Echoes

Pepper Potts stood outside the front doors of the Malibu home for a good half an hour before she finally gathered the courage to walk inside that morning. Jarvis greeted her extra quietly and she ignored it. Not because she was trying to be rude, but because she was filled with nerves and butterflies. She'd barely slept the night before between stress, guilt, and worry.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to rest until she properly talked to Tony and they figured out what the next step was. It was over. Their relationship was over. Pepper knew that deep down, but if there was any chance they could try and repair the damage done she wanted the opportunity. Hell, she even wanted her job back. Working for Tony Stark as his assistant had been the most stressful, trying, and incredibly rewarding job she'd ever had.

How realistic an idea it was that they could return to the way they were when the way they were now was such a mess, she wasn't sure. Still, Pepper wasn't going to give up without a fight. She didn't have to ask where Tony was, no way. He was probably sleeping on the couch in the lab, where he always was these days. There had been a night or two where he'd been in the living room but after having been chased away by Pepper trying to get some work done, he hadn't done it since.

Pepper stopped in the living room anyway and looked around. The furniture had been pushed to the far wall and covered with tarps. Was Tony redecorating? That didn't matter right now, Pepper started toward the stairs and walked into the lab. The lights were still off and after she walked into the room she felt her blood run cold.

Tony wasn't anywhere to be seen.

But the room wasn't empty.

No, instead she found Scarlett half naked on the couch! Worse than that she was wearing Tony's shirt, just Tony's shirt. Blankets were kicked off and on the floor in a pile. Her clothing lay neatly discarded and folded up nearby. Pepper's hands were shaking and without realizing it she dropped her car keys on the ground.

How could Tony move on so quickly?

In the same night that they'd fought, where they hadn't even officially ended their relationship, he'd already slept with someone else? And with Scarlett of all people? The woman he claimed wasn't interfering in their relationship! She knew it! Pepper had just known it! All the fighting over whether or not he had something with her and here was the proof lying right in front of her half naked.

Scarlett sat up at the sound of keys against the floor but immediately regretting moving so quickly. Leaning against the back of the couch she blinked blurry eyes but still couldn’t seem to focus. Her side was radiating pain all the way down her legs and up into her chest, making it a struggle to breathe. Her right arm was asleep, so much so that it was dead weight.

"I knew it! I just knew it!" Pepper's voice cut through the silence of the lab like a knife and in a huff she walked straight to the couch where Scarlett sat.

"Oh great, hi Pepper." Scarlett muttered under her breath, wincing at the sound of the woman's voice. She was way too high pitched for this kind of a headache. Finally she managed to focus enough to see the woman's angry, bright red face.

"Are you kidding me?" Pepper shrieked.

"Not sure how I could be but… I didn't say… much?"

"You are unbelievable! You… you slut!"

"Whoa, it's too early for that." Scarlett tried to joke but her side was throbbing so instead she pulled her knees close to her chest. "Oh. That explains it." She'd forgotten about taking Tony's shirt the night before. Most of that was still a blur of pain and nausea. Right now everything was kind of a blur of pain and nausea honestly.

"Oh, is right! What, did you think I wouldn't come back? We have one little fight and you just jump right in, huh?"

"This is definitely one of those situations where it is not what it looks like." Scarlett argued but the truth was that if Pepper hadn't immediately jumped to conclusions and become so emotional she might have actually seen what had happened. There were bloodied piles of gauze still all over the desk and Scarlett's clothes were drenched with blood. On top of that, there was a big sour looking stain along Scarlett's leg that was obviously dried blood.

"Not what it looks like? You're going to try to tell me that I don't know what this looks like? I don't know what the hell Tony sees in you! You are unbelievable!"

"I'm trying to explain, but you're not really listening. And my head is freakin' pounding…" Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose and then recoiled when Pepper picked up her shirt from the floor and threw it right at her. Scarlett pushed it aside and then ducked when Pepper threw one of her boots at her.

"Despite what you and Tony might think I'm not stupid!"

"I never thought you were stupid." Scarlett grit her teeth. "Not once."

"I know what you are, he might not see it but I know! I saw it from the beginning!"

