Echoes

Pepper Potts returned from a late dinner at around ten in the evening. She had thought about coming home hours earlier out of guilt but had instead chosen to stay out with her best friend and driver, Happy Hogan. One thing had led to another and dinner had turned into drinks and had devolved into talking until they’d lost track of time. The conversation had made her feel cheery and excited again. It was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time. But at the end of the night when the alcohol had worn off Pepper felt nothing but guilt. Somehow she felt she was cheating on the man she’d left at home. So, miserable and dreading returning to the home she shared with Tony, Pepper left the restaurant.

Maybe it was time to sit down with Tony to discuss the inevitable. But what if it ruined the way things had been? What if she lost her job? Pepper wasn’t sure she was going to so easily find another one that paid as well as the one she had with Tony. She had no idea how to even apply for something after so much time had passed. How would she ever find another boss as generous as Tony? Even if he was vilified in the press at times or she was angry with him because of how terrible a boyfriend he’d been in the months past she still cared about him. Tony Stark was still a good man, just not boyfriend material. He was still the best boss that she had ever had and replacing him sounded like a nightmare.

Her entire life would have to change and while she didn’t mind moving out of the Malibu house she was terrified of what else would have to change. She’d grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle being constantly around Tony Stark and having to veer from that path was something she wasn’t yet willing to do. Pepper enjoyed the glamour and glitz of his life. Without him, she’d lose that and have to adjust to being plain old Pepper Potts again. Wasn’t that a selfish reason to stay in a relationship? Pepper was scared. That was perfectly reasonable.

Most of the Malibu mansion was dark and for a brief moment she wasn’t sure if Tony was home. Had he finally gone out of the house? Then she heard the telltale familiar sounds of music in the basement below and knew that he was down there again tinkering with something. It was likely he wouldn’t come to bed again either. She had missed him in bed at first but each time she had invited him back there had been some kind of nightmare or inability to sleep that had driven her crazy. Each time she had sent him to the couch so that he could stay up without keeping her up too. No one could blame her for wanting to get a good night’s sleep, right?

“I bet he hasn’t even come upstairs all day. I wonder if he’s even bothered to eat or shower,” muttered Pepper. Instead of taking any action in regards to either of those things, Pepper continued upon her usual nighttime routine. She hung her coat in the closet near the door, went into the kitchen and got a fresh cup of tea, then walked into the living room so that she could check the highlights of the news that Jarvis had recorded for her. Then she would likely go downstairs and let Tony know she was home since he had a tendency to get angry when she was nowhere to be found; as though something horrible could’ve happened to her at work without him knowing about it even though Jarvis was wired into every one of Tony’s buildings. At long last she would make her way upstairs into the master bedroom where she would lay down with the television on in the background and read through paperwork until she’d fallen asleep.

Once in the living room Pepper stopped when she saw that the blankets and pillows Tony usually left lying in a messy pile were actually folded up nicely and set at the side of the couch. Had he taken care of it or maybe spoken to the maid about folding it for him? She guessed it was just the maid getting frustrated enough by the mess that she had decided to take matters into her own hands. Folding clothes or blankets was something she had never witnessed Tony do himself.

Even more curious than that there was a magazine lying on the coffee table that Pepper recognized but hadn’t purchased. She recognized it because she had thrown out the same magazine in her office earlier after reading the article about the new businesswoman inside of it. It had annoyed her for some reason to see the success of Refuge when Stark Industries had fallen out of the limelight. Tony had disappeared so all the press seemed to focus on now was the fact that Tony was no longer making public appearances instead of how Stark Industries continued to run smoothly in his absence. Minus a few computer problems and failed tests on the energy conversion process, things were looking up for Stark Industries.

“What are you doing here, Scarlett?” Pepper narrowed her eyes at the picture and then looked up at the television that had turned on automatically since her arrival. Pepper set down her cup of tea and picked up the magazine. Leaving the television on, she walked down the stairs to the basement. The concrete dust had been cleaned up, much to her surprise. Her mind wandered back to the magazine.

There were only two explanations for this magazine’s arrival and either way she meant to ask Tony about it. Either he had gone out and retrieved it on his own or he had someone come over and they had given it to him. No matter which it ended up being, Pepper wanted to know who was behind it and why it was still there and not in the garbage where it belonged. Tony very rarely cared about magazines or the media in any way if it wasn’t pertaining to him or his company.

Much to Pepper’s surprise Tony wasn’t working on his suits as he did most of the time but instead was working at his computer and looked more awake and alert then she had seen him in days. He must have gone out of the house for a little bit which had also surprised her. Tony no longer seemed like a social being these days and the fact that he’d gone out left Pepper flabbergasted. Unfortunately he’d gone out after telling her that he didn’t want to go out. Could it be that Tony still enjoyed going out? Maybe he didn’t want to go out with her. It rubbed her the wrong way instantly. Why couldn’t he have included her in whatever he’d done that day if, in fact, he had done anything at all? For all Pepper’s efforts to include Tony he never seemed to take the bait. So why couldn’t he make that same effort?

