Work Text:
Click clack.
Click clack.
Click clack.
Pepper typed away on a report that she wanted to get finished before twelve o’clock rolled around because she had some place else to be besides her office when the clock reads noon on the dot. Specifically she would be spending the afternoon at the spa with Morgan, and one other surprising addition to their spa date. Morgan had asked if her Aunt Nebby could come with them on their mommy/daughter date, and of course Pepper had said yes while adding only if Nebula wasn’t in space then . To her utter shock, she had gotten a message from FRIDAY that very morning informing her that Nebula had arrived and would be joining them when she went to pick her daughter up from school.
She shakes her head as she tries not to think about how crazy her life still is, even after all these years. Tony had been gone almost five years now, but his daughter who was very much his daughter kept Pepper on her toes. Morgan is the reason she got out of bed every morning. .
She is on the part of the report she knows will be the end of it, and she’s typing away like a mad woman. She knows it will probably have typos galore but that is why she’ll have FRIDAY give her personal assistant access to make minor corrections like any typos before it gets sent to the various people who need to see it. She is literally on the last paragraph when FRIDAY speaks.
"Miss Potts?" The AI ventures, sounding uncertain.
"Yes, FRIDAY?" she responds without stopping the movement of her fingers across the keyboard.
"Miss Potts, this morning there have been a few calls to Boss's old number."
Her hands stopped moving, "W-what did you say?"
"I said, there has been a call to Boss's old number."
At hearing the AI repeat herself, she felt a tight knot form in her stomach, and she had to take a few deep breaths to abate the sudden need to throw up. She had been doing so good this morning, considering that today was the fifth time she had spent their anniversary without him . She swallowed hard again, trying to keep the tears at bay, before she asked, "Who are the calls from, FRIDAY?"
Why she had kept Tony's old cell phone number active was beyond her. Actually, she guesses she did know why and it is because for the first few years after Tony's death, Peter would send texts to it. Of course the kid knew he would never get any answers back, but somehow the act still brought him comfort. But she knew it had been a few years since he'd sent any texts so maybe it was time she had the number deactivated, once and for all.
"The information on the caller Identification traces back to a business called Sandra’s Cakes and Confectionery. What would you like to me to do, Miss Potts? Shall I answer the call or perhaps you would like for me to block the number?"
"Block the number, FRI?"
"Yes, they have called Mr. Stark's line three times this morning."
It was curious that they'd call Tony's number three times because she knew Sandra or whoever was on the other end of the call had to know Tony was dead. The entire world knew he was gone, and they had known it for years. So why would Sandra or whoever it was keep calling his line?
"Miss Potts?"
She made a decision, "Put the call through, FRIDAY."
"Are you certain?" the AI uncharacteristically questioned.
"Yes, put the call through."
"As you wish."
She waited for a second or two to pass, then said, "Hello?"
"Uh... hello, Mrs. Stark?"
"Actually, it's Miss Potts." Although she would have Tony's name inscribed forever on her heart, Pepper had decided to start using her maiden name within the first year of Tony's death. She would always be Virginia Pepper Potts Stark, but for her sanity's sake and her ability to heal somewhat she knew she had to stop using the name Stark.
"Oh, pardon me please, Miss Potts. This is Sandra Beeman, owner of Sandra’s Cakes and Confectionery. I don't know if you remember me--"
"I do indeed remember you, Miss Beeman. How could I forget the woman who made the cake for our... my wedding, and had my... husband raving over how good it was for days afterwards?"
It was true. Tony couldn't stop talking about the coffee and cream cake Pepper had bought ahead of their wedding. It'd been hard to find and almost a miracle she could find anything like a bakery open less than two months after the Decimation had happened.
But she had, and the resulting cake they'd shared at the small dinner they'd had with the only three who had attended their wedding, had helped in ways she couldn't even count to this day. For one thing, she was almost certain the luscious dessert is one of the things that actually had helped Tony to begin to regain his appetite. Although he been eating, he had still been far too thin when they'd gone to city hall to get married. She knew until he had taken the first bite of Sandra's cake during their wedding day dinner, food had held no real appeal to him.
