wrong."
Pepper laughed. "Tony, you hate squash."
"Yeah, but I'm good at it." He grinned, his mood softening. She is mine, Jacky. Choke on it. "Hand-eye coordination and all that jazz."
His fianceé sniffed in gentle disdain. "Some other time, Mr. Stark. It's considered rude to challenge your host to single combat."
"Even to defend my lady's honor?" Tony snagged two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter and handed her one with a flourish.
Pepper dimpled. "Actually, I think it was your honor he was impugning. Let it go, Tony."
"Only if you promise to dance with me later. Lots." He watched her over the rim of his glass. This was the first party they had attended since the discovery of their "engagement", and Tony figured Pepper's excuse of appearances no longer applied--if it ever really had.
And he wanted to dance. In public. Showing her off. It was atavistic, he knew, but that didn't change his desire to display.
Pepper smiled. "It's a party. I think that's what you do."
"Good." Tony tucked her free arm through his, content. "And nobody gets to cut in, either, on pain of my extreme displeasure."
She snickered, and they moved deeper into the house, heading for the big ballroom that held most of the party.
Tony had to admit that it was a pretty good shindig, despite Roberts' overindulgence; the atmosphere was great, the food was amazing, and the music, once it began, was definitely high-quality. And you can't exactly throw stones, he reminded himself; Tony couldn't actually remember throwing a party that didn't end--or start--with him in some state of intoxication.
Roberts seemed to steady as the evening continued, from what Tony could see, and anyway Pepper managed to keep them apart with her usual subtle skill. They nibbled finger food and drank more champagne, and talked and laughed and bantered; when Tony stopped to discuss new patents in medical devices with the head of Johnson & Johnson, Pepper hovered quietly at his elbow, almost as invisible as if she had been dressed in one of her business suits, but ready to take notes.
She did garner one or two uncertain looks, but not enough for Tony to take issue with, and he realized slowly that they made an even better team now that the one barrier between them had been eliminated.
They didn't stay together the whole time, of course; they both knew many of the guests, and Pepper often drifted off a ways to talk with someone. Tony would sip champagne and watch her out of the corner of his eye, little restoring glances of her beauty in the blue silk--laughing with another woman, smiling patiently at a perspiring little man, gesturing animatedly as she spoke with a group of three or four people.
It wasn't possessiveness, exactly; it was enjoyment, pleasure replacing the slow-growing longing that had taken so long to penetrate his careless consciousness. Tony talked to friends, bantered with peers, even flirted lightly with various women--nothing serious, just the casual charm he used with females he wasn't specifically targeting--but a portion of his attention was always on Pepper.
Sometime after the nibbles, when they'd just finished a long conversation with a U.S. senator, Pepper squeezed Tony's hand. "I need to visit the ladies' room," she said in a low voice.
He was feeling too mellow to make a crude joke, so Tony just nodded. "Tell you what, I'll meet you on the terrace." He pointed with his chin towards the double doors across the ballroom. "I could use a little fresh air."
Pepper smiled and left him, and Tony found more champagne and drifted across to the open doors. The wide porch beyond was empty at the moment, dim with night; what little light there was came from the doors and windows looking out. Tony was a little surprised that no one else was out enjoying the evening, but he didn't mind. He crossed to the waist-height wall to look out over the admittedly magnificent ocean view, where the moon made a path across the water.
Mine's better, though.
It was the perfect environment for a cigar, but he'd given up the occasional habit because they reminded him too much of Obadiah. Just the fleeting memory made him wince, and he lifted a hand to his chest where the implant lay hidden beneath undershirt and shirt and tie.
"Tony?"
The voice was low and rich and unmistakably female, and not Pepper. Tony turned, his gaze automatically finding the figure standing between him and the doors. Color was hard to make out in the twilight, but her hair was light and her dress dark--red, he thought.
The woman stepped forward into the moonlight, and he could see that she was smiling. "It is you. What are you doing out here alone?"
Tony squinted at her, and then memory stirred. Julia Beyer was a socialite and a wealthy woman, and very enthusiastic in bed, and they'd shared a wild week before he'd gotten bored. "Julia. Nice to see you again."
He kept his tone flat and unencouraging. Even before Afghanistan, he had never done repeats, and Julia had taken a while to accept that. But then she'd jetted off to the Far East for rejuvenation or some such, and disappeared from his radar.
