A/N Ciao! How has everyone been?

SilverPedals1402- Haha, I'm glad you like it! I was going for a bit of a mysterious vibe for something new after my other story, so I'm glad you enjoy it. :)

UltraRed55- Thank you! :D Gah, I'm glooowwwing now!

1-SID-1- I'm happy you like it! I'll try to keep updating a bit quicker. ;)

Carpetbakr- (Lol, I just made a typo and wrote Carpetbark O.o) Haha, Roberta...why've you got to be such a mother? Thank you!*high-pitched squeal that annoys everyone for miles*

PercyJacksonLover14- Thank yooou! :) When I was writing the first few chapters, I kept wishing they would remember, even though I was writing it. XP

Guest- Here you go! Enjoy! :)

I've got a little bit of free time, so I'll be attempting to catch up on stories I've been missing, finally..! If I miss someone's story you'd like me to read, leave a review or PM and I'd be delighted to read it when I have time. :D

Chapter Six

"Should I armor up?" Pepper inquired, glancing with longing at a bright purple and white body armor displayed proudly within holding chambers lining the walls. "I can call Rhodey and we can all check it out."

She groaned, rolling onto her side.

"No," the teen, Tony, dismissed with a wave of his hand as he slipped out from underneath some machinery, wiping his hands on his knees as he rose to his feet. He seemed oblivious to the fact she was aching to fly in her armor, which she hadn't done in almost a month. "Rhodey hasn't seen his dad in over a year, almost two, and you've got that thing tonight with your mom. I can take it. Besides, it's probably nothing. The computer might just be picking up lingering traces of Maggia equipment or something." Almost like magic, curved fragments of metal soared towards him, fitting smoothly to his outstretched arms, legs, body, and finally concealing his face as a crimson and yellow helmet engulfed his head. Strangely, the redhead didn't seem at all surprised as she watched the armor construct itself onto his body as though ordered by an unspoken command.

Her head listlessly tilted before turned rapidly back and forth, as though trying to see something through her closed eyelids.

"Fine, just be careful," she ordered.

"Why on earth would I be careful?" Tony asked, his voice, deepened within the armor, laced with sarcasm. "I'm gonna be as reckless as possible."

"Tony!"

She lurched awake, breathing heavily, her heart pounding against her ribcage like the beating of a drum. It took a moment for it all to rush back to her, but to her surprise she was able to remember it all with distinctive clarity, as though it had been emblazoned in her brain. She held her head in her hands, the left side of her body sore; she had fallen asleep on her side on the cold wooden floor.

Her phone laid beside her, and she considered attempting to call Rhodey again; however, after checking the time and seeing it was only three hours past midnight, she dropped the phone to the floor once more in disgust. Pushing herself to her feet, she brushed off her pants and proceeded over to the computer, trying to make sense of her situation.

She'd forgotten. She might as well start from the basics.

Booting up the laptop, she pulled up Google and typed in "types of amnesia." Clicking on one of the first websites she scanned the list. Dissociative Amnesia, Transient Global Amnesia... Nothing mentioned making someone forget a specific person, but therein lied the problem; it wasn't just that she'd forgotten, but time had forgotten, as well. She continued to search anyway, more out of stubbornness than anything. The closest thing she found was a new medication that could make a trauma victim forget treacherous events, though it was unsure whether it actually worked or was part of the Placebo Effect. For a moment Pepper tensed, thinking. Someone you loved dying would certainly be a traumatic experience...

But no; she discarded this thought almost immediately. Firstly, he wasn't dead, that she was sure of. Just gone. The differences in the realities proved that. And secondly, she knew for a fact she would never of her own accord choose to forget anything of her past, especially him.

Gloomily, she stood and began to pace, imagining the floor eroding under her feet and creating a path on the floor. There was something else, something she wasn't sure if she was forgetting or simply didn't want to remember. Why had he been taken from her? Whenever she tweaked at the thought her throat tightened a bit and her heartbeat became erratic and quickened. She didn't have time to dwell on this as she passed by her bedroom window, glimpsing a shadowy silhouette outside in the darkness. She hadn't noticed the light drizzle that had begun to fall until she rushed to the window, throwing it up with a sharp crack and raindrops splashing against her exposed face. Someone was standing outside her window, silent, watching, but not sinister as she would have expected. This felt more familiar and welcoming, and somehow, though cloaked in shadow was he, she felt sure she knew who it was.

"Tony!" she cried, practically flinging herself out the window. "Don't move!" She ran out of her room and flew through the corridor, not bothering to put on a jacket or even shoes as she wrenched the front door open and erupted outside. She slipped and fell down the steps, ripping a long gash in the lower part of her pants, but she picked herself up and ran again. She had half expected him to be gone by the time she reached the alley, but there he stood, now facing her. It occurred to her that maybe she should be scared, that maybe this was a nasty trick, but the way her heart was practically exploding with joy upon seeing him told otherwise.

The rain fell in sheets around him, all but obscuring him from sight. Every once in a while, through a pause in the icy torrents, she thought she glimpsed a red shirt; but for certain, ripping apart the darkness like icy fire, were his electric sapphire eyes, fixated on her. She took a step towards him, overjoyed, but he shook his head. He glanced at her still gaping bedroom window for a moment then turned back to her, an arm lifting as he slightly waved his hand as if in a goodbye, before turning and walking off.

"No! Wait!" She ran after him, desperate to hold him, hear him speak, keep him from deserting her, but she'd forgotten one crucial fact; the alleyway was a dead end. When she reached the end, there was no one. He'd simply vanished. She retraced her steps to make sure he couldn't have snuck off somewhere, but turned up no results. There were no windows, no other exits, and nowhere to hide.

He was gone.

She simply stood still for a moment, the rain washing over her body and wind whipping her hair and shirt around, before the tears came, mixing with the raindrops washing down her cheeks. She pressed her palms into her closed eyes, igniting little parks behind her eyelids, a sob racking her body. Why? Why is this happening?

No. No, she was not going to break down, she should be strong. Wallowing in self-pity was infantile. She was strong, even if she didn't feel like it now. She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, a bit of common sense returning as she realized she was standing barefoot and bare-armed in the chilly rain and moved to go back inside. Inside the house she slowly closed the door, watching outside until the door obscured her vision and she fully sealed it shut. Sopping wet, she walked down the hall, wet feet slapping against the floor, shaking her hair like a dog and spraying water droplets everywhere. Donning new garb and toweling her hair dry, she somberly walked over to the computer to shut it down. It was then that she noticed she had an email. Idly checking it, her eyes widened as she read the two words.

Be careful.

She looked at the top of the message for the sender's name, but there was none. The recipient was marked as Pepper Potts and had her email address, but there was no sender, which...shouldn't even be possible.

This time she was unable to hold back the tears.