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Please tell me you’re not on that ship… Come back here, Tony. I swear to God… come back here right now! Come back!
Pepper awoke with a start. The room was dark and it frightened her more than she was willing to admit. Reaching over to turn on the lamp beside her bed, she sat up and took a few breaths to calm down.
“Pep?” Tony’s voice broke the silence in the room. Running his hand over his face, he turned to look at fiancée. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just couldn’t sleep,” she said, leaning back against her pillow again. What she really wanted to tell him was No, everything’s not okay. Aliens came to New York again and you went into space and half of the population disappeared… but she couldn’t tell him that. Because he came back and things eventually went back to normal… but it still frightened her. What if it happened again?
Tony draped his arm around Pepper. Even though he wasn’t always very observant, he knew when something wasn’t right. “Pep… talk to me,” he looked at her. “A lot has happened. Obviously something is up.”
“You went into space… things happened that I can’t even comprehend,” Pepper looked at him, resting herself close, as if she didn’t want to lose him. “I thought you were gone forever.”
Nodding as he listened to her, Tony was glad she had finally told him. Holding it in wasn’t good and he could say that from experience. “Yeah… there’s a lot out there that we can’t explain. It’s like the first time with what happened in New York. My brain couldn’t wrap around the idea that there were other things out there. It’s okay to be worried… but you can’t hold it in.”
Pepper sighed as she listened. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
“It’s not going to,” Tony chuckled quietly, but kept his arm around her, making sure she felt safe. “But I can assure you things will be fine from here on out. I made sure of it.”
She appreciated that he didn’t promise her, because the world was unpredictable, but it did reassure her a little. “Thanks, honey.”
Tony leaned up to kiss her temple. “Anytime… now, it’s the middle of the night. Turn that light off and go back to sleep,” he smirked. “Love you, Pep."
Turning the light off, Pepper curled back up with Tony and closed her eyes again.
The next morning, Pepper awoke much later than she anticipated. Turning around, she realized Tony was no longer in bed with her. There was an immediate sense of worry, wondering if their conversation last night had all been a dream, but she took a deep breath and got out of bed to start her day either way.
After cleaning herself up and brushing her teeth, Pepper made her way downstairs and her worries immediately washed away when she heard Tony talking to someone… but then wondered who he was talking to.
“Tony?” Pepper yawned as she entered the kitchen, where she saw Tony sitting at the kitchen island, video chatting with someone.
“Listen Peter, I have to go. Have fun on your class trip. Make smart choices!” Tony told the teen as he was ending the video call. Pepper was able to give Peter a quick wave before the call disconnected. Looking up at Pepper, he smiled. “Guess they’re going to Europe for their senior trip. Told him not to do anything stupid if he brought the suit.”
“Do you really think he’ll do something stupid?” Pepper chuckled as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Oh, absolutely. Look who he has as a mentor. As long as he doesn’t drive in any grand prix’s, we’ll be fine,” Tony laughed as he wrapped his arm around Pepper’s waist and pulled her in for a quick kiss. “Feeling better this morning?”
Pepper smiled against his lips as she kissed him back. Now that she was reassured last night’s dream wasn’t reality, she felt better, but there were still some things she wouldn’t understand. “A little,” she said honestly. “I guess it’s one of those things I’ll never truly understand. But you’re here and the world has calmed down for now. I can’t complain about that.”
Tony squeezed her tight for a moment, enjoying the feeling of his fiancée in his arms. “I think the best thing you can do is acknowledge it happened, help out when you can, and move forward. The world is healing. Things are going to be just fine."
Stealing her own kiss, Pepper lingered, smiling against his lips as she enjoyed their moment. “We should go on vacation,” she suggested. Maybe it would be good for them to get away for a bit.
“Will it be a honeymoon before the honeymoon?” Tony asked, pouring himself another cup of coffee. He was mostly teasing, since they hadn’t set a date for the wedding yet. For now, they were enjoying their long engagement.
“No. Just a vacation,” she told him. “Just something to get out of New York for a little while.” Pepper had plenty of vacation days available and the company didn’t have any major projects at the moment. “We don’t even have to leave the country, we can go to California or something.”
“Aww, what’s the fun in that?” Tony laughed and looked at her. “I’m always up for spending time with you, Pep. Wherever we go. As long as I’m with you.” Stroking her cheek, he smiled. “Want to take a walk around the park? You look like you could use the fresh air.”
Pepper nodded and as she finished up her coffee, she looked at him. “As long as no wizards come appearing from thin air this time around,” she told him. “I’d actually like to enjoy our walk in the park.”
“I think we can manage that,” Tony laughed. “Come on, let’s go. Maybe we can share a shower after.”
“You are the king of wishful thinking today, aren’t you?” Pepper followed him back to their room so they could get ready for the day.
The world was peaceful now… and Pepper hoped it would stay like that, just a little while longer.
Fin.