And then he'd been gone.
"Why, thank you, Tony. You're looking very well, I must say." Her tone was throaty and seductive, and she kept walking, coming right up to him. "Rumor had it that you'd gone off the deep end."
Tony looked down at her--and it was down despite her heels; Julia barely topped five-foot-two. Her hair was a fashionable honey blonde and her makeup perfect, and her long smoky eyes were gazing up at him with an expression that made his spine crinkle with obscure uneasiness. He spun his flute in his fingers. "Oh, I've always been crazy. But you know what they say--I'm rich enough to afford it."
Julia laughed, a sound as cultivated as the rest of her, and placed a confiding hand on his arm. "Crazy in all the right ways, I'd say." When Tony didn't reply, she raised a brow. "I promise you, I've been denying the rumors whenever I hear them."
"Thank you," Tony said, trying to sound bored. The truth was, he had no desire to talk to Julia, let alone flirt with her, but the responsibility that he'd accepted on coming out as Iron Man required a fair bit of PR, and he could no longer be quite as rude as he had been in the past.
Julia laughed again and plucked the flute from his fingers, sipping from it and watching him over the rim. It was supposed to be seductive, but he only found it annoying.
"Well," she said, lowering the glass. "It's a pity to waste this moonlight." She stepped even closer, until her body was mere inches from his. "Care to do something about that, darling?"
Looking down at her, Tony realized two things--one, the memory that Julia was one of the few women among his conquests that Pepper had had difficulty in removing from his home, and two, that he was in real trouble.
Letting his gaze go cold, Tony stepped back a deliberate pace. "I'm engaged, Julia. In case you hadn't heard."
She laughed again, and set the flute on the wall. "Oh, I heard. You can't think anyone takes it seriously, do you? Tony Stark and commitment don't go in the same sentence." Her smile was wicked. "I'm sure whatever arrangement you have with your fianceé will accommodate me just fine."
She moved fast, and he wasn't fast enough. Tony found himself with his arms full of Julia, her hand dragging his head down to her and her mouth landing squarely on his.
It was by no means the first time he'd been jumped, as it were, but this time Tony felt no desire, only a quick hot anger. He reached for her wrists, raising his head enough to break the kiss, and movement beyond Julia caught his eye.
And rage crumbled into ash at the sight of Pepper standing a few feet away, staring at them both.
Tony almost choked on the sudden rush of horror and shame. Pepper's eyes were huge, and she was standing very, very still, and he had absolutely no idea how to explain how he came to be kissing an old lover the minute Pepper had turned her back.
After a second, Julia turned too. Tony couldn't see her expression, but the possessive hand on his midriff and the triumph in her voice were plenty in themselves. "Oh, hello, Ms. Potts. So sorry, but Tony's a little busy at the moment. Could he get back to--"
Her last word was cut off as Tony shoved her away. He took two stumbling steps forward and stopped, frozen at the vision of all his newfound happiness collapsing into scorn and ruin. "Pepper--it's not--I--"
But words failed him. He stared at Pepper helplessly, waiting for the anger, the contempt, the hurt.
She was ice-pale and her lips were tight, but she didn't scream at him, or burst into tears. Instead she swept forward and took Julia's arm in a grip that made the shorter woman wince.
"Mr. Stark is no longer available," she said in a voice terrible in its gentleness, steering Julia towards the doors to the ballroom. "And that includes in any capacity you can think of."
She looked like an angel, Tony thought through the fog of terror--tall, eerily beautiful, and definitely avenging. Julia sputtered, but Pepper was inexorable, and as she reached the doors whatever she said into Julia's ear seemed to strip the smaller woman of defiance. Pepper bundled her briskly out, and shut the doors firmly behind her.
Tony found that he couldn't meet Pepper's eyes as she turned back. He let his gaze fall to her feet, watching as they approached, and when they stopped in front of him Tony felt his knees give way.
He sank down until the stone terrace was cold against his shins, and only then did he force his head to tilt back, making his gaze travel up and up to her face, looking down at him.
"I didn't, Pepper," he whispered. "She--I didn't."
He didn't know how to explain. How could he repair that fragile, precious trust? Pepper knew him, she knew practically every intimate detail of his life, and her words about fidelity came back to sear through his brain.