"So, Miss Beeman, may I ask why you called?" A phone line you knew the original owner would never be able to answer you.
"Um yes, I know that he's not he... not able to answer anymore but there is something... an issue I feel like I need to try to get resolved in order to keep my peace of mind. I just don't feel right about this if I don't make an effort to do just that."
What issue? What issue could the baker who had made a cake for them from such a long time ago?
"I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about or mean, Miss Beeman."
"Please call me Sandra or Sandy if you'd like."
"Alright then, but only if you will call me Pepper."
"Uh, okay, if you would like me too."
"I would."
"Alright... Pepper. I will explain what my issue is, about a year after I made the cake for you, Mr. Stark contacted me to make an arrangement with me."
"Arrangement?"
"Yes, an arrangement, and the arrangement he made with me is that in ten years time that if I was still here, still in the business of making cakes, he said he wanted to go ahead and put in an order for one for your tenth wedding anniversary. Now as I understand it, today is in fact the day of your anniversary, and I am sorry to say I would not be able to make a delivery today because I haven’t made your cake yet. I do apologize for that. But I wanted to be certain that you still want the cake?"
Tears had pooled in Pepper's eyes while she was talking, and for the first time today, she felt like she felt like she might actually lose the battle with her tears.
"Hello? Miss... um Pepper? Are you there?"
Wiping away a stray tear or two that had escaped, she took a deep breath, "I'm here, Sandy. I uh... yes, I still want the cake if you're willing to make it."
"Oh I sure am! I can have it ready by late morning tomorrow if that's a convenient and good time for it to be picked up?"
"Alright Sandy, I can be by tomorrow to pick up the cake but I think it might be in the afternoon before I can make it. Will that be okay?" She had thought about telling the woman no, but the truth was she wanted to see the older, diminutive woman again. She wanted to eat a piece of the wonderful cake again, and remember how her husband’s face looked the moment he’d taken his first bite.
"That will be fine, Miss... sorry Pepper . I'll have it all packed up and ready to go whenever you get here. Now one last question for you if you don't mind?"
"Yes?"
"Do you want the very same cake or would you prefer some other flavor combination? I only ask because I seem to recall reading a few years back that you and Mr. Stark had a daughter, and well I guess coffee might not be something she would like?"
Pepper swallowed down the lump in her throat, a few swallows required to get it down, "Believe it or not, Sandy, she... our... my daughter does like coffee. Not that I let her drink it but she's had some coffee flavored things, like ice cream. She loves it." Just like her father.
"Okay so you want the cake just as I made it all those years ago?"
"Yes, just... just like you made it all those years ago."
"One cake like I made then coming right up for tomorrow. I guess I'll see you sometime tomorrow?"
"Yes, you will."
"Well, now that is taken care of, I guess I should let you go. I have a few other orders to fill today along with this one. Have a good rest of the day, Mi... Pepper."
"You too."
"Thank you. Bye for now."
"Bye for now."
She heard the click and she knew the other woman had hung up. She sat back, staring at her computer screen. After a moment, she asked, "FRIDAY, have you saved Miss Beeman's number?"
"Yes, I have."
"Good."
"Do you need anything right now, ma'am?" The concern in the AI's was unmistakable, and it touched her heart even as it made the ache grow.
She snatched a tissue from the box, she shook her head, "No... no I don't. Thanks, FRIDAY."
"You're welcome."
She was so glad that she was on the last paragraph of her report because otherwise she knew she never would have finished it today. Blinking away the last of her tears, she pushed aside the memories of the call her brought forth, and typed out what she needed to get it finished.
"There, done and done. Send a copy of this to my assistant, FRI, and make sure a copy is saved for me." As she spoke, she had gotten up from her chair and had begun gathering her things.
"Copies saved and sent. Will there be anything else?"
"No, FRIDAY, that will be all right now."