Well, there was going to be more, but my free weekend wasn't so free...and my computer crashed a few times trying to write this so...

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

RECAP

"Pepper!"

She wasn't half way under the bed, when she heard Judy's voice scream out her name. Only seconds after the shout there was a gun shot and a scream.

Then there was silence.

Pepper waited. Waited for something more to happen….but nothing had. Not a sound was made; even the sounds of Tony's incessant coughing had gone silent.

Slowly and carefully, Pepper pulled herself out from under the bed she had started crawling under.

The first thing she had looked at, was Judy. It was then that she understood what had happened. Her eyes followed where the object in Judy's trembling hand pointed. Or had pointed.

Where Simon had previously been standing over Tony, was nothing but air. Only, said person wasn't standing no more and instead was sprawled out clumsily beside Tony, blood seeping out from under him. His body not moving.

Pepper stared wide-eyed at Simon, her own hands trembling. Whether in horror or excitement, she was unsure. She decided she didn't care. Not while Tony lay unconscious himself, blood smeared across his chin.

She tugged him away from Simon's unmoving body and next to Judy's still shaking form. The object – or gun – dropped from her hands and clattered to the floor. She looked down at Tony with worried and horrified eyes.

Pepper looked up at her, practically begging the lady to help Tony with her eyes. She couldn't find words to speak herself for she was too shaken up by what had just occurred.

"What are we going to do!?" Asked a panicked Harriet, appearing to be the only one capable of using their voice.

Before anyone could even attempt to respond Howard and Rhodey burst into the room, looking worried and panicked themselves.

Howard, being the first one in, was the first to notice the limp form of Simon on the floor between the two beds. Rhodey was second, having immediately looked away from the sight. Instead he let his gaze fall on his two friends and the other two surrounding them.

"What happen?" Howard questioned.

Judy looked up at the father of the boy she just pulled into her lap. "I-I…He was in d-danger…"

Then Howard realized that a gun lay besides the group, and he immediately knew who fired the gun. But he couldn't find it in himself to be angry or upset with the woman for what she'd done. Not after what that man had done to his son. Though, that didn't mean that he was happy or joyful about it. In truth, he didn't know what to think of it.

"I saw it, sir." Commented Harriet who was hovering behind Pepper.

"Can anyone explain what's going on?" Rhodey asked, not letting his eyes fall off his unconscious friend.

Judy looked away from Tony and to the two at the door. "Just let me help him, then I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Howard nodded.

After they heard about what happened, and Tony was all set up in a new room, everyone was left with the questions of what they were going to do next, of how they would get home.

Howard and Rhodey continued their quest to find a way out of the strange 'world' they were in, staring with some of the new leads they had with those folders they found. They asked around, but got nowhere but sending Harriet, or Harry, into a panic attack when they came to 'her' with questions. He'd immediately assumed that they were mad at him for not telling them.

Ellen, or Elliot, was more ashamed than scared that they themselves had found out. But in the end of it, she was glad that she could stop pretending now and she didn't have to run the risk of Simon hurting her because of it.

While they went from person to person, asking about some kind or portal or exit, Pepper sat against the wall of the bed that Tony lay in. She had one of his hands in her own, refusing to leave the room. Even though she knew that Simon wouldn't be coming in anymore, she couldn't bring herself to leave him alone again. Not after what happened the last time she left him alone.

Judy came in every so often to check on Tony and even Pepper to make sure they were okay. As shaken up the woman must be, she was acting pretty well for someone who just shot a guy. Though, deep down Pepper felt that it was the best way to go with it. The man didn't deserve to live, and he'd lost his mind anyway. But Pepper supposed that it was still wrong that the man died instead of facing the consequences in the legal way.

Not that any one of them were going to say otherwise.

There was a light knock at the door. Pepper didn't bother to look away from Tony, as she waited for whoever it was to come in. The door was wide open anyways.

"Hey, Pepper." Came the voice of her friend.

"Rhodey." Was her only response.

"I just came to see how Tony was doing."

She held up the hand that she held between hers. "The same as before. He won't wake up."

"He'll be fine."

Even though that's what he told her, he could hardly bring himself to believe his own words. After all, he still couldn't help but feel useless. At least where helping Tony was involve, he might as well be useless. It seemed pointless to try to convince Pepper that Tony was going to be alright, if he didn't believe it himself.

"Okay."

He hadn't expected her to respond at all, let alone to accept what he'd said. He decided that it didn't matter. Whether or not she was just agreeing to it for his sake or not, he only cared that she'd responded and she seemed to have more faith in their friend than he.

