Bruce may have suggested a week off, but Pepper couldn't bring herself to do it. She trusted him not to tell anyone, and considering the lack of reaction from the others he hadn't. No matter how she felt, no matter how hard it got, she was still working as the CEO of a multibillion dollar company, and than came with its own duties. According to the calendar in her office Christmas was approaching far too quickly for her liking.

Christmas meant the Maria Stark Foundation Winter Ball, which she disliked the idea of just as much as the baby inside her did. The moment she picked up the invitation to the do her stomach turned over, almost as if it was trying to tell her something. Scowling down at it in frustration she returned her hand to its usual place, looking down at the bump hiding underneath her dress: "Shush…." Pepper tried not to let the pains bother her again, they'd become almost normal to her now. Every morning she was waking up with them and they never stopped hurting: "Its okay… Mommys here…" The words felt hollow on her lips, every time pepper let herself even consider the thought of being a mom it hurt.

She'd be on her own, she hadn't been to the hospital in almost two weeks, she couldn't bring herself to see him again, to watch him sleeping. The dim light of the arc reactor was the only way she'd known he was alive. There was also a slight part of her that worried that going near the hospital was a bad idea, letting herself go into a place full of medical professionals that would probably take one look and know exactly what was wrong.

Every book and every line on the internet was telling her the same thing Bruce had told her, She needed to talk to a doctor, the pains where wrong.

Every word she read seemed to tell her the same thing, seemed to insist upon it, she was going to lose that baby. Something was going to go wrong. And it was going to break her heart.

She wasn't having that.

Pepper Potts was not going to lose the one part of Anthony Stark that was still hers.

She missed him, missed everything they'd been through together.

Curling her knees back up to her chest she cradled the bump, closing her eyes and dropping the invitation back on her desk, letting her mind wonder.

This time a not so long ago had so important to her, it had been when they'd finally managed to go public. Most of the world had suspected them but neither of them had ever confirmed it to be true, somehow, after weeks of planning and praying and Tony actually going shopping for her for once. (he'd managed to get it right too!)

Pepper could still remember the afternoon it had happened, half past five on the Friday afternoon and they'd held the conference on the main steps outside the Stark international building, partly to stop her needing to worry about crowd control and the number of people in the room and partly because it was always a nice location for photographers and video cameras.

They'd walked out of the main doors together, walking exactly in step as they usually did at these kinds of thing, pepper cuddling the clipboard in her arms to her chest almost protectively. Of course there had been way many more people outside those doors than she'd expected, that had been almost a given. Obviously they all thought something amazing was going to happen, Tony took the crowds well, bowing and grinning as he pulled off his sunglasses, greeting the crowds with the usual gusto. It was one of his skills that Pepper was jealous of, his amazing ability to enjoy the press.

Taking the stand he grinned, tucking the glasses in his pocket and smirking at them all: "Well thank you everyone for attending today I know this conference came out of the blue but this is an important announcement. Over the last few months there have been some rumours circulating among the press concerning my PA Miss Potts." At that tony glanced backwards, waving for her to join him: "They have been harsh and intrusive but some are true and we're standing here today to sort those out."

Pepper had to hold her nerves, and the horrible sick feeling him her stomach back, she managed to speak, trying not to stumble over the words she'd written: "As difficult as this is to do we need you all to listen to us, everything that's said today needs to be respected."

The crowds seemed to be surprised at the fact she'd piped up and said something, usually pepper stayed silent until she had to stop him doing something completely stupid: " It's true that someone has come into her life and made her a happier woman," He looked over at her, smiling as his hand reached for hers in plain view of the press, Starks gentle touch was like fire, sending a current up her body. The strawberry blonde smiled back at him, it reached her eyes for once, lighting them up: "I couldn't be anymore pleased to see her smiling for once." She wanted to laugh at his words, her grip tightening as the press leaned in as one, obviously hopeful: "I can reveal the name of this person in confidence but I won't have their names shamed or anymore lies spread. If this happens you'll face the full force of Stark Industries." The last lines had been at her insistence, just as a warning.

And now it was her turn to speak, he'd left the hardest part to her, of course. Taking a deep breath her spoke, smiling still: "As of about two months ago, Anthony Stark and myself have been dating. Yes, the rumours are true."

At that the press seemed to go mad, the camera flashes where enough to blind the couple as a cheer seemed to ring in the air: "The rumours are true and i'm very proud to confess that the two of us are currently living together and everythings fine!" Pepper carried on, smiling at her partner.

"It is very real and not a hoax. I am her lover." Tony carried on, grinning at her as she flushed deep red, those last words hadn't been in the script: "Me and Virginia Pepper Potts are an item."

"Tony!" she scolded quietly as the cameras went mad again, resisting the urge to stand on his foot in annoyance.

"They're loving it…" Tony grinned back at her, stroking his fingers up over her wrist, making her shiver a little in complete surprise, the intimacy of the touch in public making her blush almost touch her ears.

Removing her attention from him she turned back to the press, smiling at them before she spoke again: "Before anyone thinks anything, i'm not pregnant, we're not getting married and there's nothing that serious going on." It seemed Pepper wasn't allowed to keep her attention away from him for more than a few seconds before she found herself pulled around to face him, one of his arms on her waist and the other resting on her cheek, brushing the ginger curls off her cheek.

His next few words seemed to be focused on her, the crowds behind her becoming a distance noise in the background: "She has been by my side for 12 years," Tony made eye contact with her, smiling gently at her as his touch on her cheek lowered a little: "and I've realised she is far more than just a simple PA to me." Peppers breath caught in her throat as she gazed at him, not even realising when the distance between their lips closed:

"I love her."

His last three words where barely a whisper as he kissed her lips, her eyes closing as the cameras flashed behind then. She hated PDA but for once she didn't care, the press could see this, the whole world could she how madly in love with him and that he loved her back.

"Miss Potts?" The voice made her jump; the blonde in the doorway to her office looked concerned, her mobile still gripped in one hand: "Your dress is here."

Pepper jumped in surprise, looking up at Bobbi in surprise: "O-oh! Well…" She smiled, forcing herself to her feet and the thoughts out of her mind: "Thankyou, Miss Morse."

Throwing the feelings out of her mind she headed out of the room. No matter how she felt, She was still Virginia Potts, and real life had to carry on regardless.