"Yeah? Do you? What am I then, Pepper? Enlighten me!" Scarlett was regaining her senses but she had enough of this. She was tired of being treated like she'd done something wrong here. Hell, Scarlett had done plenty of things wrong and had wronged plenty of people but Pepper wasn't on the list of people that applied to. Hell, she'd defended Pepper, she'd defended her nasty attitude, had rationalized her bad behavior, and still Pepper was here judging her for wearing Tony's shirt.

"You're a leech!" Pepper squealed. "You weaseled your way into Tony's pocket and now you think because you're in his good graces that you can just… replace me! Take everything from us!"

"You're not making sense! You're being emotional!"

"You're a… a home wrecker!"

"That one at least makes more sense."

"You're using him for your own personal gain, to make headlines… to… to…"

"What, to have an orgasm? Because trust me, this is not the face of a woman who just had an orgasm." Scarlett ducked again as another shoe was thrown right at her. "Okay, humor is not the way to go here." Scarlett carefully stood up, pulling Tony's shirt down to properly cover her. She wasn't shy, but parading around half naked wasn't helping the current situation. She picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"I'm gone for one night and he calls you here? As a rebound? To get revenge? Is that it? You're his revenge for what I did?"

"Revenge? Huh, that's an interesting turn." Scarlett wondered what exactly they'd fought about the night before. Tony had been vague, but had obviously not been ready to talk about it. Pepper, on the other hand was lashing out with guilt and jealousy. "Listen Pepper, if you just calm down… let me talk for a second."

"Don't you tell me to calm down!"

"It's not what it…"

"Say it again, Miss Damien and I will have someone here to escort you out!"

"Would you listen to me for a second? I need your voice like four octaves lower…"

"No! No I will not! You do not get to tell me what to do! You do not get to sleep with my boyfriend and then tell me what I should be thinking!" Pepper was on the verge of tears, red in the face, angry, hurt, lashing out at Scarlett because it was easier than trying to understand the hurt she still felt in her heart.

"Except that's not what happened!" Scarlett's voice finally rose but she took a deep breath afterward to try and collect herself. This was stupid, she didn't have to have a screaming match with Pepper Potts.

"Slut! You're a slut and I tried to tell him that and…"

"I am not." Scarlett ran her tongue along her bottom teeth and felt her eye twitch. She'd tolerated this for long enough. Each time she tried to collect herself, Pepper's shrill voice grated on her nerves again.

"I know well enough just what the papers report on, and I know how to find the truth in what they write and I told him that you were a manipulative slut, breaking hearts left and right just so you could get into the papers and on top of the ladder! And here we are! Look who finally has her proof!" Pepper shouted.

"Back off, Pepper." Scarlett lowered her voice threateningly.

"Or what, you'll sleep with someone else's boyfriend?"

"What do you care anyway?" Scarlett was done. She'd had enough. Enough of Pepper's misconceptions, enough of her emotional misdirected anger, enough of her shitty attitude.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, what do you care if I fucked him anyway? You're a terrible girlfriend, so why care now? What, does it hurt your sad little ego? Or because you actually found a reason to be this damn angry?"

"I…" Pepper stuttered and stepped back. "I am not a terrible girlfriend! You have no idea…"

"Oh, don't start with me on that bullshit." Scarlett started toward her slowly. "Tony is obviously going through something! He's been drowning for months and you've done nothing! I saw it from the moment he walked into my office, or crashed into my office, that he was barely keeping his head above water."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Where were you? Huh?"

"I…"

"Where the hell were you when he needed you? Nagging him that he wasn't doing enough? That he was doing all the wrong things?"

"He had responsibilities and…"

"And he already felt guilty about that! Then he finally finds something to get him just… a little less buried from the neck down and you try to put a stop to it at every turn? He wants to run his company again and you fight him on it? He wants to go outside and you get mad at him? He wants to work on something he's passionate about and it's the wrong focus?"

"I didn't say any of those things!"

"I watched it, Pepper, I saw it happen! For someone who says she's so smart and can see exactly what's going on in front of her you are ignoring everything around you! Everything except for directly effects you! Whatever the loyal, perfect Pepper Potts can cry a damn river about!" Scarlett had much more to say than she'd expected. Her head was swimming and she was sure she was going to regret this all very soon, but she was tired of being called names by someone who needed a big dose of reality thrown right in her face.

