Chapter 2

The first thing he noticed after picking her from the floor was how much lighter she felt in his arms. She had always been rather skinny, and despite her attempts at getting on a diet – which were always unneeded and immediately followed by food binging – she hardly ever lost or gained a pound in the time he had known her. The thought of Pepper Potts losing weight she did not have worried him, and so did the fact that she was bleeding from the side of her head.

"Dammit! How did she…?"

He picked up his pace to the bathroom, cleverly avoiding the mess on his floors, and making sure he did not end up bumping her head on anything. Once he reached the room in question, he laid her down on the floor, her back resting against the wall. He crouched in front of her to examine her head injury, but it turned out to be just a rather small cut caused by the hail outside. He picked off the remains of the ice in her tresses as he made sure there were no other cuts on her scalp. Satisfied that the injury was minor, he then ran toward the large, standup shower and opened the water faucet. He then moved his attention to the small screen on the wall near the shower stall, and he typed in the desired temperature of the water.

While the automated shower combined the hot and cold water to spray the lukewarm liquid onto the tiled floor, Tony returned to Pepper and began taking off her shoes and socks. She was wearing the same clothes she had worn the day she had disappeared, but they were visibly worn; holes and rips were noticeable to the eye. After her feet were free of the soaked items, his hands flew to the bottom of her shirt but hesitated when he realized what he was about to do. The purplish color of her mouth and fingernails signifying how cold she was were the last push he needed to shake away his doubts, and he began undressing her until she was left in only her undergarments.

It's an emergency, Stark; she's cold and she asked you for help. It's like if she were wearing a swimsuit, nothing more. He repeated the thought over and over again, convincing himself that there was nothing lewd about his actions as he took off his pants and t-shirt as well before he picked her up from the floor and took her with him to the shower. The steam had already fogged up the glass walls, but Tony knew this place like the back of his hand. He carefully walked inside the stall, closed the door behind him, and sat on the floor, under the wide water stream.

He shifted Pepper so that she sat sideways in between his crossed legs. He held her in place by resting his left hand on her hip, and his right arm surrounded her back. Her head was bent forward but the side of it rested against his chest. The warm water hit them both, relaxing their muscles and helping Pepper regain a normal body temperature in no time. Tony was not sure how long he sat there with Pepper in his arms, feeling her breathe in an out, proving to him that she was in fact back. The inevitable questions that invaded his mind were there and they demanded to be answered this very instant, but his heart was louder than his brain, telling it to shove it and be grateful that Pepper was back.

Finally, Tony picked up himself and Pepper from the floor. He maneuvered her weight in his arms to shut off the shower, and once he accomplished the task, he carefully got them both out of the compartment. He placed her feet on the floor and surrounded her waist with one of his arms as the other one reached over to grab a towel. It was difficult to try and dry her with one hand, so he tried to pick her up once more to take her to his bed, but stopped in his tracks when Pepper's eyes fluttered open and stared up at him.

"Tony?"

She held her weight by clasping his shoulders with as much force as she could, and Tony steadied her by placing both hands on her waist. "Can you stand, Pepper? I need to dry you."

Pepper nodded but was not sure what she was agreeing to until she felt the warm towel surround her. She clutched onto the edges of the towel and brought it closer to herself as Tony grabbed a smaller one and carefully dried her hair and face as much as he could. He then took a quick second to use the same small towel to dry his own face and hair before throwing it on the floor away from them.

He placed his hands on hers where she held onto the towel, which caused Pepper to look up at him. His eyes stared down at her weary eyes, silently asking her for permission to touch her now that she was partially aware of what was happening between them. She again nodded to him and he was quick to pat her dry as thoroughly as possible, not allowing his hands to roam more than necessary. Once she was mostly dried up, he helped her walk toward the closed toilet and sat her there.

"I'm gonna go get you some dry clothes. I only have guy stuff, though. Is that OK?"

"Yes," she whispered to him. With her approval, Tony ran out of the bathroom and headed straight to his closet. He grabbed the tiniest t-shirt he owned and the smallest pair of sweatpants before returning to Pepper. Her eyes were open and aiming at the floor, but the depth in them told Tony her mind was far away from where her body was. She did not look scared or sad; she just looked to be in shock.

"Here," he handed her the items. "I don't have anything for…under them," he said, avoiding saying the actual names of the undergarments; Pepper finding out that he had stripped her and sat with her in a shower was already embarrassing enough for one day.

"It's OK," she assured him, grabbed the clothes and looked away. It took Tony two seconds to get her silent cue, and he cleared his throat.

"I, uhm, will be outside. Call me if you need…uh, help." He walked toward the rack on the wall, grabbed a dry towel for himself, and disappeared behind the closed door. Once inside his room, he dried and dressed himself in a fresh pair of boxers, t-shirt and pants, and just in time to see Pepper come out of the bathroom in her borrowed clothes.

The shock of seeing her again after six months was finally wearing off as he approached her and met her halfway into her trek into the room. He cupped her face with both of his hands and forced her to look up at him, worry and confusion marring his face. "Pepper, are you OK? Are you hurt anywhere? What can I do for you, tell me?"