Why the hell should she even listen to you?
One cool hand cupped his chin, and he searched her face for judgment, but her expression was as serene and remote as the moon, and his heart seemed to fail.
And then she knelt too, in a graceful billow of skirts. "Stop it," she told him, quiet and just a little chiding. "I believe you."
His pulse hiccuped. "You do?"
Her smile was soft and rueful, and her thumb crossed his lips in a gentle caress. "Of course I do. I trust you."
The simple faith in her statement robbed him of breath, bringing a flood of hope and relief. He blinked stinging eyes and leaned into her hand. "I don't see how."
She breathed a laugh, and her thumb returned, wiping away what he presumed was lipstick. "Tony, you told me you loved me. You may not always keep your promises, but you never, ever betray the people you love. I know you that well."
His throat swelled, the tears still threatening. "I don't deserve you."
"Maybe not, but you're working on it." Her lips replaced her thumb, scouring away the memory of Julia's mouth.
Her kiss was as gentle as her words, and as healing. Tony didn't move; he just let his eyes close and accepted her gratefully, humbled by her trust.
I will be damned if I ever betray it.
It wasn't a vow; it was a fact.
Then Pepper's hands were in his and she was drawing him to his feet. "Come on, Mr. Stark. I believe I owe you a dance."
He resisted her tug back towards the ballroom. "Can we just go home?"
She swung back around, startled, and Tony met her eyes. What he really wanted to do was take her back to the house and make love to her all night, to drown both of them in touch and sensation until all his doubts and fears were gone.
Pepper's mouth curved, and Tony knew that she understood what he wanted, even if she didn't know what drove the desire. But she tucked his arm through hers and shook her head. "Not yet. We have something to prove."
Tony sighed, knowing she was right. If anyone had seen him with Julia, disappearing would give rise to some nasty rumors. Better to go in and be publicly together, and in accord. He let her lead him back into the house. "All right. One dance."
That made her laugh. "I thought you wanted lots."
As the musicians started a new number, Tony smirked and took her into his arms, reveling in her easy acquiescence. "Yeah, well, I'm not thinking exactly vertical at the moment."
Perhaps fortunately, no one tried to cut in. They moved slowly across the dance floor, one couple in many, enclosed in the dance's illusory bubble of privacy, and Tony let himself enjoy it. He knew there were eyes on them, seeking proof of their relationship, but that was a small matter compared to the litheness of Pepper as she matched his steps, the happy smile she wore--quite the contrast to their last dance. Another time he might have teased her, bantered to make her blush or huff at him, but now Tony was too caught up in sheer enjoyment.
He spotted Jack Roberts during one of their slow circles, chatting with two other men, and caught the glitter of Roberts' eyes as he glanced their way, but Roberts looked back at his guests before Tony could so much as raise a brow.
Of Julia Beyer, he saw nothing.
One dance turned into three, punctuated by a conversation or two, but finally they took their leave among a small group of other guests. Technically, Tony supposed, it was rude to leave without bidding farewell to their host; but Roberts was nowhere in sight and Tony didn't feel like trying to hunt him up.
"I'll send him a note tomorrow," Pepper murmured as they descended the front steps and bid farewell to the other guests. Tony had chosen to drive them, rather than use the limousine, so they had to wait for the valet to bring the little car around.
Tony helped Pepper into her seat, waiting until she had her dress tucked safely inside, then closed the door and went around to the driver's seat, absently handing the valet a tip. As the woman thanked him, the car's roof folded back and away, and Pepper smiled up at him.
"It's a lovely night," she said, reaching for her seat belt. "Let's enjoy it."
The drive wasn't long, but despite his growing arousal Tony was in no hurry to finish it. He took the coastal road, and the lowering moon spilled down silver on them and gleamed up from the sea, frosting Pepper's hair as it rippled in the wind. Cool fresh air poured over them, and while Pepper wouldn't let him take a hand off the wheel, her own rested on his thigh, not so much a tease as a promise.
In a way, he wanted it to last forever.
When he pulled the car into its space in the garage and cut the engine, the silence was a little startling. Tony let out a breath, searching for words; he knew Pepper didn't blame him for Julia, but he still felt guilty.
But before he could think of what to say, Pepper leaned over and kissed him, and guilt was overwhelmed by lust. Tony dragged her as close as the gear shift would allow, until she broke away laughing. "I don't mind car sex, Tony, but it really requires a little more space."
