A/N: Oh dear I've spent way too long dragging this out and by 'this' I mean actually writing this chapter. I've been so busy during the week and every weekend that has come by I've done nothing but been completely lazy. I've told myself every weekend that has rolled by that I'll write the chapter, I'll write it, next weekend I promise, ok maybe next weekend...and finally here it is! Thank you for being such patient readers and thank you to all who have reviewed and still continue to review!

"Pepper," Tony murmured softly behind her.

He hovered behind her and she couldn't help but lean back to bask in the warmth he was voluntarily providing. He always knew how to bring her back down to earth sometimes. She also highly suspected that he knew she was feeling the cold from the many cooling systems he built into every corner of their home. It was one of the few downfalls of having an AI built into the very walls surrounding them.

She disliked the cold with the exception of ice cream of course. She had Jared to thank for that. His love for chocolate swirl ice creams still made her cringe at times. But the look of pure joy on his face each time they hovered in the kitchen late at night sharing ice cream out of the tub made the sugary desert all worth it.

"Pepper," Tony whispered again into her ear this time. "Are you listening to me?"

"Hmm?" she hummed, feigning innocence as the side of his face came into view. She smiled at him when he playfully huffed at her before he pressed a soft kiss at her neck.

"I was saying," he began as he pressed slow and sensual kisses up to her ear, "that I think it has finally happened."

"What happened?"

"Jared," he said softly as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

She smiled as she continued to lay their plates with vegetables and roast chicken. She always loved their nightly routines when Tony spent countless minutes unravelling crazy and silly theories about everyone in their life. She tried to tell him once that he really needed to do something better than formulize theories like help her in the kitchen for once. His reply had been, 'I'm simply providing entertainment as you attend to our food, Pepper darling.' She couldn't find it in her to argue as his 'help' in the kitchen normally ended with a mess big enough to leave them spending hours cleaning up afterwards.

"I'm serious," he demanded although his tone wasn't as forceful as it would have been if he had been addressing Fury or sometimes even Jared for that matter.

"I'm sure you are," she murmured with a smile. "What new theory have you come up with this evening?"

"Don't mock me, Pepper, I'm actually quite sure of myself this time," he muttered.

She shifted in his arms to stretch for the bowl of gravy and told him, "Yes, Tony… I know."

"Mmm..Hmm," he hummed as he slid a hand down hers until he could remove the bowl from her hands. "I'm serious."

She sighed and glanced at Jared for a moment before she turned in his arms to give him her full attention. "I'm listening."

He smiled this time and rolled his eyes briefly. "Just admit you actually love listening to me."

"Oh I do," she replied sarcastically, but the smile on her face said otherwise.

The things he did to her sometimes.

"Now go on before your ego explodes on all of us," she encouraged.

"Really?" he eyed her as if in shock, "I thought it already had."

"Tony," she warned.

"Haven't you seen the walls lately?"

She rolled her eyes this time and moved to turn around back to her chicken but was stopped short with his arm. As swiftly as he has always managed to be he slipped a hand around her waist and kissed her. He pulled her body close to his and she could feel every muscle in him relaxing under her hold. She sighed in the kiss and almost soon after he did as well. It was different to just kiss him like this, knowing full and well that their children sat a few feet from them. With Jared sitting by the dining table and baby Julia slumbering in the crib beside him. It was moments like these that made her heart swell with so much love. How did she ever get to be so lucky?

She sighed into the kiss and wasn't surprized when he sighed as well. He pulled back with that very dazed and content look on his face and smiled warmly at her.

"So what have you theorised about our son, Mr Stark?" she asked, growing slightly impatient because she was suddenly quite famished. Not to mentioned she was eager for some alone time with him in the privacy of their room much later on after his kiss. God knows they haven't had a moment to really enjoy each other lately after the arrival of baby Julia. She didn't mind of course, but nightly rituals of diaper changing and feeding, suddenly made every little moment of silence seem like some sort of great achievement.

"I think Jared has fallen in love, Mrs Stark," he said simply and smiled as he addressed her.

She stared at him for a moment before she laughed and pressed a swift kiss at his lips. "I love you, Tony…but sometimes I think for a genius, you really are quite dense."

"What?"

"You mean you don't know?" she was surprized.

"Know what?" he asked. The look on his face was priceless.

She marvelled at herself for a moment before she said softly, "Jared's been gushing over a girl for quite some time now."

Tony glared.