Chapter 7

Her eyes focused on his and she gulped, afraid of uttering the first word. The tears in his eyes stabbed at her heart, and before she knew it she was crying too. Her legs moved on their own accord and she ran toward the bed and slammed her body onto his chest. Virgil surrounded her with his arms and kissed the top of her head, sobs echoing on the pale walls. "I thought I'd lost you, Patricia."

"I thought I'd lost you, Dad."

Virgil patted her back and then carefully pulled a strand of her hair with his fingers. He thought he would never get to hold his little girl, and after months of waiting and grieving, he had finally given up all hope of finding her alive. This moment had seemed impossible for him just a few days ago, and while the circumstances were not the best for either one, he was just happy to have her back in one piece.

"Your hair is longer." He said as he stared down at her, memories of a similar redhead he once knew coming to mind.

Pepper nodded, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "You like it? I think I might let it grow even more."

Virgil nodded. "You look more like your mom like that."

Pepper's eyes lit up. She did not remember much of her mother by now, and the very few memories she had of her related to a frail and pale woman who fought cancer until the end. She had seen a few pictures of her of when she was younger, but Pepper was certain she was nowhere near as beautiful as her mom had been. "Really?"

"Yes, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who likes it, right?"

"What? I don't understand," she said despite the rush of blood to her face, which caused Virgil to chuckle.

"You don't need to hide it from me, Patricia. I may be old, but I'm not blind. Howard told me everything."

Pepper's eyes shifted from side to side, trying to imagine what Howard could have possibly told Virgil that was making him bring up such a conversation at such an awkward time. "I didn't know you and he were best buds?" she asked, attempting to sidetrack the conversation she was growing uncomfortable with.

"I wouldn't say best buddies, but he's a good man. He went through some of the same things I had to go through, so he understands more than anyone else I know, would."

"I guess so," Pepper said as she adjusted her position on the bed. "Anyway, are you OK, Dad? Are you still in pain? I missed you so much. When can we go home?"

Virgil laughed aloud. Not once in his lifetime did he ever think he would be happy to hear Pepper's incessant questioning. Howard had assured Virgil that, other than some expected mental scarring, Pepper was otherwise alright from her kidnapping. He had also informed the FBI man that she had been well taken care of in the last few days by his son himself. Virgil had not expected anything less from the young genius, even though the last time they had spoken they had parted on terms that were less than favorable.

"I missed you too, Patricia." He hugged his daughter once more. "And, I'm feeling OK. I'm still a little tired," he admitted. "But nothing a good rest can't fix."

"I'm so happy that you made it, Dad. And, I'm so sorry how you found I was alive. I promise I didn't fake my kidnapping to run away with anyone, especially with Tony."

"I know you didn't; it was the shock of seeing you alive that surprised me the most. I know my daughter, and I knew you wouldn't be capable of pulling such an outrageous feat."

"Still, I should've called you right away. I meant to, I promise."

"It's alright. As long as you're unharmed and happy, that's all I care about right now."

Father and daughter remained in silence for a little while until Virgil asked Pepper a question she knew she had to answer truthfully. "Patricia, what happened to you?"

Pepper bit her lip and closed her eyes, inhaling as deep as possible to gain the courage she needed to relay to her father the ordeal she had gone through. She knew she did not have to go into detail, but only provide enough information to set her father's concerns at ease. "Are you sure it's healthy for you to hear this? It wasn't pretty."

"I'm sure. Besides, where better to drop shocking news on me than while I'm at a hospital, right?"

Pepper hesitated for a moment but finally relented. "Alright," she began as she made herself comfortable on his bed. "It all started when the Makluan Guardian showed up…"

xxxXXXxxx

Tony's eyes were glued to the closed door that led to Virgil's room. He had hardly moved an inch since Pepper had gone inside. His father sat to his left, silently staring at his son's demeanor. Even though they had not spoken a word, Tony knew his father had millions of questions for him, and not all pertained to how Pepper had made it out alive from wherever she had been taken to. After five minutes of eerie calm, Howard cleared his throat and spoke.

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

Tony shrugged but did not look away from the door. "It all depends on what she wants to do. I'm still going to MIT in the Spring, if that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not. I know you'll keep your promise."

Howard waited for Tony to speak again but when he did not, the old man knew he had to play dentist and pull teeth –information, out of Tony in a somewhat painful and slow manner. "I guess what I meant to ask was what's going to happen between you and Pepper."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, her father is back, so I'm guessing she'll want to go back to live with him, right?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't she?"

"And her father now lives in California…and MIT is in Massachusetts."