"That's not true, I have been there for him but he hasn't been there…"

"You watched him isolate himself! Collapse in this room to a point where he wouldn't go outside! You watched it happen! You enabled it! You let him suffer so you wouldn't have to solve his problems!"

"Tony isn't that simple!"

"What, you would have to fight with him about it? That hasn't seemed to be a problem when it's something you want. You fight for all the wrong reasons. Trust me, there is a time and a place for fighting in a relationship, hell it's usually a lot more fun than you make it, but none of what you've done has been helping anyone!"

"You have no idea what Tony is like! You have no idea! He shuts himself off and…"

"You let him! You knew damn well that he was suffering, that he wasn't himself and you did nothing! Inaction means disinterest Pepper, whether you want it to or not."

"It's not like that! He gets obsessive!"

"Did you take ten seconds to think about why?"

"He wouldn't tell me why!"

"Oh, really? Look around, Pepper! Look around for ten fucking seconds!" Scarlett gestured to the suits that lined the wall and silenced while Pepper did the same. "These suits? The ones that you hate him working on, that take up all his time? What the hell do you think they're for? To keep him busy?"

"Avoiding dealing with me! With reality!"

"They were for you!" Scarlett shouted, taking a step closer to Pepper who stumbled away out of fear. She didn't exactly think that Scarlett would hit her but she also wouldn't put it past her either. "They were to protect you because he was scared! He was so obviously scared after everything that happened in New York and he built a goddamn army to keep you safe! Do you think he cared what happened to him after that? Really?"

"Stop it."

"He needed you! He needed someone, anyone!" Scarlett didn't back off and pointed an accusatory finger. "And you did nothing." There was silence in the lab and Pepper stared at Scarlett with her heart in her throat. She didn't say anything at first because she knew it was true. She hadn't known then but now looking around her she could see it. Oh god, how wrong Pepper had been. She couldn't believe it, this couldn't have been happening!

"It… if you hadn't…" Pepper began quietly, trying to alleviate the guilt that was now resting directly inside her chest. She couldn't accept that Scarlett wasn't guilty in some way or another. "If you hadn't come into our lives then we would be fine! Tony's strong he would have pulled himself out of this and I would continue running the company while…"

"Do you really believe that? Are you that blind? That stubborn? The dam was breaking well before I showed up!"

"Don’t tell me what I am! You're not smarter than everyone else, Scarlett! Ever since Tony met you he's been an arrogant little shit, making bad decisions for himself and for the company! Bad judgment must be contagious to everyone around you because all I see are people falling for whatever womanly charm they think you have!" Just because Scarlett was right didn't mean that Pepper had to like her.

"Real mature."

"Shut up!" Pepper continued as Scarlett opened her mouth to retaliate. "Your company is but a blink of what Stark is. In ten years it's going to be buried in the ground and no one's going to know who you are and Stark Industries will still be there to pick up the slack. You're nothing but a publicity stunt, a devil in a red dress but that will fade too, you just wait! You're a slut who keeps breaking hearts and keeping secrets. Probably an addict and an abuser just like the papers say, wouldn't be surprised!"

Scarlett couldn't get a word in edgewise. She knew Pepper was just lashing out now for the sake of lashing out. Pepper was still convinced Scarlett had slept with Tony that night and there was no way, in that mood, she was going to see what actually happened.

"You think no one sees what happens in your aftermath? Everything you touch falls apart, or someone winds up hurt, or heartbroken! That's your problem, you don't see the big picture, Scarlett! Ten years from now? You might as well be dead and gone because no one will remember you."

"Enough! Enough!" Tony hurried into the room as Pepper went to continue berating Scarlett in any way she could think of. Jarvis had told him when Pepper had arrived and he'd gotten out of the shower as quickly as he could but had heard the fighting from the stairwell. He'd been just about to interrupt and come to Scarlett's aid when he'd heard the woman taking care of it herself. He'd stopped to listen and couldn't believe the things she'd said, the truths Scarlett was so completely aware of without Tony having to say a goddamn thing.

"No, let her continue, Tony. I want to know what she has to say." Scarlett could feel her heart beating rapidly in her stomach and the nausea was still in full force.

