Chapter 32

Tony stayed with Rhodey until Happy called to say that he was waiting in front of the building. Tony joined Pepper, Edna and Dane and helped them get ready to leave. By the time they got to Malibu Mansion, it was already dark outside. After eating what they bought on their way back home, they helped Dane get settled in one of the guest rooms.

"I'm going down the workshop to re-calibrate Jarvis to keep a closer eye on Dane," Tony said to Pepper as they left Dane's room.

"Sure," Pepper agreed, not wanting the same disaster to happen again.

When Tony was out of sight, Edna stated flatly, "I think I'll go back home."

"Why?" Pepper asked in surprise.

"I don't have a place here, darling."

"Yes, you do!"

"Ginny, sweetheart," Edna said while placing her hand on Pepper's shoulder "You two need to figure things out, and it will be easier if I'm not in the middle, getting in your way."

"But mum-"

"There is no but, sweetie. Plus all of my things are back there and I miss my house." Pepper sighed heavily staring at her feet. Edna caressed her cheek tenderly to make Pepper look back at her, "It's not a necessity, Ginny, if you really want me to stay, I will stay. But I'm just not sure it's the best idea…"

"I know you're right Mum… It's just that…" She tried to find the right words, "I think I'm scared," she finally said flatly.

"I know you are, but you shouldn't be! There is no reason for you to be scared. Whatever decision you think is right, whatever you choose, it will be the right decision. Don't doubt yourself, honey. Just go with your heart and you will be fine. It's your life and he is your son."

"But… Dane is his son too."

"That is true, but whatever you choose to do for yours and Tony's relationship doesn't have to do with anything about Dane and his father's one."

Her mum was right, the most important thing for now was to figure out things for Dane, whatever she feels or doesn't feel should not influence her judgement regarding him, "You're right mum." Edna hugged her daughter warmly. "Even if I really don't feel like you to leave," She sounded like a kid and it made Edna chuckle fondly. Pepper smiled and added in resignation, "I'll ask Tony to make the Stark Industries jet ready for whenever you want to leave," Pepper said still in her mum's arms.

"Thank you Ginny," she said, caressing her hair. "I know it seems hard now, but you'll figure it out, I'm sure."

Pepper just sighed and tightened her arms around her mum.

Two days later, Edna was gone. After that, Pepper spent all her energy avoiding being alone with Tony, using Dane as a shield. While the first few days had been a bit awkward, they quickly settled into a nice rhythm. Dane was not calling Tony dad or anything, but he really enjoyed spending time with him, he was fascinated by the robots and mechanics and spent lot of time in the workshop with him when they were not out touring Los Angeles. Coming from a small town in Virginia, all the attractions City of Angels was offering him were incredible. Pepper and Tony were just enjoying seeing him discovering everything and sometimes discovering at the same time than him as their lifestyle never allowed them really to enjoy the small things before. The days were passing fast and the three of them were getting along.

Dane was getting better quickly, probably due to his particular gene pool, and was becoming more and more impatient with his splint. One day while they were at the beach in Malibu, he begged Pepper for her to remove his splint so he could go in the water, but she didn't relent.

"Please, please please please," he repeated without interruption. At some point, he turned to Tony and tried to rally him in his cause, "Tony, please, tell mummy that I want to go in the water with you!"

Tony knew better than to say anything and just gazed at Pepper, speechless. Pepper sighed heavily, "Sweetheart, the doctor said that you should keep it until we go to the follow up appointment."

"But that is in two weeks!" He whined

"I know baby," Pepper said while Dane continued to moan, "Look, go play at the water's edge, it will still be fun."

"No it won't!" He lamented while leaving Pepper and Tony on their beach chairs to go to the water's edge as his mum suggested. Pepper smiled softly at her son's pout.

"Poor him, it really isn't fun," Tony said, turning his gaze from Dane to Pepper doing the exact same grimace as Dane. Pepper smile grew wider. "What?" Tony asked not understanding what made her smile like that.

"It's just that you two have the same whine," she laughed harder. "You have the exact same tone and pout while talking! I noticed that a long time ago but seeing it in real life is even better," she chuckled while putting sunblock on her arms to protect her white skin from the sun.

