Peter was taken to a fundraiser for the labs with his boss, Tina McGee. Saying that he was the best person to represent the company and what it stands for.
Pushing science to its boundaries not for prophet, power, or anything like that, but for the betterment of humanity.
There were a lot of people that he has heard of, but never thought he'd meet. Nevertheless the head of Stark Industries, Virginia Potts.
She took over Stark Industries after the unfortunate death of Tony Stark.
"So, you are the prized scientist that Tina always tells me about." Ms. Potts tells Peter.
"Really? She says that about me?" Peter asked her.
"Oh, trust me. She can talk several ears off about your brilliance." Virginia stated.
"Well, I'm honored." Peter guesses, never knowing that she talked to him all mighty like that.
"I mean, your plan to rehabilitate super powered prisoners like Electro for purposes that could benefit the world is astounded." Virginia tells him.
"Oh, the idea that if we could talk him down enough, maybe we could get him to power up the city with free, harmless electricity. That's at least the Kickstarter idea." Peter explained to her.
"I wonder how many other ideas you've got running around up there." Virginia told him, looking up at his head, almost like she was expecting some ideas to pop out. "But I'd be more than happy to fund an idea like that."
"You're kidding." Peter said in shock.
"No, honestly, I'd love to see a world where super criminals could actually benefit the world. Their powers could easily benefit others." Virginia stated.
Peter then looked and saw everyone heading to the dance floor and seeing she wasn't with anyone.
"Uh, you'd you care to dance?" Peter asked.
"Oh, no, I'm not much of a dancer." Virginia said.
"Neither am I, so let's see if two bad's make a pretty good." Peter said as he took her hand and Pepper allowed him to lead her over to the dance floor.
The two swayed a little and Virginia ended up laughing a little. "You're not as bad as you made yourself out to be."
"If you're not okay with this, feel free to leave." Peter offered to her.
"No, I'm actually enjoying the dance." Virginia promised him.
"You'd be the first." Peter said.
"Oh, come on. You're a nice looking guy, I'm sure you'd been out with a few people." Virginia said.
"Uh, no, not really. I mean, my Aunt tried to set me up with a few people, but it ended horribly." Peter stated as they kept making their way around the floor.
"Your aunt, huh?" Virginia asked. "I would see my mom or dad doing something like, my aunt would probably just mock them for it."
"Well...my parents died when I was a kid." Peter confessed to her.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Virginia apologized.
"Not to worry, it's an old wound. Doesn't hurt as much." Peter promised her and realized how crowded everything was. "You wanna maybe go get some air?"
"Yes, please." Virginia confirmed as the two walked out to the balcony.
Meanwhile, across the room, Dr. McGee watched the interaction and smiled at what she was seeing. But around the room began to get a few angry faces at what they were seeing.
"So, you grew up with your Aunt?" Virginia asked as they stood out in the cool night breeze. "What's she like?"
"Well...as sweet as a woman that can get." Peter supposed. "Sweet, caring, always putting others needs before her own." He then started to think of his own personality and was shocked. "Huh, maybe that's where I got it from."
Virginia then laughed at that and moved some loose hair. "Well, she raised an amazing man."
"Thanks." Peter said happily. "So, Ms. Potts-"
"Call me Virginia. Or Pepper, that's what my friends call me." Virginal tells him.
"Pepper?" Peter questioned, not sure how that works.
Pepper laughed at his confusion and gestured to her three freckles on her cheeks and hair color. "It's some joke that went around that my freckles look like pepper, along with my hair color."
"Oh." Peter finally understood. "That's a strange nickname."
"Oh come on, you must've grown up with some weird nickname." Pepper dared.
"Only by my childhood bully...he called me Penis Parker." Peter stated.
"Okay, ouch." Pepper stated before feeling parched. "I'm gonna go get a drink, would you like something?"
"Uh, yeah, sure if you're up to it. I don't really drink often, so get me what you're getting." Peter confessed as Pepper then walked on inside.
He sighed and looked out to the distance of the city. He's never really taken the time to just relax and look out at the city he protects.
But that came to a raging haunt when he suddenly heard a dozen police sirens going off and was quickly followed by an explosion.
Looking back, he sees nobody else was hear, and even though he's feeling sorry for doing this, he quickly leaped off of the balcony and changed into his suit on the way down.
What he didn't know was that Pepper herself stopped when she saw the explosion through the window.
"Extremis." Pepper whispered and felt sorry about what she was going to do, standing Peter up like this and quickly made her way out of the party and into her office.
Once there, she opened up a compartment that was hiding a secret project that Tony was working on before he was killed by Extremis.
It's an all dark purple iron suit designed for flight, reconnaissance, and more things like that. She invented this in order to help fight the people who have been selling a drug Stark Industries developed known as Extremis, that grants the user powers.
And now she promised on Stark's grave that she would cure the world of Extremis, and clear the Stark name.