"Wipe that smug look off of your face or I swear…" Pepper was redder than her hair and before she did something he knew she'd regret, Tony stepped in front of her. "Get out of my way, Tony! I'll deal with you after…"

"You need to calm down."

"Will everyone stop telling me to calm down?"

"Only if you calm down!"

"Go ahead and let her hit me, Tony. I'd love to see that." Scarlett's lip curled in anger.

"Wow, okay, that's enough you two." Tony wanted to make a joke about the girl on girl action he'd usually enjoy but knew that Pepper was not in the mood. Partially he was afraid of how well Scarlett would retaliate to such a move.

"Tony, you have no room to talk right now! I can't believe you! I was gone for what, a handful of hours before you had her here…"

"She's right, Pepper! It's not what it looks like!" Tony interrupted her and stepped away.

"I'm not stupid…"

"I know that! I know you're not stupid and you know I don't treat you like you are! Nothing happened! Nothing. God and… what's worse is she really was right… about all of that. This woman, Scarlett, was a stranger when she saw how much I was struggling and my best friend didn't. You didn't."

"You wouldn’t let me, you know it's not that simple! I am not the villain here, Tony!"

"I'm not trying to say you are! But neither is she!" Tony grimaced, running his fingers through his still damp hair. "Scarlett was there for me when no one else was. She became my rock, without even meaning to and never asking anything in return. That should have been you!" Tony's head was probably the most level in the room, which felt strange even to him. Scarlett had to have been fuming to say what she'd said to Pepper. So far, Scarlett had been Pepper's biggest advocate. Or, at least had pretended to be. Now he knew what she truly felt.

"I'm not going to sit here and watch you play the victim. It took two people to destroy this relationship. You shut yourself off from me, I tried! I tried, Tony."

"You pushed me away at every turn."

"And you did the same!" Pepper felt the tears in her eyes.

"You won't listen to anyone!"

"Like you're so good at listening, Tony!"

"That's it! We're done, we're done. This is done."

"I'm pretty sure it was done a long time ago." Pepper felt her hands shaking and backed away from Tony. She didn't bother looking back at Scarlett which was good because Scarlett realistically wasn't paying attention to either of them any longer. "I'm not leaving without my things, so don't think I'm going to just disappear like you wish I would! Couldn't get out of your life fast enough, could I?" Pepper shouted in anger, hurt. Tony followed after her as she went up the stairs, arguing all the way.

Scarlett didn't watch them go, instead she had sat back down on the couch, sick to her stomach. Her hands were shaking too, not from the argument with Pepper but from something else. Even her toes felt funny. A few of them seemed painfully numb. It was more than the usual discomfort. She jumped alert when there was a thud from somewhere upstairs followed by more shouting. Tony and Pepper were both saying things they didn't mean, both being ridiculous.

Just as she was going to try and help diffuse the situation she heard a faint buzzing somewhere nearby. Scarlett slowly collected her footing and searched the lab for the sound. On the floor near Tony's discarded armor was her jacket and it was buzzing against the floor. Her phone was ringing. Picking it up, Scarlett wasn't all that surprised to find out that she had a dozen alerts waiting for her.

The buzzing stopped as she examined the screen. She'd missed the call but the number was familiar.

Natasha had been trying to call her.

Scarlett waited and sure enough the phone buzzed again. Natasha was incredibly persistent. Draping her jacket over her arm, Scarlett answered the phone.

"I can't talk right now."

"Oh, we have to talk. It's not optional." Natasha's voice was quiet and harsh on the other line.

"Not a good time." Scarlett's sing song tone was so much more convincing than she had expected.

"I know what you did."

"And I still can't talk right now."

"We have to talk. You have to come in." Natasha didn't sound angry, hell she didn't even sound cryptic.

Natasha sounded worried.

"Bite me." Scarlett knew deep down she should go in. After all, she felt terrible. But she didn't want to go in. Selfishly she didn't want to answer to S.H.I.E.L.D. for what she'd done. She didn't want any more treatments, any more condescending stares. She was beginning to feel like a sick child, freedom stripped of her. It had been easy to forget about it in favor of comforting Tony but the sound of Natasha's voice had brought it all back far too quickly. There was no denying she wasn't well. Even now she felt cold and clammy.

