A/N: It's been great! I really enjoyed writing this fanfic. Thank you for reading, and a big gigantic thank you to those that reviewed! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

Read and Enjoy!

Tony entered the laboratory with hooded eyes. He hadn't slept in almost twenty-four hours. Pepper was still resting from the destruction in New York, and Director Fury was still talking to Doctor Jordan. Bruce was at one of the monitors in the laboratory; the doctors that were monitoring Pepper allowed him to take a small blood sample to survey the aftermath of the antidote.

Tony scratched the back of his head and approached Bruce from behind, just as the doctor shifted from one monitor to the other.

"Hey." Tony mumbled. He tried to hold back a yawn.

Bruce took one glance at him and smirked. "You look like crap."

Tony looked down at his wrapped up wrist. He also had a few cuts and bruises along his back, and around his face. He shrugged, "I've had worse."

"How is she?" Bruce asked, walking around the lab. Tony leaned against one of the walls.

"She still hasn't woken up yet. The doctors say her body is just resting." He explained to him. "How's everything on your end?"

"Well, so far, the blood sample I got from her didn't contain any active nanobots. I'd say she's clean." Bruce informed him with a reassuring smile. He turned to face Tony and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "You should get some sleep—"

"I'll get some sleep when I know she's okay." Tony curtly told him; his voice was grounded.

"She's fine, Tony." Bruce tried to reassure him, but Tony wasn't having any of it. "If it makes you feel any better, Director Fury and Agent Romanoff are talking to Doctor Jordan – well, talking is an understatement."

"You think they got anything out of him, yet?" Tony raised an eyebrow, and turned his head to look down the hall.

Bruce turned to one of the monitors and smirked. "You know Natasha." This time, it was Tony's turn to smirk.

…

It was an hour after Tony's return from the laboratory. The doctors examined her and concluded that there were no major internal or external injuries. The only injuries she sustained from the battle were bruises from the impacts caused by her super strength. She was lying in a bed in a temporary room.

Tony sat beside her bed in a plastic chair that seemed slightly more comfortable than a plank of wood. He counted her fingers, the tiles on the ceiling, and then began drawing imaginary schematics in his head. In that time, doctors shuffled in and out of the room, asking if he wanted anything to drink. He waved them away immediately as his mind was wrapping around various upgrades to the suit.

The only thing that snapped him out of his own world was the faint sound of Pepper's voice.

"Mm." She hummed, her eyes fluttered open.

Tony's bubble of upgrades popped in a split second. He leaned over her bed and watched her intently. "Pepper?"

Her eyes opened to the brightness and blurry sight of the room. Her head turned, and her lips formed a sweet smile when her eyes finally lay upon the figure next to her bed. "Hey." She greeted him groggily.

A laugh could be heard through his short gasp. "Hi." He enveloped her hand with his own. She felt a rough fabric glide across her hand. When she looked down, she saw the stiff fabric cast his wrist, and half of his hand, was in.

Her smile disappeared instantly. "Your arm."

He looked down at it and shook his head. "It's nothing—"

"I did that?"

He wasn't sure if she was asking or making a statement. He didn't want to remind her of the events that recently occurred, so he tipped her chin back up with his other hand, and made her look at him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her. "Are you okay?"

"I feel okay—" She stopped, not falling for his tricks. "—How is everyone else?"

"Everyone is fine. Bruce says you're clear of nanobots, and Fury and Natasha are interrogating that crazy doctor." He told her with a small smile. He briefly moved his hand to cup her cheek. She rested against it for a second before enveloping it with her hand and lowering it to her lap.

"Is everything over?" She asked him with a small frown. She was more concerned about the safety of the people around her rather than her own well-being. It amazed Tony how she worked.

Tony couldn't stop grinning. "Yeah."

She smiled back and squeezed his hand in her lap. "What about Thor, Steve, and Clint? I remember tossing them around a lot."

"Clint is healing. His arm was grazed by one of his arrows that…" He paused to carefully select his next words. "… You threw at him – uh, Capsicle and Thunder Thighs will be fine. A super soldier and a Norse God – I think all you did was bruise their egos."

