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Pepper's heart dropped to her stomach, and she licked her lips with a dry tongue as she dialed Tony's number—again—with shaking fingers. C'mon, Tony, answer. Please answer .
She hung up before his voice-mail reached the second word.
"Mommy?"
Pepper whirled around so fast that her hair whipped her face. Morgan's three-year-old face stared up at her with wide eyes. "Yes, sweetheart?"
"Why did Pappy go outside?"
Despite the fear gnawing at her heart, Pepper smiled slightly. Morgan's inability to pronounce Happy's name was one thing she secretly hoped that the girl would never outgrow.
Pepper scooped her daughter into her arms and planted a kiss in her hair, carrying her back to her bedroom. I know we moved to the middle of nowhere for several reasons, but right now, I can't think of one of them . "He saw something outside. He'll be back in soon." I hope . She placed Morgan in her bed and pulled the blanket—pink and fuzzy, like Tony had insisted—up to the girl's chin. "I need you to stay right here for me, okay? I'll be back to read you a bedtime story in a few minutes."
The sparkle in Morgan's eyes as she said "Okay, Mommy" betrayed the girl's plan to definitely not stay right there— so much like her father, Pepper thought with a sigh—but maybe she would at least wait long enough for Pepper to do what she needed to do.
Pepper ran to her room on tiptoes, threw open the closet doors, and pulled a case down from the top shelf, carrying it back to the kitchen, where she picked up her phone and tried Tony again.
No answer.
Her stomach went into full-blown panic at that point. Just what she'd imagined when she'd married Tony Stark.
She shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and paused, listening. Even with all doors locked & bolted, and all shades drawn, she still felt like a sitting duck. Even though the security cameras showed nothing unusual outside, she knew they were there. Waiting.
While her daughter lay in bed, unaware of the danger that lurked outside.
The thought of Morgan at the mercy of whatever waited outside took Pepper's breath away, and she braced herself against the counter, fighting to take controlled breaths. She'd always prided herself on her ability to think clearly under pressure, but with her husband AWOL, her house surrounded by trees and shadows, and her security system going haywire, her hands began to shake uncontrollably.
Happy, where are you?
She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, but a tear seeped down her cheek anyway.
Tony, I need you .
She brushed the tear away with a cold hand and pulled in a deep, shuddering breath. She momentarily entertained the idea of going after Happy, but with a clench of her jaw decided against it. She knew where she needed to be.
She grabbed the case off the counter with a white-knuckled grip and made her way back to Morgan's room.
To her surprise, the child was still lying in bed when she entered. Awake, but still in bed. Pepper sighed in relief. "Ready for that bedtime story?"
Morgan took one look at the case in her mother's hand and raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't look like a book, Mommy."
This girl's sass. Pepper rubbed her forehead in a feeble attempt to ward off the migraine that she could feel forming. "I know. Which one do you want?"
Morgan scrambled out from under the covers. "I'll go-"
"You most certainly will not, young lady." Pepper scooped her up and placed her back in bed. "I'll go get one myself." As she turned to exit the room, the sound of the front door latching shut made her freeze in her tracks.
"Pappy!" Before Pepper could stop her, Morgan bounded out of bed and squirted through the open door.
"Morgan!" Pepper's voice was nothing less than a screech. She grabbed the girl's arms and pulled her back in the room. "I really, really need you to stay here, baby." Without waiting to see if Morgan would comply, she crept out of the room and to the top of the stairs, finger hovering over the case's latch.
"Pepper?"
She closed her eyes in relief at the familiar voice and sagged against the wall, unable to muster the strength to answer.
"Daddy!" Morgan raced past her and toddled down the stairs one at a time before jumping into her father's arms.
Pepper licked her lips and sank to the floor. Pain radiated from her tight shoulders through her neck.
Familiar footsteps treaded up the stairs, preceding a tousled head of dark hair. Tony halted at the top, the set Morgan on the floor and knelt next to his wife, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Pepper, what's wrong?" His eyes scanned every inch of her body in a frantic search. "Talk to me. Are you hurt?"
Pepper sucked in a deep breath, and she paused half a second before speaking. "Anthony Edward Stark."
"Uh-oh." Morgan's whisper almost made Pepper want to laugh—almost.
"Do I look like I'm hurt?" She jerked away from his touch and forced herself to her feet. "Of course I'm not hurt, Tony. Thank you for being so concerned, Tony. Thank you for caring enough to answer your calls, Tony." The more words she let out of her mouth, the more there were to fill in the gaps. Her voice raised in pitch until she was practically shrieking. "I called you, over and over, and you couldn't bother to answer just once? Happy had to take over security detail because you didn't come home, and I was left here to protect our daughter alone— our daughter, Tony! This is supposed to be a two-person job." She poked his chest with each word, "Where. Were. You?"
Tony stared at her for a moment, then sighed. He grabbed Pepper's arms, and despite her struggle against him, pulled her to his chest, holding her until she finally leaned against him and sobbed. "I'm here, baby," He whispered, planting a kiss to the top of her head. "I was here the whole time; just a little…indisposed."
"Tony, I've never been so scared," Pepper gasped between hiccups. "Never let me go through that again."
"Never, Pep."