“Tony?” She finally called, sounding harsher than she meant to. He almost jumped out of his chair when she called his name and he looked at her then around his room like he almost didn’t recognize where he was. The mess around his desk had been cleaned up so Pepper didn’t notice the missing monitor or that anything had been amiss.

“What happened to your customary “someone’s coming” message Jarvis?” Tony did his best impression of the robot before turning his attention back to Pepper. He smiled in hopes of easing the mood she was in since she’d already practically snapped his head off.

“I just assumed you heard the television upstairs, sir and would know Miss Potts had returned.” Jarvis responded. “My apologies.”

“Well, I didn’t notice. I was kind of engrossed in all these articles.” Tony immediately wiped said articles out of the air in front of him, leaving only a handful behind. He’d decided to do some research on Scarlett before sending her the email that he’d written up with Jarvis after having discovered her contact information. He wanted to know more about what he was getting into before he sent the offer. Plus he had promised Rhodey that he would discuss it with Pepper before making a move. As much as he didn’t want to do that he knew that he’d made a promise and recently he’d been trying not to break them. After nearly dying in Manhattan it seemed important to keep promises, even if they were little ones.

“Hello to you, too Tony.” Pepper sighed, waiting for Tony to acknowledge her at last. He hadn’t meant to not say anything to her, he’d just been caught up talking to Jarvis.

“That was next. I didn’t hear you come in upstairs. Usually I hear those things…” Tony looked suspiciously to the side. Had he really been that enraptured by the articles about Scarlett that had become increasingly frequent in the past few months? He guessed it was possible though it seemed unlikely. Tony was rarely able to focus on those sorts of things. It helped that these articles came with some rather lovely photos.

“Did you go somewhere today?” Pepper was already irritated with him. She might as well get right down to what was on her mind rather than deal with pleasantries at this rate. Tony rather missed pleasantries. This was beginning to feel more like an interrogation than Pepper checking in for the night. At least he knew she was safe even if they ended up arguing about something or other afterward. The potential argument ahead of him sounded exhausting just thinking about it. He’d kill for a day without an argument over stupid petty things.

“I did, actually. Is that a problem? You went out today. I’m not glaring at you about it.”

“Yes, but you never go out.”

“I go out all the time, just not recently. You know how much I go out, or at least you used to know back when you were just my assistant.” Tony didn’t mean to sound as snippy as he had and immediately winced. Pepper knew at once that he hadn’t meant it the way it had come out so she let it brush off of her shoulders. Every word wasn’t meant as a dig and he was right. He had once been the most social person she had ever known just lately he’d taken to hiding in the basement and remaining hidden away from the rest of the world. The reasons why didn’t seem to matter to her.

“You could’ve just told me you didn’t want to spend the day with me if you wanted to go out alone or with someone else. You don’t have to make excuses to avoid me.” Pepper turned her gaze away from him and hardened her features so she wouldn’t show that she was hurt.

“What?” Tony had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Of course he hadn’t avoided going out with her on purpose! When she’d asked him to go out he had genuinely wanted to stay home and work on his new device. But then one thing had led to another and the house had suffocated him. It was too hard to remain inside alone. Then Rhodey had called and provided the perfect way out. It had turned out that a breath of fresh air was all he needed to find his drive again and to renew the comfort his basement laboratory brought.

“I asked you to go out with me today and you made this huge deal about not going. And then you went out without me. It seems obvious.”

“I made a huge deal over it?” Tony sounded skeptical. “Look, it’s not what you think. I got a call from Rhodey about going for a few drinks a little bit after you left. I needed some fresh air and time away from my anti-gravity thing so I met him at a bar down the street. It’s not a big deal, I swear.”

“Right.” Pepper seemed offended that he had gone out without her. Tony wondered if she realized that this particular situation had absolutely nothing to do with her. It couldn’t always be about her, it was about what he was going through. For a few moments he had considered that she might have been proud of him for making it out of the house for the afternoon. Tony realized that apparently it wasn’t about him staying inside, it was about Pepper getting what she wanted.

“What do you want, Pepper?” Tony knew she had come down there for a reason and had asked those questions to get to some point. Obviously he’d left something lying around somewhere that let her know he’d gone out. Or maybe it was because he had cleaned up a bit that she had guessed. He waited for the axe to drop at any moment. How had she known he’d gone out? He hadn’t really left any telltale signs hanging around and he doubted that Jarvis would tell her. They had a maid come in every so often so it couldn’t have been too much of a surprise that things were tidied up.