"And you're okay?" She asked him. Her eyes surveyed his face carefully. The cuts on his face looked like they were already taken care of.

He smiled at her and began to nod. "I'm fine. But, I'll have to take a chunk of money out of your pay check for damaging the suit so much."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Funny."

His smile fell flat. "What?" He tried not to smile again. "I'm serious."

"Mm." She hummed in consideration. "Squeezing your own girlfriend out of her hard earned money."

"Hey, it's my money." He pouted. "You're just—"

"—Doing everything to keep you from going bankrupt?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Their original banter already started to kindle between them. It was weird to see them arguing with each other over something as small as money, especially after the recent events.

Tony stuck his chin up. "Iron Man does not go bankrupt." He stated.

She laughed and squeezed his hand with affection. Hours ago, her mind was wrapped around the astonishing discovery of her own super powers. She wondered if she would've done anything to keep them. She wondered what would've happened if Doctor Jordan never had the ability to control her body through nanotechnology. Many 'what ifs' floated through her mind, but the idea of being a regular human being with important tasks and appointments to keep up with seemed slightly more appealing.

A semi-normal life with a not-so-normal atmosphere was all her mind could wrap around. She liked the idea of being superhuman, but being close to Tony and the rest of the Avengers as a regular human being was about as close to danger as she wanted to be.

"You know," He started out as a smile soon graced his lips. "After everything is settled, maybe we can go to that vocation spot on the beach."

Pepper returned the smile and tilted her head to the side in fondness. "Yeah?"

He squeezed her hand and grinned endearingly. "Just you and I, on that private beach, watching the sun set…" He could go on forever.

She bit her bottom lip and suppressed a giggle. After all that happened, she couldn't wait to take a vocation, but only for a couple days. He noticed her pale cheeks and remembered that she hadn't eaten anything in a while, much less drink something.

"Oh," She groaned. "I am dying to get out of this bed."

"Did you want anything to eat or drink?" Tony asked her with an affectionate look.

She swung her legs out of bed. "I think I can manage by myself, Tony."

He got up from the chair and rounded the bed to help her. "Are you sure?"

"Tony, I'm fine." She swatted his hands away. When he got closer to her, she almost chewed his head off. "If you don't let me get out of bed by myself, I'll schedule meetings as early as 7:30 AM." She threatened him.

Tony held his hands up in defense and backed away. "No need to get snippy."

…

Tony and Pepper entered the conference room where Director Fury, Maria Hill, and the rest of the Avengers were gathered at. Fury looked up at the couple and gestured towards one of the chairs. Pepper sat down while Tony stood behind her, acting very protective of his things. He crossed his arms against his chest and looked at the rest of the team, who were sitting down at the table, or leaning against the wall.

"I assume the doctor started talking?" Tony asked, looking around.

"He sang like a bird." Natasha chirped from the opposite end of the table. "I didn't even get to use my favorite technique."

"That's gross." Tony mumbled. Pepper reached behind her and hit him with her hand. He smirked at her reaction.

"He's told us a lot more than we would've hoped for." Fury chimed in.

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Steve asked as he leaned against the corner.

"Agent Hill." Fury called out.

Maria stepped up to the conference table and took Fury's place. She tapped her finger on the table and brought up a blue 3D hologram. The diagram was simple, and was constructed thoroughly.

"After you guys tried to contain the situation in New York," She glanced at Pepper. "A team of SHIELD agents and I surrounded his last known location, which is what you see here." She twisted her wrist to get a bird's eye view of the apartment blueprints. "When we ransacked his apartment, all we found was a computer, laptop, and laboratory equipment."

"There was nothing in his apartment that remotely looked like a serum full of nanobots." Bruce chimed in.

Tony turned to Fury with worry. "So, someone got there before you did?"

Clint furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he listened intently on the conversation. Thor was leaning against the other wall with his arms crossed against his chest. He looked deep in thought.

"That's what we thought." Fury answered him. "But the doctor kindly provided us with some answers."