He nodded, taking a seat in the chair that was originally meant for Pepper. "I'm glad you think so."

There was no response, and this time he was positive that she wasn't going to at all. He just kept looked over at his friend, his brother. Seeing his passed out form and his heavy and troubled breathing, made his faith in his brother shrink to the point where it was hardly there, yet there completely. Maybe it was because he wanted so bad to believe that everything was alright, and nothing worse was going to happen. He wanted to believe that they were going to get out of that place and get back home. With no permanent injuries to boot.

But that wasn't what he truly believed in.

Deep down, he couldn't help but feel that there was more to come. There was no happy ending.

"I don't think so," Pepper said, breaking his train of thought. "I know so."

Rhodey looked from his closest friend to Pepper, a surprised look on his face.

Pepper continued, "If I know Tony as much as I think I do, he'll be fine. Better than fine in fact. Even with the memory loss he's got, he'll remember more than just who we are, and he'll remember what it was like to be normal and to have a home and a family. I'm positive that he'll get through this just as good as any of us."

Rhodey managed to bring a smile to his face. "Thanks, Pepper. I needed that. You really think that he's going to be okay?"

Now he was the one looking for reassurance that their friend was going to be okay. But that was okay. It felt good to be reassured.

"Like I said," Pepper said, squeezing Tony's limp hand. "I know so."

"If that's the case," Rhodey stood up. "Then I'll go join Howard, we're going to go see Madame Ruby again."

"Madame Ruby?" Pepper asked, confused. "You mean Rosetta Dumay?"

Rhodey nodded. "Yeah. Rosetta Dumay."

"Then good luck."

"Thanks."

With that said, Rhodey left the room. Leaving Pepper alone to her thoughts with Tony.

She honestly did feel that Tony was going to okay. She didn't let herself think about the negatives. Though, that didn't stop her from thinking them from now and then, maybe even more so than Rhodey. But she wasn't going to let those negative thoughts sway her from her belief. Tony was going to be okay. No matter what anyone said.

"I was worried sick!" Madame Ruby continued to rant. "Sure it's none of my business, but I'd expected to see you guys again the next day! But then it became a week and I'd worried something had happened to you! I know it's not my place to pry, but what ever happened to that young lady? You didn't leave her behind, did you now?"

Of all the things they expected her to say when they walked into her little shop, what came out of her mouth was the least bit expected. Her cheeks lit up pink with anger and frustration as she dragged the two men to some seats near the back of the store. Then she started going off about how worried and panicked she was. Then she started going off about how happy she was to see them. After that, she went back to ranting about how worried she was.

"I'd sure hope not! She was a fine young woman, who does not need to be left behind by her family. Surely you're going to go back and get her right?" Madame Ruby, or Rosetta Dumay finished.

Her cheeks were brightly red by this point, huffing and puffing out. Her small hands balled up in her dress, holding the skirts of the dress up over her feet. This time around, her dress was redder than ever. They'd only seen her once, but she seemed to favor the color red. Unlike last time, where the dress was Red, white, and a bit of black, this time the dress was purely white aside from the small amounts of black lacing.

"Of course we're going to go back and get her but," Howard said with a shake of his head. "We've just come to ask you a few questions."

"Questions? Do you need new cloths? Let's see, I just got a new shipment of cloths…"

"No, we're fine with cloths." Howard informed the woman. "We just need to confirm some things with you."

Madame Ruby stopped moving around, and sat down giving the two her attention. "Like what, exactly?"

"Is you're name really Madame Ruby?" Howard asked.

Rhodey glanced over at Howard, not really expecting to for him to ask the question so directly. As he did that, Madame Ruby tensed slightly, but managed not to arise too much suspicion in Howard and Rhodey.

"No," she replied. "It is not."

"If I may, is it actually Rosetta Dumay?"

Madam Ruby, or Rosetta Dumay bit her lip with a sigh. "You got me. Why is it you ask?"

"We found some papers in one of Simon's Labs." Howard responded. "A whole folder of it was dedicate to a: Rosetta Dumay."

"Simon?" Rosetta asked confused. "You mean Sir Sim Stanley?"

"Simon Greyson is what he's is known to us from where we come from. Where he comes from as well."

"And I as well…" Rosetta said looking to the ground, her voice trailing in to nothing. She then lifted her head to look at the two in front of her. "I'm starting to remember more now."

"Remember what?" Rhodey questioned.

"That I was never born in this run down town as I've thought for so many years. It is where you have come from, to where I was truly born." She said. "I always wondered what it was I couldn't remember. I just went along with it for so many years that I never questioned anything."

