Pepper Potts returned from a late dinner at around ten that night. Instead of trying to sort out her relationship problems, Pepper opted to stay out with Happy Hogan- her best friend and driver. One thing led to another and dinner became drinks. They'd gotten to talking and lost track of time.

She'd nearly forgotten the misery of that morning. She dreaded returning to the Malibu home. Now that the alcohol wore off she felt tremendously guilty for being so gleeful while spending time with Happy. It was the kind of joy that made her feel like she was cheating on Tony.

Maybe it was time to discuss what felt like the inevitable.

What if she lost her job? Her life had been Stark Industries for years. That and she didn't want to just leave everything behind. She wasn't sure she'd ever make as much money anywhere else either. It'd been so long since she'd applied for a job that she wasn't sure how to do it anymore. Even if she was angry with him because of how terrible a boyfriend he was, she still cared about him. He just wasn't what she needed in a life partner. He was still the best boss she ever had.

Everything would change. She didn't mind leaving the Malibu mansion behind but the rest of it terrified her. Pepper enjoyed a certain lifestyle alongside Tony even just as his assistant. She didn't want to give that up. Going back to being just Pepper Potts was something she didn't know if she was capable of. Pepper was frightened. That was perfectly understandable. But was it a good enough reason to stay in a bad relationship? She didn't rightly know.

The Malibu mansion was dark that night. Was Tony not home? No, that couldn't be right. She heard the faint sound of music coming from the basement. He was still working, that was all. It was good that he hadn't gone to bed. She would hate to have to fight with him about that again. She'd missed him in bed at first but each time she invited him back either a nightmare or his insomnia kept her up. It drove her nuts. No one could blame her for wanting a good night's sleep. He couldn't seem to stay up on his own without also waking her.

"I doubt he's even come upstairs once today. I wonder if he's even bothered to eat. Or shower," muttered Pepper. She continued with her nighttime routine. Hanging her coat in the closet near the door, she kicked off her sensible heels. Then she went into the kitchen to make a cup of nighttime tea. After that she went into the living room so she could catch up on the highlights of the news that Jarvis kept for her. Then she would let Tony know she was home. He'd flipped out one too many times when he thought she hadn't come home. He said it was out of fear, but she wasn't sure what the real reason was.

At long last, she would make her way upstairs to the master bedroom where she would read or message Happy until she fell asleep. Once in the living room she stopped. She didn't have to clean up Tony's pillows and blankets. Interesting. They were folded up nicely and set alongside the couch. It was probably just the maid taking pity on him. Pepper had been at Tony's side for a long time and had never seen him fold a single thing.

She took a seat on the couch and then stopped in her tracks. More curious than the tidy linens was a magazine set on the coffee table. One she recognized. She'd thrown that very same magazine away that morning after reading the article about the woman on the cover. It annoyed her to see the success of Refuge while Stark Industries fell from the limelight. With Tony's disappearance the press disappeared too. The only time Tony was mentioned was when it was a wild theory as to where he'd gone. Stark Industries was doing great, running smoothly in his absence. Minus a few problems here and there and the stagnant status of the energy project, things were great. But the press didn't care about it without Tony Stark's antics alongside it.

"What are you doing here, Scarlett?" Pepper narrowed her eyes at the magazine and then looked up as the television turned on automatically at her arrival. Pepper set down her teacup and picked up the magazine. Leaving the television and her tea, she walked down to the basement. The concrete mess was cleaned up and the wires were now placed through a more proper receptacle.

She looked back down at the magazine. There were only two explanations for its appearance and both she intended to ask Tony about. Either he'd gone out and bought it or someone came over and brought it for him. No matter which it was, Pepper wanted to know where it came from and why it wasn't in the garbage where it belonged. Tony didn't keep magazines if they didn't have his face on them.

Much to Pepper's surprise, Tony wasn't working on the suits like he usually was. Instead, he was working at his desk, more awake and alert than she'd seen him in days. Maybe he was the one to go get this stupid magazine. She questioned the thought. He rarely went outside anymore. But if he had gone out, he'd done so after refusing to go out with her. Maybe she was the problem. A sting of jealousy tugged at her heart.

She approached his desk. "Tony?" Her tone was harsher than she meant it to be. He nearly leapt out of his chair.

Tony was extra grateful he'd cleaned up the mess around his desk now that Pepper was marching angrily toward him. "Thanks for the heads up, Jarvis." Tony laughed. He smiled in hopes of improving Pepper's obvious bad mood.

