When Pepper woke up the next morning, she blissfully found her way to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast, she caught sight of the note sitting on the counter. She poured a quick cup of coffee and picked it up curiously and began reading.
Hello, Pepper…
I suppose you're wondering why this note is here and why your father isn't in his usual stupid routine. Well, I'm going to explain. You see, I may not have been able to convince you to like me, but that's okay, because apparently I didn't need to. Your father is a petty fool and I control him like a puppet master. Thanks to you, your boyfriend and your father all my pawns have fallen into place.
You see, your father is not home because I have taken him hostage. Kidnapped, minus the kid and plus the adult. I expect you're going to go get your precious little boyfriend for protection and spring into action, except if you do I will kill your boyfriend in one swift move and then show you to your father and kill him too. I was originally assigned to kill your father, but the three of you will be a thousand times more fun.
So, unless you don't mind seeing your boyfriend dead, I'd suggest you come alone, or better yet don't come at all, and don't tell anyone anything and just let me kill your father—or if need be, both of you—silently so I can go back to being assigned people to kill. Have fun making your choice.
Sincerely,
Amy. Although I figure you know that by now.
P.S.-If you do choose to find him, I'm sure he's got something on him that you can track. Or maybe I do. Who knows.
Pepper was frozen as her coffee mug dropped to the floor.
~…~
As Tony and Rhodey were joking around and laughing in the armory, Tony worked on the armor.
"Dude, that is so weird." Tony laughed as he heard his phone go off, proceeding to answer it.
"Hey Pep, what's up?" He greeted.
"Tony, my dad is in danger." Pepper explained. Tony heard her choking her tears back and failing miserably and immediately rushed to armor up.
Once he got to Pepper's apartment, he saw Pepper waiting outside for him, pacing very nervously, tears staining her cheeks.
"Pepper, I'm here, what happened?" Tony asked, rushing over to her as he landed on the ground and immediately wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. Pepper let her tears go as she coiled into him only briefly before poking her head up and explaining.
"Amy left a note saying she kidnapped my dad and she wants me to stay away so she can kill my dad, cuz she was paid to or something. Tony, she said that if we come to try and stop her she's going to kill us both. What are we going to do?"
Tony saw the genuine and sincere fear in her eyes. He hated when he saw that because it made him angrier than he could ever get in an ordinary crime situation.
"Well she doesn't know I'm Iron Man. And we are going to do anything we can do get your dad back, okay? I promise." Tony said, placing his hands on her shoulders as he talked to her. Pepper nodded and smiled up at Tony as his armored finger wiped away her tears. He held out his hand, and as Pepper took it, Tony wrapped his other arm around her waist and they headed over to where Tony had tracked down the signal from Amy's phone—in an abandoned warehouse by the shore.
~…~
"But Amy, I don't understand, I thought you loved me." Virgil asked, his tone showing how hurt he was.
"Ha, you actually thought I loved you…the only reason I ever cared to meet you is because my boss told me to assassinate you. It's my job. This was the only way I could get close enough to actually get the job done without your stupid daughter getting in the way." Amy explained.
"So, what you're saying is, the affectionate, caring, I-love-you Amy was never real and this whole time youjust wanted to kill me? A-and Pepper, she was telling the truth about you notliking her?"
"Uh, yeah. See, now you'recatching on!" Amy said. Virgil sank back in his seat miserably, until Iron Man burst through the wall, Pepper standing behind him.
"Pepper! What are you doing here?"He asked, surprised.
"Dad!" Pepper said, relieved as she ran over to him. Amy walked in to the room casually as she spotted Pepper consoling her father. She was about to kill them both, but Iron Man intervened by shoving her into the wall.
"Don't even think about hurting them or ill hurt you so bad you'll wish I killed you here!" Iron Man warned viciously.
"Hey, dude you need backup?" Rhodey said over the comm systems at the armory.
"I might need you soon, I don't know yet. Stay tuned." Tony answered as he pinned Amy to the wall.
"Listen, lady, no one harms my Pepper. No one." Tony warned. Amy smirked.
"Oh, so its her boyfriend, isn't it?" She said slyly. It did make sense to her that Tony Stark was Iron Man.
Virgil looked over to Pepper, who seemed to have a look on her face that suggested she was swooning over how heroic Iron Man was.
"Pepper, what are they talking about? Do you somehow know Iron Man's secret identity?"
"What? Dad, come on, how would I ever be lucky enough to know something like that? No one knows his secret identity! Now come on, i have to untie your hands." Pepper said, shaking off the proud feeling to help her father.
"What? No. I-I'm not her boyfriend, I'm a superhero. Superheroes can only love fighting crime. I work alone. I have no relation to this...Pepper." Tony lied. It was a darn good thing he was wearing a mask, because he had the worst poker face in history. He hated to have to lie about such things, but it was for the safety of his friends and family.
"Right, sure. You keep saying that. Well, listen, this has been fun, but I have a bratty teenage girl and her father to kill. So get outta my way." Amy said, trying to wriggle free of Iron Man's grasp.
"Not so fast, you're not going anywhere." Tony said, pinning her down harder. She reached into her utility belt and pulled out a stun Ray and fired it at Iron Man, leaving his armor to short-circuit. Iron Man, of course, was almost immune to that due to the fact that his armor was so advanced.
Before she could get to Pepper and Virgil, Tony fired a repulsor at her l, which made her topple into a pile of boxes.
She hadn't counted on Iron Man showing up to save the day. She hadn't thought he'd hear of or even care to intervene in such a minor thing compared to villains he usually faced. It puzzled her.
"Pepper, go! Get your dad out of here, I can take this fool!" Tony yelled as Amy got up and fumbled with a laser blaster.
"No, I want to help! We have a better chance at this together!" Pepper yelled back.
"Pepper, I don't want you two to get hurt. Please, get to safety!" Tony begged as he dodged Amy's laser blasts and fired his repulsors at her.
"Tony, were in this together and were going to solve this problem together! We can call the police while you keep Amy here! I'm sure she's not so heartless that she didn't at least care for my dad a little! Im sure if you let him try, he can get through to her!' Pepper shouted back, confusing Virgil by calling Iron Man 'Tony'.
"Fine, ill hold her still, you can try it. But I won't let you get hurt and you need to stay a safe distance away!" Tony demanded. Pepper and Virgil took a few steps back, and Pepper motioned for Virgil to begin.
Virgil cleared his throat and spoke as Iron Man pinned Amy to a wall.
"Amy, I know somewhere deep inside you you're not a bad person like this. I know somewhere inside you there's a girl yearning to be the girl she's been pretending to be all this time, and she really does want to marry me for me and be with me for me, and not to kill me. Somewhere inside you I know you've lived me just as much as I've loved you this whole time. I need that Amy right now. So please, come back to me. You're a good person at heart, and I know it." Virgil explained softly. Pepper patted her father's back in support.
This, however, made Amy more furious.
"Don't you dare try and understand my life! You don't understand me at all!" She yelled as she shoved Iron Man off of her, charging at Pepper and Virgil with a knife.
I know, I know, that's an unfun place to end the chapter. But hey, at least I know you'll stay tuned for the next one (; review?