Tony shoulder's tensed before he slowly pressed his back against the chair as his father's words sunk in. His eyes finally moved away from the door and he stared down at his lap. He knitted his brows in deep concentration, and Howard allowed his son to put together the pieces of the giant puzzle. "I didn't think about that."

"Do you know where Pepper wanted to attend college?"

Tony shook his head. "She wanted to join S.H.I.E.L.D., but they require a college degree and she never got a chance to choose one or send any applications."

"I figured she didn't. And to go to college, she needs a high school diploma," Howard pointed out. "Which, I think, she didn't get to earn in the end."

Tony rubbed his eyes with his fingers, suddenly feeling the beginnings of a major headache coming his way. "No, I guess she didn't get the chance to do that either."

"Then maybe you and Pepper should have a conversation about what you'll want to do." Howard offered, trying to subtly let his son know that this was not the end of the road.

"What's your point, Dad? I don't think you're bringing this up just because you're curious."

"My point is that you two are still young, and probably haven't thought much about the future; but you're not kids anymore, Anthony. I think she's been through a lot, and I'd hate for her to be strung along by you and your feelings of guilt. If you're going to make a move and be honest with her, you better do it soon, and be ready to either flee or commit."

"What makes you think I'm stringing her along?"

"I didn't say you were, but the emotions are high right now since she just came back, and the two of you being so young…well, sometimes we make mistakes, or think we want something but we really don't."

Tony's head snapped to his left to face his father with a scowl marring his usual relaxed look. "Young? You keep saying that, but I don't see what it has to do with anything or what the point of this conversation is. Are you saying that you don't like Pepper? Or that you don't want me to date her? Because you can forget it. If she wants me, we're staying together."

Howard raised his hands in a defensive stance. "The complete opposite, actually. I really like her; she's a great person if she has put up with your ego this long. But if I were you, I'd rather just have her friendship than nothing at all. She's good for you, in any respect; but seeing it from her and her father's perspective, the last thing I'd want is for her to come back to a reality that is no longer what it was when she left."

"So, you think that I may be feeling like I want her to stay because I feel guilty?"

"It is a possibility that no one would judge you for."

Tony returned his gaze to the door as memories of his and Pepper's earlier argument returned to him.

"Do you think I don't love you, Pepper? Is this what this is about? Because you're damned wrong! I DO! I can't believe you'd really think I don't care! Then why the fuck do you think I didn't stop looking for you? For the fun of it?"

"Because you feel guilty! You told me so yourself! You felt like shit that I was taken under Iron Man's watch! It's just a pride thing to you!"

"Just a pride thing for me," he mumbled under his breath so that Howard would not hear him. She had been partially correct that his ego had taken a hit when Pepper had been taken right under his nose, but he was certain that Rhodey's pride had been deflated as well. However, Rhodey did not have the same feelings for Pepper as Tony did, and Tony had been the only one to continue his search for the girl, so he believed it had to have meant that he truly cared for her as more than just a friend. However, what if his father was right? What if what he was currently feeling was nothing more than guilt masquerading as the beginnings of love?

No, I already felt something for her before she was taken, he told himself. I would've taken the next step with her either way.

"Tony?"

The inventor's eyes looked up to stare at the object of his affection looking back at him. She was resting the side of her body against the frame of the open door leading to Virgil's quarters, twisting her hair nervously in her finger. "My Dad wants to see you."

"What?" Tony stood up.

"He, uhm, he asked for you. He wants to talk to you." She shrugged.

Tony stared at his father who also shrugged in return before the genius took the few steps that were separating him from Pepper. She moved out of the way to let Tony pass and once he was inside she closed the door on her way out of the room. The click of the door signaling Tony and Virgil were now by themselves was the only noise in the room for a few seconds until Virgil spoke.

"Hi, Tony. It's good to see you again."

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck in nervousness. "Hello, Mr. Potts. Good to see you're OK."

Virgil shrugged. "I could be better, but I really can't complain; I got my Patricia back."

"Right," Tony began. "About that…well, I'm sorry…about causing this mess. It will never happen again."

Virgil raised a single eyebrow. "You can't really say something will never happen again or ever. That's a tough promise to keep."

"I meant to say that she won't be placed in that situation again." Tony explained. "I'm no longer taking her with me on missions, and I've permanently decommissioned her armor. I promise you, sir, she won't be placed in harm's way because of me."

"Oh," Virgil said in a low voice. "Does she know she won't get to be Rescue, again?"

Tony sighed and shook his head. "No. I haven't had a chance to tell her yet, but the decision was made the day she disappeared."

"By whom?"

"Me." He pointed a finger to his chest. "I made the armor for her; I should've known better."

"She might be disappointed about that. She really likes the superhero business, apparently," Virgil stated, recalling the conversation he and Pepper had just had minutes ago. "What about when she joins S.H.I.E.L.D.? She still wants to do that, you know. How are you going to stop anything from happening to her then?"