“What’s this?” Pepper held up the magazine that Rhodey had given Tony earlier, or rather that Tony had taken from Rhodey and made his own. He must have left it upstairs earlier when he’d folded his blankets. That would explain everything about Pepper’s attitude. She must have found the magazine and realized that he had to have gone out to obtain it. There would be no hesitating in telling Pepper about his plans, no time to soften the blow. He’d have to tell her now since she already found the magazine. Somehow Tony felt like a small child who had hidden a porn stash under his bed and had been discovered by his mother. There was no reason for him to feel like he was keeping secrets. He really wasn’t. It’s not like he’d seen Pepper since he’d made the decision to contact Scarlett.

“Well, it’s a magazine.” Tony began apprehensively. Pepper dropped her hands at her sides and leaned her head back, exasperated.

“Yes, but how did you get the magazine? And why do you have it?”

“Rhodey had a copy of it at the bar and let me read it so I took it home with me because it was interesting. Between you and me I think he’s a bit of a gossip.” Tony answered simply. For some reason he was having a very difficult time getting to the point that Pepper obviously wanted to discuss. He knew he wouldn’t manage to avoid it so he procrastinated. It would give him time to think up the proper wording and a way to tell Pepper that would get him into less trouble or perhaps make the argument less painful for them both.

“You know what I mean, Tony. Why does everything have to be difficult with you? Why do you have the magazine? What’s so important about it? I didn’t think this kind of thing would interest you.” Pepper held it up again and waited for a response. She had a feeling there was more to it than he let on. Tony was avoiding talking about it and that was usually how she discovered when he was keeping secrets. Tony kept far more secrets than she ever could’ve guessed but things like this Pepper was easily able to uncover. It seemed like the more important secrets, the more relevant and disastrous ones, she didn’t have much interest in. Or at least that’s what it felt like to Tony.

“Her company went public yesterday. Refuge.” Tony nodded finally, slumping his shoulders and addressing the magazine in Pepper’s hand. “Did you know that? It’s a pretty big deal.”

“Yes, I think I would be acutely aware of when our competition goes public in record time considering her company was only founded a few months ago.” Pepper narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. She seemed to already have an inkling toward what was going on in the back of his mind. “I didn’t think you knew who she was.”

“Well, I didn’t until today. It’s not like I watch television much anymore and the news bores me most of the time. Who cares about some kitten being saved from a tree? It’s cute and all but I hate watching those fluff stories in order to get to the real news.” Tony cleared his throat and tossed around a few words in his mind. He hoped he could lead into the subject gently “It’s pretty inventive, what she’s accomplished.”

“Of course it’s inventive, Tony. She’s an inventor. It’s kicked Stark Industries completely out of the limelight. I’m surprised you’re so impressed.” Pepper began haughtily.

“I know, I know. Calm yourself, Pepper. Not every word I say is designed to hurt or insult you.”

“You’re hiding something and it’s irritating me.” Pepper crossed her arms over her chest, rolling up the magazine. Tony considered she might swat him on the nose with it like a disobedient dog.

“You’ve been down here with me for three minutes, has my procrastinating really bothered you that much? Can you not squish the magazine like that? Her face is getting all wrinkled and it’s not mine so you know… use a stress ball or something, seriously Pepper. Don’t destroy other people’s things” Tony got up from his seat and walked over to her before cautiously taking her hands and removing the magazine from them gingerly in hopes she wouldn’t lash out at him as he continued.

“You’re right.” Pepper sighed and let go of the magazine without destroying it and took a step back. She often had very little patience for Tony considering their only interaction was arguing half the time. It had taken its toll on her but her being short with him had only made the fights more frequent and more frustrating. She had to make an effort not to instantly jump to conclusions.

“That’s a phrase I’ve missed.” Tony smirked.

“Don’t push it.”

“Don’t? What’s that word? I am not familiar with it. It’s obviously a conjunction of some kind.” Tony couldn’t help but smile but Pepper didn’t seem amused in the very least. She used to find his humor charming.

“Tony, what are you getting at?”

“Why do I have to be getting at something? She’s pretty, Rhodey had it with him. I took it to read.” Tony rolled his eyes and walked away. Things had gone well for about ten seconds. Rhodey’s words echoed again in the back of his mind. Was he really sticking it out with Pepper because he thought it was too difficult to address other options? The more he tossed it over in his mind the more he considered that it was the truth. Still, Tony had no idea how to begin making changes.

“You’re such a pig.” Pepper rolled her eyes.

“She’s brilliant, okay? From what I read and what I’ve discovered since then she’s… she’s brilliant! And Refuge is a good company so you shouldn’t be calling them our rivals. This woman is accomplishing something amazing.”