He couldn't stop staring at her, enchanted with her flushed skin and her tumbled hair, and the gleam of love and excitement in her eyes. "What do you want, Pepper? Tell me."
She bit her lip, glancing around, then pointed. "There."
"Excellent choice." Tony lifted himself up out of the car, not bothering to open the door, but Pepper was on her feet before he could get around to her side.
They managed to lose half their clothing between the car and the couch, too busy with kisses and caresses to walk quickly. When they finally reached the battered sofa, Tony let himself fall backwards down onto it, pulling Pepper laughing with him, and kissed her dizzy.
"I wouldn't cheat on you," he mumbled against her mouth, needing to say it. "Not ever."
She laid a chain of tiny kisses from his lips down to the sensitive spot in front of his ear, raising more than just goosebumps. "I know," Pepper whispered, her breath tickling delightfully.
Tony captured her head in both hands, tugging her up so he could see her eyes. "Tell me."
As he expected--craved--she knew what he meant. "I love you," she told him, and he could feel the truth of it, absorbing into his skin like a healing elixir.
Tony's throat closed, and he couldn't speak. But there was more than one way to answer her, and he did.
All night long.
*********
Tony was the first to admit that he knew nothing about wedding planning besides how to throw a really amazing bachelor party, and when he offered his help to Pepper she merely kissed him and told him she had it all under control.
But the third night in one week that she was still working on her laptop when he came up to go to bed--past midnight--and then was up before him in the morning, made Tony decide that a little executive action was in order. So when they arrived at Stark Industries that morning, he bided his time until Pepper left for a lunch meeting on another floor, and then leaned out through his office door.
"Yo. Cedric." He pointed one finger at Pepper's assistant. "Come here."
The slender man's eyes widened, but he rose quickly and followed Tony into his office, closing the doors behind himself at Tony's gesture. Tony wandered to the window, hands in his pockets, and looked out at the view. "Cedric, do I pay you enough?"
He heard Cedric swallow before he spoke. "Yes, Mr. Stark."
Tony turned. Cedric, who was no taller than Tony and bony rather than muscular, looked slightly alarmed, but Tony ignored that. He had, in fact, looked up Cedric's salary that morning, and knew that the man was well-paid, but then that was true for all of Stark Industries' employees--one of the factors that contributed to the company's success, Howard Stark had always claimed. Tony cocked his head.
"Good. Here's the thing. I'm about to pay you half again as much--a permanent raise--because I'm going to assign you some temporary duties. We clear so far?"
Cedric looked even more alarmed, but he straightened, his chin going up in a gesture that reminded Tony of Pepper. "Yes, Mr. Stark."
Tony gave him an assessing look. "I'm sure you're aware that Ms. Potts' time is at a premium these days. And I'm sure you do what you can to make things easier for her."
Cedric's expression eased slightly, and he nodded. Tony went on. "Good. But I need you to do better. I need you to take over as much of her work here as you can, and--here's the hard part--do it without her catching on. If that means staying late or coming in early, then that's what you do. If it means working through lunch and dinner, or giving up your weekend, then you do that too. Pepper's a perceptive woman, but--" He raised a brow. "--if there's one thing I've noticed about personal assistants, it's that the best ones are experts at getting around their bosses."
Cedric's mouth curved, a small and confident expression, and Tony knew he had the man. "Yes, sir, we are."
Tony nodded. "Thought so. So--are we good?"
Pepper's assistant let out a breath. "Yes, Mr. Stark." His eyes were gleaming, and Tony held back a grin--here too was someone who thrived on overwork. With Cedric's help and a little luck, Pepper's burden would be eased and she might start getting enough sleep at night. Tony figured Pepper would catch on eventually, but either way they would all be better off.
"Excellent." Tony stuck out a hand, and after a second's hesitation Cedric shook it, his grip light but dry. His nervousness was all but gone, and he met Tony's eyes without flinching. Tony gave him an austere smile. "You start now."
Cedric nodded once more, turned, and was gone with his usual unobtrusive speed. Tony smirked, and poured himself a celebratory drink.