She had to see someone.

"I might just do that if you don't stop being so damn stubborn!" Natasha attempted a joke but got no response. Scarlett wasn't listening, her side was pulsing and so she stood with her jacket draped over her arm, phone to her ear and hand at her side. Her heart was beating strangely very slowly and she felt as though she could go to sleep at any moment. With her eyes closed the world still spun around her and the churning in her stomach threatened with a burning in her throat.

"Scarlett?" Natasha thought perhaps the line had died but that hadn't been the case, the connection was still strong and she could hear her friend's breathing. "Scarlett!"

The floor was cold against her legs. Scarlett couldn't remember sitting down but she must have.

"Scarlett, I swear if you don't…"

"God, keep your pants on." Scarlett put the phone back to her ear and rubbed her hand gingerly against her jaw line.

"You've got to come in." Natasha's voice was full of nervous tension.

"I told you that I'm busy."

"You didn't answer me."

"I just did."

"Not for like five minutes." Natasha hissed and Scarlett silenced. "Don't do it again, I'll be there in…"

"You're in California?"

"Yeah, I'm in California." Natasha sighed, relieved her friend responded this time. "I'm worried about you. Please come in."

"Things are really complicated right now." Scarlett could hear footsteps upstairs still and knew she had to get herself together. There was no chance she could let Tony see her like this. He had enough to deal with right now. Somehow she had to pretend to be okay. But how could she do that when she couldn't even remember sitting on the floor?

"I don't care."

"I have to take care of something before I come in."

"Scarlett…"

"Just trust me, okay?"

"Fine." Much to Scarlett's surprise, Natasha agreed. "But soon or I'm coming to find you."

"I promise." Scarlett nodded with relief. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah." Natasha hung up without another word and Scarlett set her phone down at her side. What was happening to her? She had been doing so damn well! Jemma's words again pulsed through her thoughts. She was sick and then she pushed herself to limits she knew she shouldn't have. Scarlett wasn't that woman anymore but she couldn't accept it.

"Get it together, Scarlett." She sighed and then cleared her throat. There was no time to mope, no time to get caught in self depreciating thoughts. No, Scarlett had things to do. This was just another battle to win and after yesterday, Scarlett knew she could overcome just about anything. Sure, the odds were stacked against her but that used to be the fun of it.

But this time there was no actual enemy to face, no job to finish, nothing. No amount of skill was getting her out of this. Walking back to the couch, Scarlett fished the clothing and shoes that had been thrown at her from behind it and then carefully got dressed. The gauze wrapped around her had held through the night, thankfully. It sure didn't feel like it had, but there was no blood leaking through the bandage. Sure, a spot here or there but that was it.

Pulling on her jacket, Scarlett checked in her phone's camera to make sure she looked all right. Disheveled, but all right.

There was a loud slam of a door and then footsteps on the stairs. Tony stopped at the door to the lab and took a few calming breaths before running his hand habitually through his hair and walking toward Scarlett.

"I'm sorry about Pepper. She said some terrible things and… she was just… you know, hurt."

"I know." Scarlett nodded and took a few steps closer to him.

"You in my shirt, guessing she didn't even see the blood and… you know, I am who I am. Old habits die hard or something. She has no idea how much I wanted…"

"Look, Tony."

"There was no excuse for those things she said. You're not any of that. I… you don't deserve the way she's been treating you."

"It's really…"

"No, it's not okay. You've done nothing but help me and in return I've subjected you to my girlfriend's… well ex-girlfriend's wrath over and over again. You've been so patient and it's kind of amazing but…"

"Tony." Scarlett tried to get him to stop talking. He was flustered and rambling.

"But it's over now, in case you didn't hear all those horrible things she called me. I mean, they were much worse than what she called you if there's any consolation." Tony was avoiding looking at her, and on top of that he wasn't listening either. That or he didn't hear her.

"Tony!" Scarlett actually laughed and then groaned as he continued talking.

"She threw a shoe at you, I thought for sure you were going to knock her on her ass…"

"Hey!" Scarlett grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. He stopped talking finally and she placed her hand on his cheek, letting go of his wrist. Finally he was nothing but silent and was looking right at her. His brown eyes were strangely clear, not conflicted. Hell, he looked really damn coherent for everything that had just happened. "Are you okay?" Scarlett looked to him seriously.

