Two weeks, five days and eight hours. That's how long he had been gone, and Pepper regretted every second of it. She figured that nobody should spend Christmas eve alone, but here she was in the dimly lit coffee shop staring at a photo of the two of them, but at a table with one chair.
Every time she gazed outside she felt jealous looking at all of those couples walking through the streets, having the best day of their lives. Was she destined to be alone?
He was cold and distant nowadays, just like he described his father. She had hoped he was doing something special for her three weeks ago. She had something planned for him.
That was before it all went wrong.
It was a argument, Pepper didn't remember what they were fighting over, only that she was angry. Now she regretted every word she said. A day later he was gone and nobody could find him.
She pictured this day perfectly: presents, joy and holiday traditions.
What had she done?
About a bleary hour and many tears later it was midnight, the bells chimed and a moment later all the lights died. The elegant chandelier above her head flickered and then the only light was the moon.
Her heart almost stopped and she dried her tears standing up to figure out what was happening along with the other people nearby. She didn't have to wait long to find out.
The light above her head was the first to turn on, and she only had time to glance at Tony's picture before the show began.
The first thing that tipped her off was the music. She remembered it well. It was the song she and Tony had danced to together last year. It blared out of every speaker that it could possibly, the restaurant, the street speakers and even peoples phones.
All the lights in sight danced and blinked in time to the music radiating in waves from where she stood.
A nearby jumbo-tron came to life and started showing pictures. Not of Iron man, not of Tony, just the two of them. It showed times that they depended on each other and when their love was the only thing that kept them going.
Pepper started crying as the music carried on, Tony had planned something for her. Now she felt like the date she had planned out paled in comparison to this.
The lights continued to shimmer and change until the song ended. The sky went dark momentarily before power was restored and everything went back to normal leaving some very flustered Christmas couples.
Pepper wasn't sad any more, Tony cared and that was enough for her.
But one thing was missing: the man himself.
She grabbed the picture stuffed it in her purse and whipped around to rush home, but before she could make it one step, she practically ran in to the man behind her, Tony Stark: billionaire, playboy, philanthropist and most importantly, the love of her life. They stared at each other for a moment before they kissed.
For once, Pepper didn't mind the staring, all she cared about and all she needed was him.