First off: Iron Man 2 is going to be AWESOME. I got the book the other day, finished it in about seven hours (posted a fic about it...hint...) and deary me, cannot fricken wait! A few people have been asking me what happened in it, and if you want to know I have the last chapter written out, I'll PM it to whoever wants it. I was going to post it on here, but I don't think I could handle the lawsuits.

This was meant to be two chapters, but the 'second' chapter would have been about a page long, so I shoved it in here. I'm thinking there's gonna be a max of five chapters before I finish this cos I want to get it done before IM2 comes out here on the 30th (LOL to the rest of the world...). Speaking of, is anyone in the UK going to the premier on the 26th? I can't but some mates who live in London have agreed to go and stand in the pouring rain (bound to be isn't it?) and take many, many photos for me. All I had to do was trade them a lifetime's servitude and my first born son. I think it's a fair trade.

Song of the Day: Daughtry – Supernatural

James Rhodes sighed for what must have been the millionth time since he entered the Stark mansion nearly an hour before. Wishing every second that he hadn't bothered to engage Tony's request to visit, he raised his head from his hands and stared his friend in the face.

"Tony, for the love of all that is good and holy in the world, will you think about what you're thinking about."

"Yeah, that made sense." He jibed. "Look, all I'm asking for is your opinion, is that so hard?"

"It is when you combine it with the sheer idiocy of what you're asking me." Rhodey said, standing up and moving away from his place on the couch. "You know exactly what Pepper's going to think when she sees that don't you?"

"Is that so bad?"

"Oh no, of course not, especially seeing as firstly, that's not your intention and secondly, you've been going out for a grand total of a month."

"And a half." Tony said, as if this cleared up the argument.

"I do apologise." Rhodey spat back. "Look dude, for the eighth time, if you give her an engagement ring, she'll freak."

"It's not an engagement ring!" Tony shrieked. Rhodey winced and wriggled a finger in his ear.

"That's the first thought that's going to go through her head when she sees a small square box with a ring in it!" he hollered back.

"In any case, engagement rings have diamonds in them." Tony said as if Rhodey hadn't spoken.

"And what have you made that out of?"

"Sapphires."

"And?"

"..."

"Tony!"

"Ok fine, so there's a few teensy tiny diamonds in there, but it still doesn't look like an engagement ring!" he thrust it at Rhodey who snatched it off him. Rhodey closed the box and then quickly opened and closed it in front of Tony's face.

"What did you see?"

"I saw a ring with a miniature, miniature Arc Reactor on it."

"And what do you think Pepper's going to see when you show it to her?"

"...a miniature, miniature-"

"Eh, wrong!" Rhodey cut in. "She's going to see a ring, with a blue sapphire centre and, hey what are those? Oh yeah, diamonds!" he stressed the last word to try and get it through to Tony's head.

"But. It's. Not. An. Engagement. RING!" Tony stamped his foot like a toddler and snatched the box back from Rhodey, shoving it in his pants pocket.

"Oh my God, fine." Rhodey held up his hands and walked towards the door. "You know, I am so glad I'm going back to Afghanistan for three months, I could use the peace!" he opened the door and walked through it, leaving it wide open. Tony jogged up to it and watched him go.

"Oh don't be like that honey!" he called after the Colonel. Rhodey raised a very specific salute and Tony laughed. "Be careful out there Platypus."

"Always am, Tin Man." He shouted back, opening his car door and getting in. As he turned the engine over, Pepper's car appeared up the drive. "You know, I should wish her luck." Rhodey called to Tony.

"You say a word to her and I will personally eat your face." Tony pointed a finger at the laughing soldier as he waved and set off down the drive. True to his word, Rhodey's car stopped next to Pepper's for a few seconds and then drove on. Tony whipped his phone out and sent Rhodey a quick text.

Consider your face eaten.

Thirty seconds later as Pepper was getting out of her car, he received a reply.

Let me know how it goes. I could do with a laugh when I get back.

"Asshole." He muttered and flipped his phone closed, smiling to himself.

"Nice to see you too." Pepper's voice startled him.

"Rhodey, not you." He shoved his phone in his other pocket and stared at Pepper. "I, uh...wow." she was wearing an emerald green dress, single strapped on her left shoulder and a slit all the way up her right leg up to mid thigh, giving him an extremely luscious view. The dress hugged the few curves she had extremely well, and she had completed the look with matching coloured shoes just how Tony liked them, high heeled and strappy. He gulped, raking his eyes over her body.

"Enjoying the view, Mr. Stark?" she smirked at him, arms crossed as he struggled to form a coherent sentence.

"Well...um, you look...fuck." he grabbed her arm, pulled her through the door and pressed her up against it when it closed, smashing his mouth to hers.