"Underneath the ground was another room. In the back of his apartment was a hatch covered up with a shed. Inside the shed was a hatch that led to the room. SHIELD Agents are bringing back the contents as we speak." She looked up at Bruce with a small smile. "We were hoping Doctor Banner could analyze the contents as soon as it gets here."

Bruce returned a smile with a nod. "Of course."

"So, what about the mad scientist?" Tony asked. "We can't forgive him for what he did to Pepper, and all the damage that he caused."

"The council is taking care of the press with regards to what happened in New York City. They'll also be deciding what to do with Doctor Jordan, seeing as how the crimes against him stack up to decades of time in prison and are well within their jurisdiction." Director Fury announced with authority.

"The man deserves more than that for harming the poor maiden and endangering the lives of others." Thor spoke up.

"Pikachu is right." Tony nodded at the Norse God.

Fury shook his head. "Doctor Jordan's fate will be decided by the council, and until then, we are to drop the subject. Doctor Banner, I'm going to need a full analysis report of the gloves he was using, as well as the rest of the equipment SHIELD Agents are bringing back."

"Already on it." Bruce nodded before leaving the conference room.

"Everyone else is free to go." Fury watched the team start to shuffle out of the room. He watched Pepper get up from her chair to follow Tony, but he called her back in. "Miss Potts, a word?"

Pepper stopped in her tracks and looked up at Tony. He gave her a reassuring smile and a slight nod before closing the door behind him. Pepper turned around and approached the Director, being very careful not to venture down the list of pirate jokes Tony had told her.

"Yes, Sir?" She responded formally.

He surveyed her for a minute. "There's no doubt that the media has caught a glimpse of you and this little fiasco, so SHIELD has provided you with your own cover." He handed her a file from the table.

"Thank you, Director Fury." She said politely.

"I expect to see Mr. Stark in top shape after you two spend the rest of the weekend on that private beach." Fury suggested with raised eyebrows.

"Ah…" Pepper wasn't sure what to say. She nervously pressed her lips together.

"Everyone deserves a free weekend."

Pepper narrowed her eyes at him and smiled. "I wasn't aware that SHIELD believed in days off."

Fury looked at her, and said without skipping a beat, "We don't."

She nodded. "I'll be sure to keep him on his toes." She turned to leave.

"Miss Potts, before you go." He called her back. She turned to face him once more. "I just wanted to thank you for the generous donation."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What generous donation?"

"One does not simply punch a hole in my ship and gets away with it." He gestured towards his whale of a carrier.

"Mm." She nodded in remembrance. She opened the door to the conference room and closed it behind her with her hand still on the handle. Underneath her palm, she was almost certain she heard the familiar sound of hard metal crumbling under her grasp. She uncovered her hand slowly, with her eyes closed, hoping that what she heard was just her imagination.

"Hey." Tony spoke up from behind her, thus making her jump in her spot. She turned around, almost as if she got caught near the cookie jar.

"Hi," She responded, hugging the folder against her chest.

"Everything okay?" He asked, gesturing towards the folder.

"Yup." She nodded. "SHIELD was nice enough to provide an alibi for me."

"Mm, same military training bullshit?" He asked with his eyebrow raised.

"I don't think I can pull that off." She laughed.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her towards the hallway with a wide grin. "Let's add one more thing to that cover up of yours."

"Which would be?" She already knew where he was going with it.

He stopped in the middle of the corridor to face her. "You, me, some sand in places where they shouldn't be, and a lot of ocean. I've already got the kids packed up, and by kids, I mean Happy, and I've also taken the liberty of bringing the sand castle tools."

"You sure you want to challenge me to another sand castle challenge?" She grinned slyly at him.

"I've been practicing for a while now. I'm pretty sure I'm ready." He nodded with an endearing smile.

She began to walk with him towards the garage where the helicopter and Iron Man suit were waiting for them.

"What do I get if I win this time?"

"Something that begins with a 'T' and ends in a 'Stark'." He responded without a beat. "—Wait a second, who says you're going to win?" He snapped his head back to face her.

She laughed at him and bumped into his shoulder to throw him off balance. The couple walked down the corridor where their banter was still holding steady. The recent events regarding nanotechnology were already being forgotten, as well as the state of the metal door handle.

The End