Pepper closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again and staring up at his blue eyes. Her hands grabbed onto the sides of his shirt and he responded by walking closer to her. They were both silent for a minute, the sounds of the storm outside and their breathing the only noise in the room. Pepper eventually closed her eyes again, and rested her forehead on his chest.

"Sleep. Tired."

"Right," Tony said, already walking in reverse without letting go of her. When the back of his legs felt the edge of the bed he reluctantly let go of her, turned around and pulled down the blankets. He then took a step back and helped her get in the bed, immediately wrapping her with the thick covers.

"Are you still cold? Do you want another blanket?"

"No," she whispered, bringing the covers closer to her body. She could smell his scent all over them, and the simple gesture made her feel a million times safer already. Tony placed his hand on her forehead just to make sure she was not developing a fever, and when he was about to pull it off she grabbed onto it, her eyes still closed.

"Stay, just for tonight," she pleaded him, and he did not even think about denying her what she wanted. He walked around the bed and lay on top of the covers next to her. "No, here," she said as she lifted the covers, inviting him to join her. He again immediately complied despite how awkward he felt, and as soon as she felt him slide next to her she exhaled deeply.

"Thank you, Tony."

"No problem, Pepper."

Shortly after the words escaped his mouth, the sound of her light snoring lured him into a much needed, deep sleep.

xxxXXXxxx

When he opened his eyes, the first thing that came to his mind was that he felt extremely well-rested. He could not think of the last time he had slept for at least 8 hours, and not due to a long night in the armored suit. He contentedly sighed away the vestiges of his groggy self, and it was then he remembered the events of the night before. His face snapped to his side, and his eyes widened when he realized he was in bed alone.

Pepper, the thought did not make it to his lips, but he still jumped off the bed and rushed to the bathroom. There were no signs of Pepper ever being there, her clothes on the floor were gone, and the towels in the rack were dry and folded just as before he had used them on her. His heart was beating so hard he could feel it in his temples as he ran out of the bathroom and into the main room of his makeshift home.

"What the hell?"

His eyes were suddenly overwhelmed by the scene in front of him. His lab looked nothing like it had looked last night. The place was…spotless; shiny, even. There were no dirty clothes on the floor, no water puddles by the entrance, no half-eaten pizza on the table, and – most importantly – no sign of Pepper at all.

At least until he heard a grunt coming from the kitchen.

"Pepper?" He ran toward the entrance of his small kitchen room to see Pepper, still dressed in his clothes, dragging a huge trash bag to the compactor he had installed months ago. Seeing her again made the young man freeze where he stood, the memories of last night coming back to him once more, before he shook his head and found his voice. "Pep, what the hell are you doing?"

The redhead sighed loudly, dropped the heavy bag onto the floor, looked up to stare at her friend, and pointed a slim finger towards the refrigerator. "Tony Stark! Are you aware that half of the stuff in that fridge of yours has already expired?"

"Pepper Potts," he responded with the same tone she had just scolded him, and pointed his own finger at her. "Are you aware that you were gone for six months? Why are you cleaning my place?"

"Well, somebody should! This place stinks!"

"Uhm…well…I…" Tony closed his mouth and took a moment to stare at her; really stare at her. The color on her face had finally returned, and she had brushed her now shoulder-length, layered hair, giving her a different look that Tony did not disapprove off at all. She had one hand on her hip and the other pinched the bridge of her nose in a way she did when Tony was being –as she called it, unreasonable. Last night he had held her fragile form in his arms, but she had been more out of it than usual and in need of his aid, so he had overridden his initial reaction and had concentrated on helping her. This moment, this encounter in the kitchen, however, was far more real than when he had embraced her shivering body in the shower, and he knew his emotions were on the verge of coming to the surface.

The redhead groaned and shook her head at him, readying herself to pick up the sack of trash once more, but her arms never made it to the plastic bag. Instead, they were crushed on her sides when Tony cut the distance between them and hugged her with all the strength he could put on her without crushing her frame. The Extremis virus that coursed through his veins and its enhancements on his body were always in the back of his mind, reminding him that even the slightest amount of uncontrolled force on his part could send someone to the hospital with a broken bone.

"Pepper, where were you? I've been looking for you every day. It's like you just…disappeared from the face of the planet." He whispered in her ear.

His choked-up words defused the small amount of anger she had welled up toward his blatant show that he had not been taking care of himself in her absence. She returned the hold with as much force as he, and both of them slowly and unconsciously adjusted their positions so that it was not an awkwardly-angled embrace anymore.

"That's because I did, Tony. The Alien Guardian took me off the planet for a while when he…kidnapped me; and whenever we weren't chasing after Gene, we spent most of the time in some reality I know was not on Earth." Tony did not notice the slight crack in her voice. She was trying very hard to contain her emotions; she did not want Tony to know what the Makluan and Gene had put her through.

"That sick, son of a bitch! Where is he now? I swear the next time I see him, Pepper, I will…"

Pepper could feel the anger rising inside of Tony, so she pulled away a few inches from him, just enough to stare at his face. As she had expected, his brows were furrowed and his jaw was clenched, the initial signs that Tony was burning someone's name on his mental hit list. Pepper raised her arms from under his grip and held his face in between her hands. She brushed the skin over his cheekbones with her thumbs, and gave him a small smile.