*********
One thing Tony hadn't anticipated when he'd asked Pepper to move in was the difficulty in keeping anything secret from her. She handled his schedule and Happy's, and she was already prone to wandering into his space at random moments, either to tell him something, get him to sign something...or just to kiss him, which latter item he favored deeply.
It did complicate things slightly, though. Jarvis was far faster than even Tony's reflexes, so Pepper coming up behind him didn't actually see anything, but he knew she suspected him of something. The first time Jarvis had blanked his screen, Pepper had blushed, then stammered through half a speech of how she didn't mind if Tony still looked at porn before he'd gathered wits enough to yank her off her feet and explain, deeply and repeatedly, that he didn't any longer.
He might have done so eventually, out of habit if nothing else, but it had been clear even to him that Pepper had been lying through her teeth.
It would have been easier to tell her that he was working on something private, but--
What fun is a surprise you know is coming?
Finally Tony gave up, and told Pepper to schedule him a day for him to stay home and work on the suit. And asked--not ordered--her to attend a budget meeting for him.
And as soon as Happy reported she was safely at Stark Industries, Tony climbed into his Audi and took off.
Frascatti's had several things to recommend it. It was extremely high-end, very discreet, and carried gorgeous pieces. And its diamonds were certified as conflict-free by the meticulous owner--a distinction that Tony had recently come to appreciate in a very personal way.
The main floor of the jeweler's was open to anyone with enough money to dare to step inside, but the upstairs showrooms were by appointment only. Tony parked in the little gated garage and slipped up the back stairs, grateful for the privacy. Normally he wouldn't care if the press got wind of his visit--but he didn't want Pepper to know.
Yet.
The owner met Tony at the head of the stairs. Ashima Venkatasian was calm, elegant, and about fifteen years Tony's elder, and barely came to his chin even in heels. But her aura of serene authority had nothing to do with her height. Tony enfolded her tiny hand gently in his, returning her smile. "Hello, Ashima. It's good to see you."
"And you, Tony. It's been quite some time." She drew him into the plush-carpeted room, and one of her assistants swung the door closed behind him. The heavy click spoke of security.
"Yeah, I've had a lot on my mind." He'd been in the habit of dropping by Frascatti's to purchase a bauble or two for his latest paramour, but it had been almost a year now since he'd had a need for jewelry.
"Indeed." Ashima led him to a pair of plush chairs arranged next to a small table, and gestured him into one. She evinced no curiosity about Tony's changes, and while he would expect the courtesy from her anyway, he got the feeling that she really didn't care. Ashima's focus was gems, and the exquisite presentation thereof. "What are you looking for today?"
Tony leaned back a little, and let the grin take over. "Everything."
Ashima's cool smile warmed. "As you should be for so lovely a bride."
He nodded. "She's allergic to silver."
"And will require delicacy, elegance--heavy pieces would overwhelm." Ashima nodded back and gestured to the discreetly hovering assistant, a tall slender young man. He bent, and she spoke quietly to him before waving him off.
Tony wasn't surprised that Ashima remembered Pepper so precisely. Not only had his PA accompanied him on more than one visit, she had sometimes come alone at his request to select something for one of his paramours or pick up a piece. Plus, there were those earrings two years ago. Usually Tony told Pepper to pick out her own Christmas gift, but the diamond studs had caught his eye.
Of course, he'd only seen her wear them once, but he had to admit they weren't everyday jewelry.
As the assistant busied himself at the long display cases at the back of the small room, another one wheeled forward a cart. "Tea?" Ashima inquired politely.
Tony accepted, as he always did, knowing she would only make him drink one cup. It was part of the ritual, and he could appreciate that; the fragile vessel she handed him was always filled with something that smelled sweet and tasted smoky, and he had never been able to place the flavor.
"What does Ms. Potts wear on special occasions?" Ashima asked.
Tony frowned in thought; in the past, he hadn't paid attention to such details, too taken up by the overall package. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure." He swirled the tea gently. "Never anything flashy, though."
And that was one of the reasons he'd come to Frascatti's instead of going through his mother's jewels. Maria Stark's strong coloring and vivid features had lent themselves to bolder pieces than Pepper could wear; and she had favored garnets and rubies, which would not suit his fianceé at all.
The jeweler nodded again. "So we will start with the ring. An heirloom, I understand?"
Pepper had released details of the ring to the press early on, knowing how the game was played, and according to Jarvis had started a minor run on opals. "It belonged to my great-grandmother, but it could be older. I haven't looked up the provenance."
