SilverTongued Dreams- Thanks! I suppose that's sort of what it is. It's sure fun to write! And about Gene, I do have plans for him later on, although I don't know if he'll have a large role or not. Guess you'll just have to wait and see! ;)

PercyJacksonLover14- Aw! SQUEE! Thank you so much!

SilverPedals1402- Thanks so much! It always makes me happy when I see others enjoy what I write. J

Haytar96- Thanks! I hope the wait wasn't too long, and I hope you enjoy!

UltraRed55- Haha! "Gave more of the bone." I may have to steal that from you. And I checked out some of your newer stories, and they rock! I need to read the updates, though. And thanks for telling me! (PS You have an awesome taste in music! :D)

Guest- I'm glad you like! Hope this is soon enough. J

imaAvenger- No, don't fall off! And lol, when I saw "Limbo state" I thought it said "Limo seat" at first. Lol. Thanks!

Finny-Kun Goddess- Thank you! Hope you continue to like it!

GrooveyIcecream- No, don't die-oh, phew. That was close. Haha, thanks! (BTW, love your name! Ice cream should always be groovey! J)

Super Tacocat- Hey, thanks! When I originally wrote down that number I wasn't really considering how logical it was. The number, however, didn't account for each individual person, but more for things including that name, sorta like Google (if that makes sense?). Even then, though, the estimate is pretty radical, so I'll be sure to change it. But thanks for pointing it out to me! I have absolutely no common sense and sometimes I'll read over a story I wrote and wonder what the heck I was thinking, or if I was thinking at all. But thanks!

Sorry for the REALLY late update. I've been in a rough bout of it lately from some things that have kind of thrown me off balance, and I just couldn't find the motivation to pick myself up and keep, not only writing, but just doing anything productive. But it doesn't matter, because I've been blessed with endurance and I'll be fine, just like always.

On a positive note, I've been accepted into an honors clinic, which is neat because I'm the only eighth grader to ever accomplish this in two consecutive years. Plus I've gotten a bunch of ideas to write while running, so I should be good from Writer's Block for a while.

Not much happens in this chapter, but it's necessary to move the plot along. I waited to post this one, though, until eight was finished so the wait isn't but a day or two long.

Anyway (wondering if anyone actually reads these), enjoy!

IMAA doesn't belong to me. If it did… *Evil smile*

Chapter Seven

Rhodey had been waiting at the Pizza Place for over an hour. He'd been surfing the web on his laptop, skimming through his textbook, and checking the time every few minutes, hoping that Pepper just wasn't very punctual and nothing had happened to her. Yesterday's conversation had been the longest talk he had ever had with her, but somehow he knew that it wasn't in her personality to just skip on an agreed meeting for no reason.

He absently fiddled with his phone, reminiscing the previous day's events. As much as he loved his father, he couldn't help thinking that the man's actions seemed rehearsed, like an actor stepping up to fill the role of a father. He was distant, vague, and he didn't seem to remember much of anything before the war, save the letters his family sent him. Instead of his father returning home, it felt more like he was meeting a pen pal who knew nothing more about him than what he said in his messages. Whenever these ugly emotions boiled up inside him he felt egotistic in his thoughts; his dad was alive and well, wasn't that all that mattered?

He was snapped out of his reverie by a girl slipping into the booth opposite him. Rhodey almost hadn't recognized Pepper from her appearance. Her hair was unkempt and frizzy, eyes puffy and mascara smeared around them, and she was dressed simply in a pink t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She was notorious for wearing her favorite bright pink dress and a black tie, and the sight of her dressed so, well, normally made Rhodey instantly snap to attention.

"Are you okay?" Rhodey asked, voice full of sympathy. Apparently, though, she wasn't searching for consolation.

"I'm fine," she answered thickly, her voice so flat it was as though it had been ironed by a clothes iron. Her exuberant, borderline rambunctious, personality seemed to have disappeared, and it was this that shook Rhodey most. "But I need to talk to you."

Her voice was so urgent he didn't question her, instead leaning forward expectantly on the table and folding his hands in front of him. "Shoot."

She looked away from him, chewing on her lower lip before re-fixating her gaze on him. "Tony. You said that name yesterday. Do you know who he is?" She spoke briskly, a slight quaver under-toning her voice.

"I told you, I just slipped up. Why are you so upset about it?"

"Please, just-just think. He's almost as tall as you, he has dark hair, blue eyes."

"Pepper, just take a deep breath for me, okay?" Rhodey requested quietly, trying to calm her from what he considered to be histrionics or a meltdown of some sort, beginning to feel a little bit of worry creep into his heart and constricting in his chest. "You're not thinking rationally-"

"No!" she cried impatiently, slamming the palm of her hand on the table, his attempt to subdue her outbursts apparently only exacerbating her inexplicably panicked pleas. She tried not to feel insulted by his insinuation, and instead said, "Concentrate. Tony Stark. You know him, he's your best friend. Your brother. You know him better than almost anyone! His dad is Howard Stark, and he's a genius. He loves science more than almost everything besides his family, and you're the one who always keeps him from doing stupid stuff. He made this suit of armor, and...and he's called Iron Man, and you, you're War Machine." She stumbled through her words, though she didn't halt, afraid that if she paused she would choke up and be unable to continue.

"Pepper," Rhodey said quietly, uncomfortably aware of how much attention the altercation was attracting, "are you...are you on something? Are you sick, maybe? I can call someone-"

"Rhodey, you know me! I'm not crazy!" Pepper pleaded, grabbing his hands. "I'm not, not sick, not deluded, I'm just me. We were friends, you know me. You have to remember a little bit or you wouldn't have said his name!"

She looked so heartbroken and deranged he couldn't just leave her there or cut her down again, so he decided to humor her. "Okay. Say this guy is real. Where is he?"

The redhead's shoulders drooped. "I-I don't know."

"Ri-ight."

"But if you'll look at these, maybe it'll trigger a memory or something," Pepper said, finally extricating her hands from Rhodey's, digging through some papers, folded to keep them together, out of her purse and sliding them across the table. "They're compilations of some of the places we used to hang out and-"

He was feeling mightily overwhelmed and a little more than a tad worried about the girl's mindset when his phone buzzed in his pocket, and he groaned in dismay when he realized the time. "I'm sorry, Pepper, but I forgot that I promised my mom I'd be home by now," he said with forced disappointment, stuffing his things into his side knapsack before standing and turning to leave. He paused however, trying not to look at her forlorn expression, before grabbing the papers and slipping them into his back pocket to view later, a tiny gesture to indicate a trace of uncertainty in the teenager's mind. Her words were indelible, and he knew he would experience a restless slumber that night.

"Wait!" she cried suddenly before he could walk off, latching onto his forearm and locking eyes with him. "I know this is asking a lot, especially of you, but...please, just keep an open mind."

Then she released his arm and he gave a slight nod before striding off, leaving her sitting at the table. She sighed, wishing she had paced herself a bit more when explaining everything to him; she just threw it all at him and hoped for the best, and now he thought she belonged at the mad house. But she didn't have time to dwell on her morose thoughts, as she had another goal that day.

She had to find a way to meet the Starks.