"I assumed you heard her approach, sir. My apologies."

"I was engrossed in my work." Tony wiped a series of articles out of the air, leaving only a handful behind. He was researching Scarlett Damien before sending the email he'd written up with Jarvis. He wanted to know what he was getting into bed with before he leapt into it. Plus, he'd promised Rhodey he would tell Pepper before he made the offer. He was trying harder to keep the promises he made, especially after Manhattan.

"Hello to you too." Pepper sighed. He winced

"I didn't hear you, obviously. I usually do or Jarvis tells me…" Tony was surprised that he hadn't heard it. Usually he would get increasingly paranoid the later it got without hearing her arrival. He just hadn't been worrying about it that night. That and the subject of his research was extremely distracting.

"Did you go out today?" Pepper was already irritated with him. Tony missed pleasantries. She didn't bother with them anymore. It was already feeling like an interrogation rather than checking in for the night. At least he knew she was safe before he went to bed. He didn't, however, feel like arguing. It wasn't even the sexy kind of arguing that led to angry sex and then the even better makeup sex. No, all it did was increase his blood pressure. He'd kill for a day without an argument like this.

"I did. Is that a problem? You went out today. I'm not interrogating you about it."

"Yes, but you never go out."

"I go out all the time. You know how much I go out. Or you used to when you were my assistant." Tony didn't mean to sound snippy but he had. He wiped his hand over his mouth. That sounded bad. And he wasn't lying. He'd once been one of the most social men on the planet. The last four months were the anomaly, not the other way around. Much to his surprise, she didn't snap at him.

"You could have just said you didn't want to go out with me today if you wanted to do other things. You don't have to make excuses to avoid me." Pepper turned her gaze, hardening her features.

"What?" Tony had no idea what she was talking about. None of this was on purpose. He had no plans of going out until Rhodey called. It'd been too hard to remain inside after his weird cardiac incident. He'd needed a breath of fresh air. And it'd worked! It'd helped tremendously. No more anomalous heart issues.

"I asked you to go out with me today. You made a big deal about not going. Then you went out without me! I don't know why you're making me explain."

"I made a huge deal over it?" Tony was skeptical of that. "It's not what you think. I got a call for Rhodey asking to go out for a few drinks. I needed some fresh air and time away from my project to think. It wasn't a big deal."

"Right." Pepper sounded offended. But it wasn't about her. It had nothing to do with her. For a brief moment, he thought she might be proud of him for making it out of the house but that hope was dashed. It turned out her frustration didn't have to do with him hiding in the basement. It was more about Pepper getting what she wanted.

"What do you want, Pepper?" She had to have a reason to come down and talk to him. Usually she didn't say goodnight. He'd probably left something in a way she didn't like. Maybe his shoes were muddy or something. It wasn't like she cleaned the house or anything. He waited for the ax to drop. What gave him away?

"I want to know what this is." Pepper held up the magazine Rhodey had given to Tony. Or rather, that Tony stole from Rhodey. He must have left it upstairs when he'd cleaned up the couch. That would do it. She realized he left the house to get it. So much for working up to telling Pepper his ideas about Refuge. He felt like a kid whose porn stash was just discovered by his mother. There was no reason for him to feel this way. He wasn't keeping secrets.

"Well, it's a magazine." Tony began. Pepper dropped her hands at her sides and leaned her head back, exasperated.

"Yes, but why do you have it? And how did you get it?"

"Rhodey had a copy. Let me take it because he thought I'd find it interesting. Between you and me? He's a bit of a gossip these days." For some reason he struggled to get to the point, one he knew that Pepper wanted to discuss. Procrastinating did him no good, but it was what he'd always done. It bought him time to think of the right things to say.

"Why do you always have to make this so hard? Why do you have the magazine? Why is it important enough for you to keep it? I didn't think this sort of nonsense would interest you." Pepper held it up again and waited. Tony found it very interesting that she had plenty of investment in the magazine and not the actual secrets he hid from her. Which were the important things, he thought.

"Her company went public yesterday. Refuge." Tony gestured to the magazine in Pepper's hand. "Did you know that? It's a pretty big deal."

"Yes. I am very much aware when our competition goes public in record time." Pepper narrowed her eyes dangerously. "I didn't think you knew about it."

"Well, I didn't until today. The news isn't worth the energy right now." Tony cleared his throat and tossed words together in his mind. "I do now though. It's pretty inventive, what she's accomplished."