"I'm glad it makes you laugh," he said, falsely hurt. He stood up, took the sunscreen from her hand, and put some in his hand. "The sun is amazing today, it's torture for him not being able to go in the sea," he walked behind her and put his hand on her bare shoulders. "We should move forward the doctor appointment, Jarvis said that his arms is healed already," he explained while putting sunblock on her shoulders.

She should have said something, but her brain didn't give her the opportunity to process what was happening before it actually happened. His hands were already massaging on her her shoulders before she could understand what he was doing. She closed her eyes at his touch and couldn't find the strength to protest. Each of his movements sent waves of pleasure through her. She was trying hard not to let any sound going out of her mouth. His hand went down to her back applying sunblock all over up to her lower back. She bite her tongue in her mouth to stop a moan from escaping.

"Tony!" Dane shouted from the seashore.

"I think I'm needed somewhere else," he joked as he stood up. "Your back is all done, don't worry," he said winking at her. "All set for an afternoon at the beach without burned freckles," he laughed a last time before running toward Dane shouting, "Coming!"

It took few seconds to Pepper to land back on earth. Tony had already reached Dane and carried him in his arms, before Pepper's brain started to function again. She was watching Dane and Tony playing on the sand, lost in her thoughts. Everything was so simple and so complicated in the same time. When she was with them like this it seemed to fit so perfectly. Yet, she didn't know what to do. After few minutes of torturing herself, she decided to get her cellphone and call the doctor to change the appointment as Tony suggested. It was useless to torture Dane for two more weeks with his splint. Anyway, she could not go for two more weeks like that either. It was too dangerous and what just happened with the sunblock just showed her how easy it was to let herself drift back into old habits. She called in a new appointment for the following day.

While the days were wonderful and getting progressively better and better, the nights were a completely other story. Pepper found every excuse in the book to not stay in presence of Tony alone at night. Dane was getting to bed quite early after the exhausting days and so he couldn't be in between them like Pepper was originally expecting. Tonight was no exception. After an amazing day at the beach and an excellent dinner on the terrace, Dane fell asleep on Pepper's lap while watching TV just after diner.

"I think he fell asleep," Tony said all of a sudden making, Pepper quiver slightly.

Pepper looked at Dane and hummed to show her agreement with Tony, "I'll put him to bed," she whispered to not wake him up.

"Let me help you," Tony said while standing up.

Pepper opened her mouth to protest but before she could, Tony had already lifted Dane into his arms. Pepper stood up and followed him quietly through the staircase. When they arrived at the door, Pepper opened it for them; she entered, turned on Dane's bedside lamp and pulled the sheets for Tony to slide Dane in them.

When Dane was settled in his bed, Pepper turned to Tony, "Thank you, Tony," she said inviting him politely to leave the room.

"Are you going to come back down, we can maybe watch a movie?" Tony asked hesitantly. "Something that won't be a Disney or a cartoon," he added on a lighter note to try to appear relaxed.

Pepper looked at him and their eyes locked in each other's, making her heart clench in her chest. She quickly turned her head back to Dane and answered coldly, "No thank you, I'm gonna stay with Dane."

Tony exhaled sadly, "Fine," he said, more to himself than her. He walked away slowly but stopped all a sudden and turned toward her again, "Pepper?"

She turned to him, "Yes?" She asked innocently.

He held her gaze for a few seconds and then turned his head, "No, it's ok forget it," while resuming his walk to the door. "Have a good night," he said just before leaving the room. He heard her vaguely wishing him a good night too when he closed the door. He was so angry! He knew she was avoiding him. He wanted to ask her why was it that she didn't want to spend one minute alone with him. They hadn't talked since the terrace at the hospital and that was more than a week ago! He wanted to ask her but at the same time he didn't want to push her too much. He sighed and let himself fall on the couch. He took the remote control and started to switch between different channels. Not finding anything interesting, he groaned and turned off the TV. He sat there for a long time gazing at the black screen of the TV, lost in his thoughts.

"Jarvis?" He asked at some point.

"Yes sir?"

"Did Pepper go to sleep already?" He questioned.

