She couldn't see anything when she woke up, but she suspected that was because of the blindfold she felt covering her face. She was on some sort of hard surface, but whether it was metal or something else she didn't know.

Pepper's head was pounding as she tried to sit up, but it didn't take a genius to tell that her hands were and feet were bound and she doubted she could little more than flop around like a fish, especially since her hands were tied behind her back. Once Pepper tried to move, there was a pair of hands on her shoulders, holding her down. "Shhh, Virginia, you're alright. Just lie still. Once Mike gets back from the bathroom, we'll be moving right along. We'll get to our destination soon and I'll untie you. Everything will be okay."

A door was slammed open and a new voice sounded, just a little distance from Pepper. "Matt! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"She was panicking, Mike, I couldn't just let her freak out."

"You know why we're doing this, big brother, and it is not because of your little obsession."

There was anger in 'Matt's' voice when he spoke next. "I know exactly why we're doing this but I can't how I feel-"

"Control it, or bad things may happen to Ms. Potts."

"Don't you dare threaten her! You promised that you wouldn't hurt her! You promised!"

"I know, but if you get in the way, I may need some insurance. We'll make the video when we get there. Put her under."

There was a small pinch at Pepper's neck and she felt her body unwillingly relax. Pepper whimpered slightly and one of the men sighed before Matt said "I'm sorry, Virginia."

Tony angrily paced the floor of the living room. He hadn't found hide nor hair of Pepper and the on thing he could find worried him more than anything. There was a note written in block letter that said "we'll call." On top of all that, JARVIS had a glitch from a bug that had somehow been planted in the security system, both letting in the intruder and having JARVIS get him into the suit and out of the mansion before letting him know that the intruder had been just feet away from them the entire time.

Rhodey had yet to arrive and Tony was debating calling the police. The only problem was that there wasn't any proof other than the note that showed that Pepper had been taken. Tony knew that she had been taken, of course; he could feel it in his bones, but the police wouldn't go on just that. They need proof, like footage or something. Footage.

Tony's head snapped up and he stopped in his tracks, running to the nearest computer and pulling up the security footage from outside Pepper's room just after he had left. The screen flickered to life ad Pepper was seen exiting her room. "Rhodey?"

As Pepper moved down the hallway, a man in a mask crept up behind her and grabbed hold of her. He chuckled and covered her mouth and nose with a cloth. Pepper struggled for only a moment before she went limp. The man kept a good hold on her as he dug a phone out of his pocket. From what Tony can hear from the enhanced security system, the call goes to voicemail before the man speaks. "Hey, Mike, I've got her; we'll be out in a minute."

Dread settled in the pit of Tony's stomach and he starts to pace again. After a little while, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out what to do. Not long later, Rhodey finally made appeared. Tony glared at him. "Where the hell have you been?"

"My tire blew out, I got here as fast as I could. How's Pepper?"

Tony hit the replay button on the computer and Rhodey's eyes widened as he saw the footage. "Do we know who took her?'

"No, but they left a note. I'd have JARVIS scan it and run it through everything to see if there's any handwriting matches, but he's been glitching because of a bug. I need to fix it before I can do anything else."

Rhodey sighed. "You mentioned someone sending Pepper something.'

"Yeah, pictures. The guy texted her a few picture. The two of us on the beach, Pepper sleeping, standing by the window; that kind of thing.

"Do you still have her phone?"

Tony frowned and walked quickly to Pepper's room, eyes widening with realization. "It's not here. Either they took it with her or she still has it."

Rhodey grinned. "Good. Go fix JARVIS and I'll get a hold of the police. We'll find her, Tony."

When she woke up again, she was on a couch. Her hands were still tied, but in front of her and her feet her completely free. Her eyes were covered, but lifting her hands, she was able to pull the cloth away and take in her surroundings. Pepper was in some sort of room. There was just a door, no windows, and testing the doorknob, she huffed an annoyed sigh as she discovered it was locked. Turning her attention to the knot, Pepper tried to reach with her fingertips to get the piece of twine that would free her. After a moment of failure, Pepper shook her head at her own stupidity and used her teeth to undo the knot.

With that done, Pepper, looked at the room with renewed interest. It only took her a few minutes to figure that getting out of the room would be next to impossible. Sitting back on the couch, Pepper jumped a foot in the air at the realization that her Blackberry was in her back pocket. Doing a more thorough inspection of the room, she came to the conclusion that her captors had failed to put up any security cameras.

Pulling her phone from her pocket, Pepper unlocked the screen and her heart sank. She had not signal.

"Hey, Mike, do you think she's awake yet?"

"The sedative should have worn off an hour and a half ago, Matt. Now is not the time to indulge in you fixation."

Matthew folded his arms over his chest. "It's not a fixation. I love her."

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Don't you have to go to work or something?"

Matthew jumped. "Oh, oh crap, you're right. Once Stark reports Virginia missing, I'll need to write the article." Matthew grabbed his press badge. "You work tonight, Mike?"

"Not unless I get called in. I got booted from my shift. Chief says I've been working too much lately."

Matthew nodded. "See you tonight then. Do you want me to give her the sandwich and water now?"

"Whatever."

Matthew nodded again and opened the door to Virginia's room after he put on his mask. Virginia was on the couch, her strawberry blonde curls covering half her face and her eyes closed. Matthew smiled and moved her hair out of her face before setting the food and water on the table next to her and leaving.

It took all Pepper had not to shudder when the man touched her, but once he was gone, Pepper jumped up and started pacing the room. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she tried to get some sort of signal.

Standing on the couch after pushing it into the corner, Pepper grinned broadly. One bar.

A/N: So, what'd you think? As per usual, I don't own Iron Man or any of its characters. Please leave a review and I'll try to update soon. Suggestions are welcome.