"How do you do it, Pepper?" he said against her skin as he moved from her mouth to her neck.

"What?" she asked breathlessly, her hands wound tight in his hair.

"Make me go from completely level headed to a horny teenager in three seconds flat?" he lifted his head and smiled drowsily at her. Pepper giggled.

"I think that's something you should be asking yourself." She kissed him tenderly and he whimpered, which made her giggle again.

"Tease." He whispered and backed away from her.

"Kettle, this is Pot, you're black." She threw back at him. "And for the record, you don't scrub up so bad yourself."

"What? This old thing?" he asked, looking down at the brand new D&C suit he had gone out and bought especially for the night.

"Where are we going tonight anyway?" she asked him as he walked over to the couch where he had thrown his suit jacket. He put it on and walked back over to her, grabbing her hand and leading her back out of the door.

"Well, seeing as how I kinda fucked up our first date, I'm making up for it." He smiled and led her to the limo, greeting Happy as he held the door open for them.

"Oooookay." She said in a mildly suspicious tone. "So..."

"So, seeing as you were forcing me to attend Christian Lewis' Annual Post New Years Bash tonight, I thought I'd make the best of a bad situation and bring you as my date." He beamed at her as the limo set off.

"We're going to that?"

"Yes." He said, confidently.

"As a couple?"

"Um...yeah?" his confidence waned slightly as he registered her tone of voice. "That's ok right? I mean, we are a couple..."

"Oh, yeah, totally fine." She managed to pull off a smile which only looked slightly forced, but he saw through it.

"Are you sure?"

"Course." She said, her voice higher than normal.

Tony sighed and took hold of her hand. "Pepper, talk to me, you don't seem fine about this."

"It's nothing," she said, looking at their intertwined hands. "It's just...what if it's weird?" she finally looked at him and saw he wasn't following her thought process.

"What if what's weird?"

"Us." She said quietly.

"Oh." Tony said, nodding. "Wait, what?"

"It's nothing." She said again. "I just thought that, you know, we'd have a little more time together before we...came out." She made a face, hoping he understood. He did. He smiled reassuringly and squeezed her hand tighter.

"I understand." He said softly. "And if you want us to stay secret for a bit longer, that's fine with me."

Pepper looked at him. "You sure?"

"Of course I am." He kissed her and smiled. "I know what's going on and that's all that matters...although I should probably call the papers and tell them not to run that headline-ouch!"

Three hours later and Tony was regretting ever coming to this stupid 'party'. Just about every high-flyer in the room had wanted to talk to him from the moment he stepped foot through the door and he had seen Pepper a grand total of two times, barely five seconds each the entire time.

He was just about considering jumping off the wagon completely and heading to the bar when a gap in the conversation gave him a chance to slip away. While the group he had been standing with laughed at a totally un-funny joke, he made a break for it and dodged like a bearded ninja through the crowd to the balcony. He breathed a sigh of relief when the cool night air hit his face and he smiled when a familiar form greeted his eyes.

"Fancy seeing you here." He called to Pepper who was leaning on the railings overlooking the Malibu coastline. She turned at the sound of his voice and grinned at him.

"I wondered where you'd run off to." She replied. Tony groaned and walked towards her embrace.

"Don't. It was horrendous. I can't believe you made me come to this thing." He gave her a slow kiss after he made sure no one was looking and leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

"Snap." She giggled. "I could so use a drink right now."

"I'll get them." Tony started to walk back but Pepper grabbed his hand.

"If you go, they'll steal you away and you'll never be heard from again. I'll go." She pecked him on the cheek and then disappeared back into the building.

The first of the two bars the building held was pretty packed, it being the party side of the party, but the second bar set aside in a separate room was much quieter, with only three other people sat at it. She made her way to the end of the bar and sat on one of the stools.

With this being the quieter of the two bars, there was only one bartender, a very young man who looked like he was just about old enough to drink what he was pouring. She watched him as he tried frantically to mix the numerous drinks the man in front of him had ordered.

"Man that kid's slow." A voice came from Pepper's right and she turned towards the source. A tall, blonde haired man with startlingly blue eyes was stood at the very end of the bar next to her, clearly trying to start a conversation. "I could have gotten myself the drink, gotten hammered, knocked some girl up, raised the kid and sent it to college by now." He laughed at his own joke, a sound that grated through Pepper's brain like nails on a chalkboard. He took her wince as a smile and clearly thought he was getting somewhere.

The bartender finally got to Pepper and she smiled warmly at him. "Vodka martini, dry, and scotch on the rocks, please." She handed the boy a note, but her hand was knocked away by the man next to her.

"Drinks on me." He smiled at her. The look on Pepper's face made the bartender stand awkwardly while he waited for her to confirm.