"No sir, she is currently sitting on the edge of Dane's bed, staring at the wall," the AI explained. "Do you want me to ask her to come down?"

"No, thanks J," he answered quickly.

"As you wish, sir."

He wanted so badly to join her and make her talk. He wanted to know what she wanted from him. What should he do? He rested his elbow on his thighs and put his head in his hands, exhaling deeply, resisting the urge to climb the stairs and go to see her.

Upstairs in Dane's room, sitting on the edge of Dane's bed, Pepper was weighing the pros and cons to go down to join Tony. A part of her really wanted to join him, but the other part was scared about what might happen if she did. The last time she went down to talk to him was on the Dane's accident night. And if it was not for Dane falling down the stairs, who knows what would have happened that night. She was scared and she had all the reasons to be scared! She didn't trust her willpower when it came to Tony Stark. She sighed heavily. Which part of her should to go with?

After few minutes, she stood up, sure of herself. She was an adult after all! She was a grown up person, she was a mother, for God's sake, she could deal with this situation. She would go down, talk to him and deal with the awkwardness like an adult. She was not a teenager anymore and it was Tony, she knew the man by heart! It will be easy, they would talk about Dane future and how they would manage for Tony to visit Dane. She repeated in her head all that she intended to tell him and all they would have to discuss together. She was confident when she entered the staircase, all confident that she could resist any primal instinct! She was a strong and independent woman. What she didn't know was that at the same time, Tony took the same decision, he stood up from the couch and decided to climb the stairs to confront Pepper. They were adults after all, they should be able to deal with the whole situation and not play hide and seek like they were doing since few days.

They met halfway in the staircase, both transfixed in their positions, not expecting to see the other one there. They stared at each other for some time, hearts suddenly racing in their chests. It seemed like both of them had stopped to breathe. All their determination had vanished at the second they met. They were just there, in a middle of the staircase, none of them capable to say a word, just gazing at each other like odd teenager they swore they were not. Nobody would never be able to tell, if she went down a step first or if it was him that take a step up first, nonetheless, here they were, impulsively throwing themselves into each other arms in a synchronized movement that was wild and gentle at the same time. Their lips locked together in a needy kiss. When Pepper moaned softly under his touch, Tony deepened the kiss bringing her closer to him. Pepper hands were playing with his hair pulling him even more against her, like she wanted to merge completely with him. Tony hands went rapidly down to rest on her hips. He slowly bent and shifted her to carry her in his arms. He climbed the stairs one by one, not stopping to kiss her. Soon they arrived in his, formerly their, bedroom and he laid her down the bed, kissing her even more fiercely. Tony didn't want to stop, he didn't want to give her the opportunity to talk, he didn't want to give her the chance to tell him to stop. The only thing he wanted now was to keep her here against him, forever and ever!

He made love to her with a strength born of despair, pouring all his love in each thrust. He was so scared, even more scared than the first time they had sex together. Back then he was scared about her reaction in the morning, scared that she would regret it, scared that she would think it was a mistake, scared that she would quit. But today was another type of fear, because he knew already that she would probably regret it in the morning, he knew that it was not because she was here under him that everything was forgotten nor forgiven. As she tightened against him, he cried her name, telling her how much he loved her, how much he wanted her, how much he needed her. And when she eventually came, she cried his name too.

She was in his arms, her head resting on his chest and he was holding her tightly in his arms, not saying a word, not wanting to stop the moment, scared about who would talk first and to say what.

He felt her move in his arms, "I think I should go back to my room," she said without looking at him.

"No," he begged. "Pepper, please, stay"

"I don't want Dane to find us in the same bed in the morning," she stated flatly.

"I understand," he said and it was true, he understood, but didn't want to let go, he needed to feel her, he couldn't even imagine how cold he would feel if her body wasn't there. "Pepper, please, just a few more minutes" he pleaded.

She didn't say anything, but she didn't move neither. After few seconds, he felt her relaxing in his embrace. She was staying. But the truth was, that she was not staying only because he begged, she was staying because she needed it too. She was in his arms, and it was feeling so good. So she stayed, a bit more, just to please him… And herself in the same time.

After few minutes, he fell asleep, exhausted physically and emotionally.

In the morning, when he woke up, she was gone.