Tony looked down at the floor, unable to think of a good response. As much as he wanted Pepper to be safe, he really could not keep her from doing what she wanted to do. Anything she decided to do was her decision, and every job in the world carried some type of risk. If it were up to him, he would keep the redhead in a bubble where nothing and no one could hurt her, but he knew it was just wishful –and idiotic, thinking. In the end, he knew he could not bring himself to deprive Pepper of enjoying her life, even if what she decided to do did not sit well with him.

"If you ever figure it out," Virgil continued, "let me know the answer because I haven't figured out a way to make her stop hacking into the FBI database."

Tony chuckled lightly. "You mean saying 'no' to her is not enough?" He said in an obvious joking manner, and both men laughed aloud. Once the laughter ended, however, Virgil's face turned serious once more.

"Look, Tony, I owe you an apology."

"What?" Tony asked, wide eyed and shocked.

"All this time I had blamed you for what happened to my daughter, but it wasn't your fault. She's stubborn and she would've done whatever she wanted, anyway. If I, being her father, can't keep her from dashing into danger, you had no better chance than me."

"I…I was at fault, Mr. Potts. She went there because I made her a suit."

"You made her a suit because she asked you for one."

"And I should've said no."

"But you're her friend, and you care for her, so you said yes because that made her happy."

"But…"

"That's enough, Tony. If you want to place blame, then everyone shares some of it here: you for building the suit, her for being so nosy, me for spending more time working than with her, and I could go on and on. In the end, whatever happened is over and we all have to move on. I've made my peace with it, and as far as I know so has she. I just wanted to make sure that you knew I don't hold any of it against you, and even though I didn't take it well when you first told me, I've gotten over it. I know you're very important to her, and if I hadn't made it out of this heart attack, at least she would've had you around."

Tony was at a loss for words. He stared at Virgil and then at the closed door, and then back at Virgil again but he could not think of anything to say. The heaviness of his father's words and now Virgil's were weighing him down; they both wanted to know if Tony was serious about starting up anything with Pepper, or at least make him aware of how the girl really saw him. Maybe his father was right; maybe he was taking more than he could chew. He had not been aware of how his actions were being perceived, and for an instant he felt the need to run to the nearest window and just jump to his death.

Can I do this? Is this what my Dad was trying to tell me? Is this really what I want? Can Pepper and I really…

A soft knock on the door caught his attention, and when the door opened, Virgil had a first-hand experience of the situation Howard had spoken to him about just earlier today. He saw Tony's eyes light up when he saw the redhead peeking inside the room. Her eyes were half closed and she had her hand on her mouth trying to conceal a yawn. She rubbed one of her eyes, feeling drowsiness taking over her as she looked up to stare back and forth between Tony and Virgil. "Are you two done in here? The doctor is outside and wants to check up on my Dad again. Plus, visiting hours are over."

Tony smiled at her and nodded before he turned to Virgil and bowed his head slightly, a silent promise established between them. He then walked up to the door and led Pepper outside. His father was talking to the doctor but when the medic saw both teens were out of the room, he excused himself and walked inside the room. Howard could read on his son's face that Virgil had also questioned his intentions as he had earlier, so he decided to leave the two alone for now.

"I'm going to call a cab, Tony. Here." He threw Tony the keys of the car he had rented for himself. The young genius caught them with no problem but still gave his father a confused look. "I need to go back to New York tonight, so you can keep the car. It's rented for the entire week."

"But, Mr. Stark…" The redhead began but stopped when Howard shook his head.

"It's alright, Pepper. You need the car to come back tomorrow to see your dad. The doctor said he expects him to be able to go home in a couple of days, anyway."

"But…"

"Anthony, why don't you tell Pepper that she has no say in this?" Howard joked as he waved his hand goodbye to the two youngsters and began walking toward the door. Pepper tried taking a step toward him, but Tony held her back.

"It's a lost battle, Pep. He doesn't listen if he thinks he's right."

"No wonder you're like that, too," she responded with a small smile on her face before she covered yet another yawn. "God, I'm about to pass out."

"Let's go back to the hotel, then."

"You go back to the hotel. I'm going home."

"Home? What? Why?"

"Well, for one, I've already checked out, remember? And for two, my dad gave me the keys to his new place. I want to make sure everything is nice, clean and ready when he goes back."

"But, Pepper…I…"

"You, what?"

"Nothing. You're right. I'll take you home."

"Let's go, then," she said and began walking, closely followed by a confused Tony Stark that was not sure where his confidence of three days ago had gone off to.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, and thank you for your patience! Hope you like this short bit!