"Of course it is, Tony. She's an inventor. It's kicked Stark Industries completely out of the paper. I'm surprised you think so highly of it." Pepper was haughty.

"I know. I know. Calm yourself, Pepper. Not everything I say is an attack."

"You're being deceptive and it's irritating." Pepper folded her arms over her chest, rolling up the magazine in her grasp. Tony wondered if she was planning to swat him on the nose like a disobedient dog. That would only be fun with consent.

"You've been down here with me for three minutes. Has my procrastinating really made you that mad? Could you… not squish the magazine like that? Her face is getting all wrinkled and it's borrowed, so you know… use a stress ball or something, honestly, Pepper. Don't destroy other people's things." Tony stood, approached her, and took the magazine carefully from her hands.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Pepper sighed and let him take the magazine. She often flew off the handle with him too quickly. It was taking a toll on them both. Her short temper made the fights more frequent and frustrating. But Tony was purposely frustrating at times too, only making it worse.

"That's a phrase I've missed." Tony smirked. "You're right, Tony."

"Don't push it."

"Don't? What's that one mean? Not familiar with that one." Tony couldn't help but smile. Pepper didn't seem to find him funny.

"Get to your point, Tony."

"Why do I have to be getting at something? She's pretty. Rhodey had it with him. He gave it to me to read." Tony rolled his eyes and walked away. That one was on him. Things had been going okay for a good ten seconds before he got defensive. Rhodey's words echoed in his mind. He was sticking it out in a bad relationship because the alternative was too difficult. Tony didn't know how to fix it. He hated not being able to fix it.

"You're awful."

"She's brilliant. From what I've learned she's just… brilliant. And Refuge is a good company doing good work. Just because we're in the same industry doesn't mean we have to be rivals. This woman is going to accomplish great things."

"They are our rivals, Tony! That's part of this business, remember?"

"She's not working on energy development, is she? They aren't our direct rivals." Tony pointed at the magazine before setting it on his now pristine desk.

"Tony! They're a corporation focused on the development of technology. Just like us. Just because it's not energy research now doesn't mean it won't be later. And you act like that's all Stark Industries does! Our developments have been top of the line. Revolutionary. Until now. Refuge is all anyone talks about. That makes them our rivals. Our competition. I won't roll over and play dead because some leggy mystery woman crawled out of the sewers." Pepper very obviously had opinions about Scarlett and Refuge.

"Fine, okay. They are our direct competition. But you are looking at this the wrong way. Defensiveness isn't the way to beat something like this. Refuge isn't the enemy just because they're competition. Scarlett Damien isn't our enemy, that's for sure." Tony argued but Pepper was already shaking her head.

"If you were doing what I did everyday…"

"Pepper, I've kept this company going for years. I have done what you do every day for most of my life, so don't act like I'm incapable of understanding or that you know better than I do just because I haven't been around for a few months." Tony lowered his voice dangerously and glared. She was taken back. "You think that we haven't had competitors like this before? Come on. This is kid stuff. But you can't ignore that it's happening. That's the worst thing you could do. Yes, right now it's all about Refuge. People are eating it up. If we oppose them we'll end up vilified."

"Why do you think I haven't done anything about it?"

"Pepper, if there's one thing I'm good at it? It's making everything about me. You should know that better than most." Tony grinned and Pepper scowled. "I'm going to offer cooperation between Stark Industries and Refuge. She can offer insight into the energy conversion project and some personal insight with my armor."

"Your armor? Tony!" Pepper was aghast. "You barely let Rhodey touch them, why would you…?"

"Her prosthesis technology. I need that. And cooperation is a great way to get into her head without actually offering to buy the project or stealing her work. It's a smart move, Pepper." Tony made the decision. He hadn't done anything as CEO of his company for months but it wasn't like he'd forgotten how to do his job or anything. And this was the first time he had any interest in doing anything other than being in his basement trying to figure out how to protect his family. He thought Pepper would be proud of him. This would get him out of the house and back into the office! This was huge progress, wasn't it? Pepper couldn't have seemed less happy about it. In fact, she was scowling something fierce.

"You don't know enough about her. You don't know if she's worth that kind of trust."

"I don't need to know if she is or not."

"This woman is nothing but trouble! All the press around her is bad news. If you partner with her or Refuge? That stink is going to get all over Stark Industries. It'll make us look like we have the kind of secrets that she does."

"You call this bad press?" Tony picked up the magazine again. From what he recalled, the article did nothing but praise Refuge. There was a whole page dedicated to her philanthropic works too. "That and there's no such thing as bad press. Any press means people are talking about you. If Stark Industries partners with her? All the press will want to know is why. Suddenly we're sharing her publicity and we're back on top."