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"Hmm…" She began to think, and think hard she did. She thought for a good five minutes, before she sighed. "I'm sorry, I..I just can't remember. I can only remember being at Sim's mansion for a while before something happened."

"What happened?" Both Howard and Rhodey voiced their question.

Rosetta crossed her arms with deep thought, one hand cupping her chin. "I'd done something he didn't like and he cast me out of the mansion. He'd been working on something – I don't know – at the time in the east wing part of the mansion…I think."

"When was this?"

"I'm not sure."

Howard stopped to think for a few moments to think of some possibilities. What could Simon have been working on at that time? He could imagine what it could have been if it was about two years ago. That would make it that it was the fixed portal that he'd gotten Tony and the others with. In other words, their way out. Or it could have been something else entirely. For all he knows is that it could have been something that was in that room they found Pepper in, a device to make someone lose their memory without causing brain damage to one's head. It could be anything.

But it was more than nothing.

"Though," Rosetta continued. "I do remember not long later Sim had earned about three new maid servants. Word spreads fast in this town."

One of them could have been Tony. Rhodey thought.

Howard stood up and bowed slightly to the seated woman. "Thanks for all your help. We must be going now."

She nodded. "And thank you, you've brought some light to some dark thinks in my mind."

Howard gestured for Rhodey to follow him as he set out the door, but Rosetta called for them to wait.

"One more thing," She said, standing up and walking to the desk at the back of the room. She returned with a blue box. "Give this to Miss Potts. She has such pretty hair."

Rhodey accepted the little blue box from her hands, nodding. "I will."

"Oh and good luck finding your way home!" She called as they walked out the door.

Together they walked home, talking through some theories that they had on the new information that they had just received.

They arrived at the mansion not long later. It was quiet and peaceful compared to how it usually was. Harriet – no Harry, greeted them at the door actually wearing clothes that weren't meant for a woman. Ellen – no Elliot, also ended up joining them at the door, she had ditched the maids outfit for something similar to what Pepper was wearing around the first few days that they'd been there.

"Welcome back." Said a cheerful Harry, who they found out was a very peppy man, who looked a bit childish for what age he said he was. "I found some really cool clothes in one of the empty rooms!"

The clothes didn't match or fit together at all, but since none of them were really fashion experts, they didn't say anything. Not on the mismatch of color, nor one the odd patters the clothing bore.

Harry and Elliot followed the two as they headed for the room Tony and Pepper were currently staying in.

"Well, I'm hungry, I'm going to go cook!" Harry said wondering away from the group.

Elliot smiled. "Do I get any of that food?"

"Of course, Ellie!"

Opposed to how Tony acted when he was revealed to not be Annie, those two seemed to act as if it never happened. Harry also seemed to like Ellen in more ways than one and had started calling the girl Ellie instead of Elliot. It was a mystery if the girl like him back. After all they were close to the same age.

They came to the open door of the room that held Tony and Pepper in the room. When they walked in, to their surprise Tony was awake. More to the surprise, Tony was standing up and trying to push past Pepper in a weak attempt, for he was more of leaning on the redhead than making any progress trying to get past her. If anyone was making any sort of progress, it was Pepper who was trying to lead the struggling teen back to one of the two beds.

"Lay back down!" Pepper said as he started to fight back some more. "You're still sick!"

Tony didn't respond instead he groaned and leaned heavier on Pepper, losing some of his footing.

"Tony, you're too heavy!" Pepper grunted under his weight that was gradually getting heavier. "Just lay back down and tell me what you were trying to do!"

Rhodey appeared beside Pepper to assist her when Tony's weight almost made her collapse. "Tony, just what are you trying to do? You obviously can't stand on your own."

Tony coughed, and coughed some more, clutching at his chest as Rhodey maneuvered his friend the rest of the way to the bed.

Luckily the coughing didn't last long for it stopped as soon as he stopped struggling.

"I-I just re-remembered." Tony stuttered out, through his heavy breathing. "H-how I got here…in the first place."

"What?" Pepper asked her head snapping in his direction.

"I know how to get out."

So there you have it! :D Sorry if it seems rushed or anything, it sort of was. I kept trying to write parts of it before my computer crashed again. Yeah, it needs to be fixed.

Fun Fact: I like taking long showers.

Okay, I'll try to get something else posted soon. No promises. I have a speech mean, private coaching, and finals to do this week. Though the cool thing about my English final, is that it's to write a short story! :D

Hugs and Love, SilverPedals!