"Late Victorian at least. Very good." Ashima set her own cup aside as the assistant brought over another cart, this one laden with velvet boxes.
"That reminds me, I need to look into wedding rings too." His parents' rings still sat in the safe deposit box, but somehow they didn't feel appropriate to Tony. I want...I want something that's ours alone.
Ashima raised an elegant brow. "A word to the wise, Tony--such decisions are best made by consensus."
He smiled into his cup. "I'll keep that in mind."
They settled to business. The assistant handed box after box to Ashima, who would open it, consider the contents, and either close it and hand it back or remove the jewelry and lay it out on the little table for Tony to examine. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, rings, a few watches and hair ornaments--there was even a tiara, delicate curlicues of gold accented with tiny diamonds, but as much as he admired it Tony couldn't think of a plausible way to get Pepper to actually wear the thing. He passed it up with a sigh, tucking the notion away for later possibilities.
In the end, he restrained himself. No rings--though it occurred to him that it would be fun to bring Pepper in and let her choose something for herself--but a slender golden thread of an anklet that raised his pulse at just the imagining of it encircling her leg; two bracelets, one with diamonds and sapphires and one with diamonds alone; and a whimsical hairpin done in emeralds that, when one looked closely, took the form of a bell pepper.
He took more time over the necklaces. A diamond and sapphire solitaire on a thin chain, a black-opal pendant in vivid blue-green, a twisted rope of white and yellow gold. Earrings to match. And the most magnificent piece of all, clearly chosen to compliment Pepper's ring--a heavy pendant of malachite and misty opal, wrapped round in fluid gold.
"Yes," Tony stated when he saw it, enchanted with the vision of it glowing against Pepper's skin. "Perfect."
Ashima's smile was demurely proud. "I thought so."
Tony left Frascatti's with a discreet bag, weighted with gold and velvet, and was halfway home before he smacked the steering wheel with one frustrated hand. "Fuck," he said out loud.
I always forget to ask. Just who the hell is Frascatti?
***
He could hardly wait for Pepper to get home. Tony laid out the boxes on the low table in the living room, opening them so the sunlight could flash and gleam on the contents, and tried to contain his impatience. Her words about generosity kept running through his head, and Tony imagined her face lighting at the sight of the jewels. Pepper appreciated things of good taste, and gems from Frascatti's were always in the best of taste.
So when she came in the door, he was waiting to meet her, and she laughed at his enthusiastic kiss. "I'm glad to see you too, Tony."
"Come here." He tugged her towards the living room, and Pepper followed.
"What is it? Did you order lunch or--"
Her words squeaked off at the sight of the boxes, and she faltered. Tony steered her to the table and gestured proudly. "I went shopping today."
Pepper stared, apparently without words, and Tony sat down on the couch, pulling her down to sit next to him. When she still didn't say anything, he picked up the nearest box impatiently and handed it to her. It happened to be the black opal pendant.
Her fingers closed around the box slowly, and she looked down at it, eyes wide. Finally she swallowed, and reached to touch the opal with the tip of one finger.
Tony sat back, pleased. She looked absolutely stunned.
Pepper licked her lips, straightened, and lifted her head. "Tony, I--I can't accept these."
His stomach lurched in shock. "What? Why the hell not?"
She blinked rapidly, her cheeks pale. "It--it's too much. These are--they're too much, Tony, they're way too--"
"Don't say it," he interrupted sharply. Bewildered hurt was welling up like poison in his chest, and it was making him feel sick. "Cost doesn't matter, Pepper, you--"
"No--" She snapped the box shut and returned it hastily to the table, as if afraid to touch it. "I can't."
Anger joined the pain, a nauseating mix that seemed to make his skin pull taut. "Why not? You're going to be my wife, Pepper. Can't I give my wife jewelry?"
Pepper pressed her hands to her lips, eyes still huge, and spoke around her fingers, her voice trembling. "It's not appropriate, Tony. It's--"
"'Appropriate' is whatever the fuck we decide it is." The anger pushed Tony to his feet. "You know what? If you don't want 'em, fine. Whatever. Do what you like."
Unable to bear another instant of her rejection, he spun and strode to the workshop stairs, half-running down them and leaving the whole mess behind.