"But it's bad publicity! We'll be asked how we could possibly trust her. And how could we, Tony? Why would we get in over our heads like this?"

"I don't think you listened to anything I said." Tony sighed.

"You just found out about Refuge today, Tony. You don't know the things I know about this." Pepper pled with him. Even though she'd been acting CEO it didn't give her the authority to outvote Tony. She was desperate to convince him not to do this. Tony couldn't understand why. "This woman is… she's bad, Tony. There's something off about her. You can tell she's got secrets for all the wrong reasons."

"Everyone has secrets, Pepper. Even you."

"Yes, but not like this. The kind of secrets this woman has? Someday they're going to be made public and it'll be a mess. Don't let her drag us down with her! Even someone with money and power can't hide in the shadows forever. With everything Stark Industries has already been through in the last few years we don't need this. Shifting from weapons to technology and you… well being you. We can't afford to have someone else's demons knock us down. It won't be worth it. Refuge is a phase, Tony. When it's passed, Stark Industries will still be there. It's okay that we're not in the papers all the time anymore. You're a household name. We shouldn't get involved in something we aren't sure about! Plus, have you seen the way this woman rushes through men? It's nearly as bad as your love life used to be. We can't have this, Tony. The scandal will be too much. And with you being you…"

"If bad press really mattered that much I'd be penniless." Tony scoffed. He thought the mystery made Scarlett intriguing. He wanted to know what she was hiding. What sort of secrets required a SHIELD security detail? If he wanted that information then he was certain the masses did too. And more importantly? The press wanted them. That and the magazines with her face on them sold better than hotcakes which he wasn't even certain were a thing anymore. Yes, of course her press was controversial. Most press of this magnitude was. Pepper would have to come up with a better reason than bad press to convince him this was a bad idea. Tony himself had an authentically bad reputation for years, one that continued to that day.

So much for Pepper being proud of him for wanting to get back to work and out of the house. Wasn't that important? Apparently not as important as he'd hoped.

"This is a good move for Stark Industries." Tony could convince her of it. There was a time he could've talked fish into leaping into a frying pan and thanking him along the way. She'd seen through his charm over the years, unfortunately. A side effect of watching him manipulate people with words for years as his assistant.

"Don't you dare start, Tony."

"Getting our name back in the papers alongside Refuge would be more than worth the cost of hiring her. It'll pay off in spades. Not to mention the insight of what she could offer to the energy conversion project and my suits. If she's really as inventive as they say, then with our minds combine, think of the things we could do. The lives we could change." Tony made up his mind. This conversation with Pepper was officially a courtesy and one he was only having because of his promise to Rhodey. He'd known that Pepper wouldn't approve. Pepper had never approved of his desire for danger. That and if she was a little jealous, he wouldn't blame her either. Scarlett Damien was attractive and dangerous. Ultimately it was Tony's company and reputation on the line, not Pepper's. She didn't get to make those sorts of decisions. Only he did.

Refuge was the first thing that would get him out of his house without a death grip on his heart in months. The mystery woman and her brilliant blue eyes who had a SHIELD detail drew him in through the television screen and through those articles.

"You're already down here more than you should be. The last thing you need is someone down here enabling you." Pepper argued but even that didn't make sense. This was something that would get him out of the house more than it would keep him in it. The more they talked, the more it felt like Pepper was throwing a tantrum. "The only other place you go half the time is to the couch to sleep."

"And whose fault is that?" Tony said with some venom. Pepper went entirely red.

"You never sleep! That's on you. You never want to spend time with me! Even today, you had every excuse available but went out with…"

"Why would I want to spend time with someone who does nothing but yell at me? You can't even say hi to me anymore without being angry! And I can't sleep, Pepper. There's a difference."

"Excuse me?" Pepper's voice got so high that Tony could barely make out the words. If she wasn't willing to listen then he wouldn't waste his breath.

"I'm not a mind reader." Tony scowled. "You march down here everyday to punish me so of course I never come upstairs. I can't fix something that I don't know is broken. You know that I fix things, Pepper, it's what I do." Pepper made to speak but he couldn't stop himself now that he started. He was as frustrated with her as she was with him. "If I want to spend my time down here? Then that's up to me. You don't get a say in it. I don't tell you what to do, Pepper, so you don't get to tell me what to do."

"Tony!" Pepper shouted, aghast.