"Uh…" He hadn't been able to stop talking a minute ago and now he couldn't seem to find the words he needed. Was he okay? Oddly enough he felt okay. It sounded strange in his head, but he actually was okay.

"That was a hell of a lot to deal with, are you okay?" Scarlett asked again, worry flickering through her.

"I'm not the one who was woken up to Pepper throwing shit at me." Tony was oddly, flustered! This was not something he was familiar with. He went to talk again and then stopped, just to muse on all that had happened. "She came here and screamed at you, accused you of sleeping with me, called you pretty much every angry girlfriend name in the book and you… are asking me if I'm okay?"

"Yeah, and you are still not answering me." Scarlett looked to him knowingly and Tony laughed in disbelief, wiping his hand over his jaw.

"Okay, first of all, I just want it out there for the record that all the things Pepper said of you? Not true, not even a little."

"I know that. And you said that too." Scarlett nodded. "I guess that's why it doesn't bother me so much."

"You're… I can't believe you're focusing on me here. I mean, I know it's kind of my thing to be the center of attention but all that and you are… just looking at me like…" Tony drifted off and shook his head in disbelief. "You genuinely give a shit."

"Of course I do."

"All that shit you said, you actually meant it."

"All true." Scarlett nodded resolutely.

"You're really pale…" Tony touched her cheek and she cocked a curious eyebrow.

"You are all over the place."

"Yeah, I'm a little flustered. Is this…" He waved his hand lightly in front of him. "Is this what people feel like all the time when they meet me? It's kind of terrible."

"Well, your ego is still intact."

"You're amazing." Tony reluctantly pulled his hand back and took a deep breath. Scarlett shrugged one shoulder and smiled. "You fought for me, that was kind of crazy. I've never had anyone do that before. Most women are teaming up against me for something stupid I did…" Tony smiled a little.

"Probably deserved."

"Definitely."

"Not today though." Scarlett nodded and exhaled. "I'm sorry I lost my cool with her. Someone had to tell her that she wasn't the victim."

"Neither of us really is."

"Yeah, plus I have wanted to say all of that since the moment I met her." Scarlett laughed a little. "So don't thank me so much. It felt good."

"I don't think I thanked you, I mean I probably should and… I mean, I can count half a dozen ways that I could show you my gratitude right now except…" Tony nodded to her side. "How are you feeling? You look… like you're not feeling great."

"You sure do know how to sweet talk a lady." Scarlett joked but Tony reached for her arm and she pulled it away. "It's not good. I've got to see somebody. I talked to a friend whose going to take me to a discreet doctor."

"Good, good…" Tony pulled his hand back, part of him wanting to ask her if he could come too. He wanted to make sure she was okay.

"I won't go if you're not okay." Scarlett began seriously and picked up his hand. "I'm not going to leave if you need me here. This thing can wait, stitches aren't going anywhere and I'm not bleeding anymore."

Tony wanted to tell her that she was out of her mind, that stitches were absolutely more important than Pepper's tantrum and his relationship issues. He wanted to tell her that after what she had done for him that morning, hell what she had done for him since he'd met her… that meant more than anything. What Tony wanted was to make sure she was okay. That in itself felt strange.

He wasn't exactly known for being super in tune with other people's needs and wants. But this was different.

More than anything what Tony wanted was to pull her close and press his lips to hers then carry her in his arms upstairs to the bedroom and spend the rest of the afternoon making love the way he'd wanted to since they'd first met. He wanted to make those pale cheeks red, to see her bite her lip from something other than anxiety for once.

Carefully he placed his hand at her other side and pulled her closer. He even moistened his lips, but there she was pale and staring at him with worry again. Worried for him. After everything that morning, Scarlett was worried for him.

"You're amazing." He nodded his head, trying to formulate how to say what was on his mind. Was it gross of him to have broken up with Pepper and then immediately confess that he'd been guilty of wanting to cheat on her for the longest time? This wasn't some stupid fling anymore, there was no chance of that being the way it was. Maybe it could have been at one point, a mistake, a wild night with too much alcohol but no way now. This relationship was so much more than that and as much as Tony yearned for the more physical side of things, he also wanted it to mean something.