"That's alright, really." She said firmly, hoping to get her point across, and once again handed the boy the money. He took it without waiting and set to making the drinks.

The man didn't let up. "Maybe I should introduce myself, I'm Daniel Lewis, my uncle is hosting this party tonight." His smug grin clearly indicating that he thought this might seal the deal. "And you are...?"

"Not interested." She heard the bartender stifle a laugh at her reply, but it still didn't put the man off.

"Oh come now, how much more ego-battering can you dish out?" he ran a finger up the slit of Pepper's dress but she slapped his hand away.

"I said. Not. Interested." She was beginning to get angry now. The bartender brought the drinks just in time and she snatched them up, standing as quick as she was able. Daniel cut around her and blocked her.

"Hey, most women do not say no to me." He leaned towards her, pushing her against the bar.

"I'm not most women." Pepper said, beginning to regret volunteering to get the drinks.

"Hey!" Tony's voice boomed from the other end of the room. "What the fuck are you doing?"

Daniel turned at the sound of Tony's shouting and smiled. "Tony, my man." He spread his arms out as if to embrace him, but Tony pushed him aside and stood in front of Pepper, facing him.

"I said, what the fuck do you think you're doing?" the few people who were left at the bar were oh so covertly staring at them.

"Oh, she with you, Iron Man?" he grinned again.

"She's my PA, asshole."

"Oh, right, gotcha." He winked at him and lowered his voice. "Say, when she's done 'organising your files', recon she's got a few hours to spare for-"

Daniel never got to finish his sentence because he was interrupted by Tony's fist connecting with his nose. Pepper gasped and pulled on Tony's arm before he could throw another hook. Daniel scrambled up from the floor where he had landed, clutching his dripping nose, and fled from the room.

"You even think about talking to Pepper again and I will personally-"

"Tony!" Pepper yanked on his arm and dragged him out of the bar, all the way out of the building and practically threw him into the limo.

"Back to the mansion please, Happy." She said, not looking at Tony who was examining his hand. A nice red mark was forming on his knuckles. He flexed his fingers experimentally and hissed when the joints protested. "I can't believe you did that." She said. There was a slightly pissed off edge to her voice which threw Tony.

"What?"

"You punched him!" she snapped. "In front of all those people. God the press will have a field day with this. Do you even know who he was?"

"Yeah, he's the sleezeball who was harassing my girlfriend. What was I supposed to do?"

"Oh I don't know Tony." Pepper threw her hands up in desperation. "You could have tried not hitting him?"

"I don't think that would have got the message across." He winced as his fingers throbbed again. "Have we got any bandages or anything in here?"

Pepper sighed heavily and routed around under the seat for the first aid box. She located it and roughly yanked a roll of bandage out, throwing it at him and snapping the box closed again.

"What's wrong with you?" Tony asked, beginning to get a tad annoyed with how she was acting.

"I was handling the situation perfectly fine-"

"Yeah, looked like it from where I was standing-"

"You didn't have to punch him!"

"Oh, I get it, I can go off here, there and everywhere killing terrorists, but I'm not allowed to defend the woman I love from drunken guys who can't take no for an answer? What the hell is up with that? I think I may have broken at least two knuckles here and now I gotta get a lecture about it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Tony stopped winding the bandage around his hand when he noticed Pepper was staring at him.

"What did you just say?" she said breathlessly. Tony scrunched his eyebrows up.

"I think I've broken my knuckles?"

"Before that."

"I go around killing terrorists..."

"After that."

Tony's rage addled brain searched around for what he'd said...and then it hit him. The anger disappeared immediately and a slow smile spread across his face.

"The woman I love?"

"That bit." She stammered. "That bit right there." She was fighting a smile herself, clearly thinking he hadn't meant it to slip out, and to be fair he hadn't meant to say it now, certainly not like this, but amidst all the chaos that had just happened, it felt right. Natural.

He pushed himself off his seat and shuffled over to her on his knees, now at eye level with her as she was sat down. He reached up with his good hand, brushed some hair from her face and took a deep breath.

"Pepper, in the nine years I've known you, you've seen me on the worst days of my life. You've seen me drunk, beaten up, and many a time in the midst of a heated sex session. You've been my rock, both business wise and emotionally the entire time. You've stuck with me through thick and thin, and if you don't know how undeniably in love with you I am by now, then we've got some serious problems." He looked her square in the eyes. "I'm so in love with you, it hurts. Literally." He raised his bandaged hand and she started giggling.

"I love you too." She said. The look on Tony's face made her heart swell. He kissed her, trying to show her without words just how he felt.

They were too lost in each other to hear the low buzz of the rising glass partition, giving them all the privacy they could ask for.

