A/N: Hmm... not much to add to the authors note this week but just wanted to drop a thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. There's nothing better after posting up a chapter than reading all your lovely reviews. I'm really glad theres a lot of people out there who actually love this story. I love writing it and I absolutely love Jared. He's a unique little kid that I always thought would exist should Tony and Pepper ever have kids. I mean it would be really hard to imagine their kid being a brat or something. Because I think between Pepper's good sense and Tony's new and revised morals, I think they'd raise a pretty good kid. Anyway enough of my rambling and on with this weeks chapter... in Tony's POV this time.

"Tony..."

"Hmm..." he hummed as he turned away from the partly dismantled Mark 5 suit.

"Did you know Jared is making friends with the guards we hired for him?"

He blinked as he turned to her familiar form standing several paces from the glass door. She typed furiously into her Blackberry and he used the moment to reflect. He realized without much thought that he wasn't all that surprised at Jared. It was somewhat expected, he thought quietly as he watched her.

"Did you hear what I said?" she murmured and glanced from her Blackberry to him.

He smiled warmly and nodded. "I heard you..." he replied softly as he reached for the nearest rag to wipe away the grease from his hands. "And I'm not surprised if you really want to know."

"Well," she mused as she turned her eyes back to her Blackberry, "I suppose its okay to befriend them but you know how Jared gets sometimes."

"I'm sure he'll be alright, Pep," he murmured as he haphazardly tossed the rag across the bench. "He's a good kid and he knows what's right and what's wrong-"

"Tony, he's six."

"Yes well, he may be six but I'm sure if the occasion called for it he would probably be able to out think any of them," he added swiftly as he made his way to her.

"He already did," she added shortly.

He blinked and asked, "What did he do?"

"He offered some of his lunch to Declan-"

"Who is-"

"He's one of the guards that follow Jared around school. Anyway, Jared thought that Declan was hungry and offered him some food. But you know how those guards are. They're all about duty and what not, so of course Declan politely declined but Jared being our sweet little Jared ordered him to eat it instead."

He sighed as he lazily slipped his hands around her, "He really does get his common sense and heart from you. I wouldn't have really cared to be honest."

She frowned and muttered, "You always made it a point to remind me to eat..."

"Ah well, you see...you're a different story altogether."

"How so?" she asked. Her lips he noticed were curled at one end and her eyes were twinkling.

"You my dear have qualities that exceed a simple guard."

"So you're saying Happy is just simple."

"And a little rounded around the middle," he added swiftly.

"He's been working out."

"With Natalie I'm sure."

"You're diverting..." she stared at him pointedly.

"Well," he slurred suggestively, "Your wellbeing and ability to focus was a concern to me."

"Uh huh..." she nodded, unconvinced as she rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm dead serious," he added, "I needed you to be able to lead my life to me so I could busily attend to..." he paused suddenly as he became aware of the words he was going to say next.

He had never really said it aloud before. Never told her just how much remembering his past overwhelmed him with multitudes of guilt. He hated that he lingered unaware of her thoughts, of her love for him as he lost himself to women and alcohol. He hated that he never asked and never had the decency to respect her enough to clear out the 'trash' himself. But most of all he hated that when she loved him, he didn't love her in return.

He only thought for himself back then. He only thought about what he wanted and never about what he needed. But yet, despite everything he put her through and the years he spent mastering his ability to be a world class bastard, she still stayed. She still held him together and looked after him when nobody else would. She still handed him the pills in the morning after a heavy hangover or a night of simply partying way too much. She still measured the cough syrup for him when he was sick and cooked him chicken soup when his throat was sore. She still looked after him and loved him even though he didn't.

"Tony..." she whispered.

He glanced at her, touched by her softened gaze. He knew he would never have been Ironman if it wasn't for her. He wouldn't be the father he was to Jared or the caring husband who loved her like no other man ever could. If she never stayed, he would never have known how fulfilling it was to just hold her and kiss her. He would have never known how perfectly right it felt to just love her and know that no matter what, everything would be okay because he had her.

"If I..." he started softly, "If I could ever take it back and make it right and-and treated you the way you deserved to be treated," he sighed, "I would. I would do anything to erase everything I ever put you through and I-"

"It's all in the past," she said softly as she slid her hand up his chest till she gently pressed her palm at his cheek. "I knew what you were like before I started working for you so it wasn't a big shock or surprise, Tony."

"Pepper-"

"It was who you were and I accepted that."

"But you still stayed despite everything."

"Does it really matter, Tony?" she murmured. "We're here now and look at us. Look at Jared..." she smiled warmly and continued, "You're a better parent than I ever could dream to be Tony and trust me when I say this but before you became Ironman, I probably wouldn't have trusted you to look after a kid let alone raise one. But yet when Jared came along you fell perfectly into the role of the protective, loving father that a kid could only dream of having."

"You make me sound so perfect."

She smiled warmly and murmured as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "That's because you are."