"You keep saying that." Scarlett smiled a little bit. "I think you need to sit down." That tightness in her chest was back, not the one that came when she had her fits, but this one that only showed up when Tony put his hands on her. It wasn't a bad feeling, accompanied by warmth in her core and what she swore was exactly butterflies in her stomach. That expression had always felt stupid before but now she thought it nailed it.

"You really aren't upset about Pepper?"

"I don't care about Pepper, Tony." Scarlett began and reconsidered her words, though she had to admit the name did erase those butterflies pretty quickly. "I just want you to be okay."

"You really just want me to be happy, don't you?"

"Is that so weird?" Scarlett chuckled and placed her hand on his cheek again. Secretly she loved the feeling of his scruffy face on her palm. Tony nodded his head and leaned into her touch, resigning to the fact that this was not the time or the place that he was going to finally lift her in his arms and show her just what this all meant to him. Despite it all, he had a stupid smile on his face. Still, he'd never answered her and the question nagged in her mind. Plus her side was throbbing and she had to do something about it. Natasha's voice in her head pretty much killed any remaining butterflies. She had to go home, get changed and then find out where to meet Natasha. "I'm worried about you." Scarlett nodded, though partially she wasn't sure if she was parroting Natasha out of fear or if she was actually telling Tony she was worried. He practically melted against her touch.

"I'm fine. Would you believe I am… actually fine? It's almost a relief. I… That sounds terrible. It's not a relief, I really care about Pepper." Tony had to agree that so much thinking about Pepper was definitely making it easier to keep from doing what he ultimately longed to do. "But this has been a long time coming and we were both avoiding it and searching for reasons to end it. You were right. We both deserve to be happy and we were both so messed up because… more than anything we wanted to preserve something that we'd lost." Tony had an odd moment of clarity after Pepper had left the house.

Sure, Rhodey and Scarlett had said those exact things to him about half a dozen times in the last week alone but it wasn't until the reality of it had dawned on him without their help that it had actually sunken in. Those fears, those irrational anxieties all disappeared now that the blow had finally struck. He didn't have to wonder what would happen after he broke up with Pepper because it had finally happened.

"You're sure? You're not just saying you're okay?" Scarlett found herself brushing her thumb against his cheek and then pulled her hand back. She had to stop doing things like that and quick.

"I'm actually okay… for the first time in a long time, Scarlett, I'm okay."

"And you don't mind if I go get this taken care of?" Scarlett gestured to her side.

"I kind of encourage that you do that. You sorta scared the hell out of me."

"I know." Scarlett nodded and sighed. "I have my phone if you need anything."

"Hey, do you…" Tony began, wondering if she would actually let him go with her.

"God, she's impatient…" Scarlett muttered as her phone buzzed with a message from Natasha in her pocket. "It won't take long." She looked back up at Tony. "I interrupted you, sorry."

"It's nothing. Go get that looked at. Tell me how many stitches you wind up with." Tony grinned. "Don't send me a picture though, that's nasty."

"Aw, are you squeamish?"

"No, not squeamish just don't love pictures from beautiful women that aren't of the beautiful women."

"Still a pig, you must be fine." Scarlett scoffed and Tony chuckled in response, but felt regret swell in him for not insisting that he go with her to the doctor. "Seriously, don't suffer alone. If you need me you know how to find me."

"Go." Tony nodded, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. She nodded at him and then after a moment of comfortable silence, turned away and started out of the basement. Tony watched the stairs until he heard the door close upstairs and Jarvis told him that she was well on her way. The house was empty.

It was his again. Just his.

He'd been terrified of this feeling for a very long time and yet now that it had finally become a reality it was kind of nice.

Walking over to the desk he looked at the discarded wrappings and mess that had been made the night before. It was still gross. Tony wasn't going to mess with it right now. Across the room under a sheet was the project he'd started the night before. He could get to work on that.

In the meantime, he'd preoccupy his thoughts on how he would begin the pursuit of Scarlett and how he'd convince her that it wasn't a rebound thing. It wasn't optional.

The way she made him feel from the moment they'd met, Tony would be an idiot not to.