Three months passed quickly for Tony. The 'fight' at the party had made the papers, but nothing major had come from it, so good was Pepper at her job she had even gotten Daniel Lewis to apologise to both her and Tony.

Now, as he lazed around the mansion waiting for Rhodey to turn up, he noticed how empty the place looked without Pepper there. She had gone out earlier that day to run a few errands after managing to get a day of peace for the both of them, partly for their sake as they hadn't managed to have much quality time together for a few days, and partly because she knew Tony would want to have some guy time with his best friend.

He gazed around and noted how more and more of Pepper's personal things had started taking up residence in his house. The drawers and closet in his bedroom now contained a large amount of her clothing, her toothbrush had moved into his bathroom and there were various books, CD's and DVD's scattered around the lounge. Just as he was wondering how best to broach the subject of her actually moving in, Jarvis alerted him to Rhodey's arrival.

"Let him in, Jarvis." Tony said, standing up and heading to the door. He opened it to see Rhodey's convertible pulling up. As he got out and walked up to the door, Tony saluted.

"At ease, soldier." Rhodey said, smiling.

Tony grinned back and gave him a hug. "Good to see you, man." He stepped back and let Rhodey into the house. "How've you been?"

"Na-uh, you first Iron Man." Rhodey wagged a finger at him. "I told you I'd want a laugh when I got back. How'd it go with the ring?"

"Oh yeah." Tony laughed and they sat down on the couch. "Well, it didn't go great."

Rhodey eyed Tony suspiciously. "You didn't give it to her, did you? Thank God." Rhodey threw himself back onto the couch and sighed.

"No I didn't. You don't have to look so relieved." He shoved the Colonel in the shoulder.

"So what happened?"

"Well, I was going to give it to her when she got to the house, before we left...but she distracted me-"

"You can skip this part; I don't want to know that badly."

"-and then when we got in the limo, she was freaking out slightly about us 'coming out' so I didn't think it was the best time to give it to her then, and then I got into a fight-"

"Whoa, what?"

"Well I punched a guy. Daniel Lewis? He was hitting on Pepper and wasn't taking no for an answer, so I socked him, bruised my knuckle," He pointed to his hand as if to clarify the matter. "So that really wasn't the best time to give it to her."

"And then what?"

"Then, we -me and Pepper- got into a fight about me punching the guy, and then..." he smiled at the memory.

"...and then..." Rhodey made a 'get on with it' motion with his hands.

"And then I told her I'm in love with her, and she said it back." He had a fully fledged grin on his face, and Rhodey followed suit.

"Finally!" he exclaimed. "But why didn't you give her the ring then?"

"I decided I agreed with you." He said. Rhodey gave him a confused look. "You said that when Pepper looked at the ring, she'd automatically think it was an engagement ring...and I decided that I'm not against her thinking that when the time comes to give it to her." If anything, Tony's grin grew wider.

"You mean you're gonna propose?" Rhodey said, dumbfounded.

"That's the plan." Tony laughed at the expression on Rhodey's face.

"Wow." He said. "I didn't think you were a plan making kind of guy." He shook himself out of his trance and slapped Tony on the back.

"Neither did I, man, neither did I."

Their attention was stolen then as a phone started ringing. Tony recognised it as Pepper's BlackBerry and he walked over to it on the kitchen counter.

"She's probably ringing to see if she's left it somewhere." Tony muttered as he picked it up. "Helloooooo?"

"Uh, yes, hello, this is Doctor Meyer calling for Miss Potts." A female voice replied at the other end.

"She's not in right now and I don't think she'll be back til this evening. Can I take a message for her?" Tony asked, leaning against the counter to face Rhodey, who began making childish faces to get Tony to laugh.

"I'm afraid I can only talk to Miss Potts or her next of kin." The woman said.

"Well I'm pretty sure I'm her next of kin, Anthony Stark?" he said through gritted teeth as he tried not to laugh at Rhodey.

"One moment please." He could hear tapping of a keyboard. "Ah yes, ok, well it was just a quick call to let Miss Potts know that the blood tests showed nothing negative and for her not to worry about the scan, both she and the baby are perfectly healthy."

Tony's heart stopped. His brain ceased to function. Rhodey saw this and added it with the 'next of kin' to create a horrendous scenario in his head.

"Tony, what happened?" he got up and walked over to him as Tony hung up the phone. "Dude, is Pepper ok?"

Tony nodded and swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Pepper's pregnant."

TBC

For the record, I know hospitals and doctors aren't allowed to give out medical information to people other than their patients, but there was literally no other way this would have worked otherwise. And there was more to be added to the end, but I'll have to shove that in the next chapter because this is nearly 4,000 words long.