"I don't have anything else to say. I'm doing this. This thing with Refuge. It's getting me out of the basement. It's getting me back to work. You seemed to forget that in your argument."

"You're impossible!" Pepper stared, slack jawed and stuttering. Tony hoped this would make her realize that the barrier between them was built by her. It'd taken him until that afternoon to realize that it wasn't all his fault. Of course, it took two to tango but he couldn't be the only one trying to fix something he wasn't entirely at fault for. If Pepper needed him to change who he was to love him then he wasn't the right man for her in the first place. It hadn't been easy for Tony to become the man he was even that day. Didn't any of that matter? Pepper waited for him to say more but when he didn't, she stomped her feet, marched out of the basement, and up the stairs.

"Dating is what's impossible. Not me." Tony muttered beneath his breath. Turning back to his desk, he flopped into his chair with a heavy sigh. He was exhausted, more exhausted than he'd been in weeks. Trying to reason with Pepper even about his company drained him. Maybe for once he'd sleep without waking up in a cold sweat.

He'd considered mentioning his nightmares again if things went well that night. But they hadn't. So there was no way for him to tell her how nothing felt alright anymore. How he couldn't sleep without nightmares. How sometimes he felt disconnected from reality. The attack that afternoon. The fear of being unable to save what mattered most had driven what used to matter away. There were afternoons where he couldn't work because his hands wouldn't stop shaking. Pepper's inability to listen felt as bad as rejection did.

And he didn't blame her. This was his fault. If he could just get himself under control then none of this would have happened. It all seemed so silly when he put into perspective. He felt terrible. Pathetic. Pathetic was something Tony hadn't understood until then. He couldn't do the things he used to be able to. Even showering some days was too difficult to manage.

What was happening to him?

He ran his fingers through his hair and shut it down.

He was Tony Stark.

He didn't have panic attacks. He didn't have nightmares. And he wouldn't let whatever this was beat him.

But as he caught his reflection in the darkness of his new monitor, his confidence rattled. He was broken. And he wasn't sure the pieces that put him back together even existed anymore. How could he let this happen? At this rate he'd lose his damn mind before he fixed it.

His gaze fell on the magazine. He pulled it to him and picked it up. He'd reread the cover article half a dozen times that day. How many hours had he spent researching Refuge and its CEO? The blue-eyed vixen stared back at him from the glossy paper. They'd done a number on her eyes. He could swear she was looking right at him.

Pepper was wrong. He couldn't wait to get out of the house and work with her. For the first time in months the task of leaving didn't frighten him. He'd neglected his company for so long that he felt bad about it. No more. Stark Industries was his pride and joy. He'd get back to work.

One step at a time, he thought.

First, he had to convince Scarlett Damien to work with him and from what he read, he didn't think that would be an easy task. She was guarded and liked being in control. He thought for certain that who he was would offer some leeway. What inventor didn't want to work with Tony Stark? Plus, his company was one of the most successful on the planet. She was just getting her start. It'd be silly of her to ignore his offer. If persistence was what was required? Tony had that in spades.

The fallout to his household would be catastrophic but maybe it was time to embrace the catastrophe. He wouldn't throw away his returning confidence simply because Pepper didn't like someone. If he did that, then he would never get anything done. This was the first time in months where he felt like himself. He was clinging to it.

"Jarvis? That email we wrote up earlier?" The screens leapt to life.

"Yes, sir. Which draft would you like to see?" Four different but similar documents appeared before Tony. Some were lengthier than others and sounded more like him. Others were straight to the point. The last one was the best combination of the two. It invited her to have the discussion to work with him and offered a bit of intrigue.

"The last one. Send it."

"Are you positive, sir? Miss Potts…"

"Miss Potts is wrong, Jarvis. I think you know that already." Tony wiped away the other three drafts with a wave. The one that remained filled the space the others had occupied. If anyone knew he was struggling, it was Jarvis. Unfortunately, Jarvis couldn't fix him either.

"Yes, sir."

The document folded itself up and flew across the basement in the shape of a paper airplane. Tony reclined in his chair. No second guessing. He was doing this. Tony was confident he'd get a reply by tomorrow. Emails from Tony Stark rarely went ignored.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Jarvis?"

"You did the right thing." It was surprising that the computer comforted him. But it was more than anyone else did.

"Thanks, Jarvis." No snark for once. Someone had to be proud of Tony for his small accomplishments and if it was Jarvis, then that would have to do. He just hoped that he wasn't losing his mind.