"You don't have to worry about him. He's gone. Gene…he killed him."

"Gene?" Tony's eyebrows rose. "Gene killed the Alien Guardian?"

"Yes, and…" Her eyes looked down.

"What? What is it Pepper? Did he hurt you?"

Pepper shook her head, lying. "No, but…Gene…he's dead, too. Well, at least I think they both are. They fought so long, and so hard…I don't think anyone could have survived that blast."

"Blast?" Tony's grip on her tightened; the thought that Pepper could have been blown up and not be here with him ever again scared him more than he cared to admit. "How did you make it out if there was a blast?"

Pepper could not hold it together any longer. She had woken up today, confused but relieved, and the anxiety within her had left her with no choice but to move. The typical mess in Tony's lab had been the perfect way to release some of the stress and fear she carried with her; stress and fear she knew would not go away for a long time. She pulled herself toward Tony, hugging him desperately as the tears began running down her eyes. Tony feared the worst, and Pepper's next words confirmed his suspicions.

"Oh, Tony! Gene saved me! He sent me away before the blast hit me. He sent me back here."

"Back to the armory?"

"No," she sniffed. "Back to the Tomorrow Academy. It was at night, so no one was there, so I walked home, but my dad…he doesn't live there anymore. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I came here."

"Yeah, your dad, he transferred to the West Coast after your funeral."

At Tony's words, Pepper stiffened. She again pulled back from him, her face an open book of the shock she felt. "My…my dad…transferred? My…funeral? My dad thinks I'm DEAD?"

"Now, calm down, Pepper."

"Calm DOWN? CALM DOWN?" She pulled away completely from him, her hands flying to her head in disbelief. "I…I can't believe that…oh, NUTS! My dad! He's gonna…he's gonna…" she turned around to give her back to Tony, suddenly feeling cramped in his embrace and needing some space of her own. She took a step forward, but instead of her foot connecting with the solid floor, her attempt at moving was blocked by the trash bag she had completely forgotten about, spiraling her into a free fall toward the floor.

Or, at least she would have actually hit the floor if Tony had not caught her from behind. "Easy, Pepper. It's going to be alright. Just, calm down, OK?"

His strong yet gentle arms made her crave his touch again. She pressed her back against his chest, and she covered her face with her hands. She took in deep breaths until she felt herself relax. "OK. Alright. You're right. Maybe finding out that I'm alive won't give my dad a heart attack."

"If it does, I can make him an arc reactor."

Pepper turned around, stood on her toes to press her face near Tony's and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Are you freakin' kidding me, Stark? That's not funny! I mean, it would be totally cool and all, but NOT funny! My dad is all I have!"

"I'm sorry, Pepper," he whispered in a true apologetic tone. "It wasn't funny; no. And, well, you know…you're wrong."

"Wrong? What the…? Is that ugly facial hair getting to your brain? When was the last time you shaved, anyway? I've told you it doesn't look good on you. And, what do you mean I'm wrong?"

Tony's hand flew to his face, feeling the prickliness of the hair she was referring to as his mind readjusted to Pepper's speech patterns of multiple and consecutive inquiries at the speed of light. She was right; the hair was too long, even for his taste. He made a note to shave today if that would make her happy with him again, before he spoke. "I meant…you also have me…"He opted to answer only her last question, which caused the young woman's eyes to widen in shock.

"Uh…Tony…"

"And Rhodey!" He amended his statement when he realized what he had said. It was not as if he had just lied to her, but he knew he probably sounded desperate or vulnerable: two things he did not want her to see on him. "Me and Rhodey; you have us both."

Pepper chuckled and looked down; classical Stark and his feelings: sticking his foot in his mouth and resorting to getting a peg leg to solve the problem. "Yes, I know. Thank you, for last night. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't been here. My entrance code wasn't working. I was lucky that you weren't off on a mission or something else."

Tony swallowed hard, eating up the words he really wanted to say to her; he also feared, deeply, what would have happened to her if he had not been around –or what would have happened to himself if she had not returned when she did. He resorted to just nodding to her before he pushed her away from him and toward the side of the galley-type kitchen. "It was no problem at all, Pepper. You know that. Now, let me help you with this bag."

"Thanks," she made her way out of the kitchen and toward the main lab. Seconds later, Tony followed her out and they both stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Pep, are you hungry?"

Pepper gave him the first wide smile since she had knocked on his door. "Starving."

He returned the smile before he walked over to his wallet and keys. He still had questions about what had occurred to her during the last six months, and her vague tale of what had transpired had not placated his worries, but for now he was just thrilled to have her back, and maybe –just maybe, he would gather up the courage to tell her all those things he had every night uttered to the nothingness in his lonely room since she had been taken away from him.

A/N: I'm really trying to not make this fic complicated as all my others, but it is SO hard! I'm all for complex plots, but I will try to restrain myself –no promises, though. Well, if you enjoyed, please review. See you in the next chapter!