“They are our rivals, Tony! That’s part of the business, remember?”

“She’s not working on energy development, is she? That makes Refuge not our direct rival!” Tony pointed at the magazine before setting it down on the desk that he had earlier cleaned.

“Tony! They’re a technological development corporation like us! Just because it’s not energy research now doesn’t mean it won’t be later. And you act like that’s all Stark Industries does. Our developments have been top of the line, revolutionary, until now. Refuge is the talk of the town so that makes them our rivals. Our competition. I’m not going to roll over and play dead because some leggy mystery woman crawled out of the shadows.” Pepper narrowed her eyes. Something rubbed her the wrong way about Refuge and Scarlett. She’d been following the press reluctantly after having tried to avoid it for the longest time. She didn’t like Scarlett and she kept hoping the whole thing would blow over and fade into obscurity. Either that or something about her past would finally come to light and she’d end up in prison. It was unsavory and rather uncharacteristic of Pepper but she couldn’t help it. Something just bugged her about the woman.

“Fine! Fine. They are our direct competition. But you are looking at this the wrong way. Refuge doesn’t have to be the enemy just because they’re our competition. Scarlett Damien isn’t the enemy, that’s for sure!” Tony argued but Pepper was already shaking her head.

“If you were doing what I did everyday…”

“Pepper, I kept this company running for years. I have done what you do every day for most of my life, so don’t act like I’m incapable or that you know better than I do just because things have been different for the past few months.” Tony lowered his voice dangerously and glared at Pepper. She was taken aback by the sudden turn in attitude and stunned into silence. “You think we haven’t had competitors that made me nervous about stealing Stark’s limelight? Come on, this is kid stuff. But you can’t ignore what’s happening. That’s the worst thing you could do. Yes, right now it’s all about Refuge in the news. If we oppose them then all it does is give them better press and vilify us.”

“Why do you think I haven’t done anything about it?”

“Pepper if there’s one thing I’m good at then it’s making everything about me. You should know that better than most.” Tony couldn’t help but smirk though Pepper wasn’t amused. She didn’t like where this was going. “I’m going to offer a partnership between Stark and Refuge. She can offer some insight into the technology for the energy project and some personal things I’m working on with my suits…”

“Your suits? Tony!” Pepper looked completely outraged by the notion. “You barely let Rhodey touch them, why would you…”

“That prosthesis technology she’s come up with? I need that. It’s a good way to get into her head without actually inquiring about the project in itself. It’s a smart move, Pepper.” Tony acted like the decision had already been made. He hadn’t done anything publically for Stark Industries in months, but it wasn’t like he’d forgotten how to run his company in that short time. It was the first occasion in just as long that he’d had any interest in working on something other than his Iron Man suits. He thought Pepper would be proud of him because it would get him consistently out of the house each day and back into the office. That was huge progress for someone in his position, wasn’t it? But Pepper seemed none too pleased. In fact, she was scowling something fierce.

“Tony, you don’t know all the details about her. You don’t know if she’s worth trusting.”

“I don’t need to know if she is.”

“This woman is nothing but trouble! Her press isn’t positive at all. It won’t reflect well on Stark Industries to partner with her or Refuge. It’s going to make us look like we have secrets.” Pepper scolded.

“So this is what you call bad press?” Tony picked up the magazine he’d set down and held it up. From what he could remember the article had done nothing but praise Refuge’s advancements and Scarlett’s charitable efforts. “There is no such thing as bad press. Any press at all means that people want to hear about you and if Stark Industries partners with her then the press? They’re going to want to know why. Without realizing it, suddenly we’re sharing her publicity and it’s become about us.”

“But it’s bad publicity! People will ask why we trust her! Why we want to get in over our heads!”

“You weren’t listening to me at all, were you?” Tony sighed heavily.

“Tony, you just found out about Refuge today. You don’t know what I know about this!” Pepper was pleading with him now. Even though she had been acting CEO of the company in Tony’s stead she knew that ultimately Tony could override her decision. If she could convince him of what she already knew thanks to her instincts it would make her life much easier. “This woman is bad news. Scarlett? There’s something off about her. You can tell that she’s got secrets and nasty ones at that.”

“Everyone has secrets, Pepper. Even you.”

“Not like this. Someday those secrets of hers are going come out in public. Even someone with her money and power can’t hide in the shadows forever. With everything Stark Industries has already been through in the last few years what with the shift from dealing weaponry to technology and you and your… well, being you, we can’t afford to have her demons coming to knock us down when they finally overwhelm her. The backlash isn’t going to be worth it. Refuge is a phase, Tony. When it passes Stark Industries will still be there reliably waiting to pick up the pieces. We don’t need to be in the limelight all the time anymore! You’re a household name. Her history is something we should not get involved in. Plus, have you seen her romantic life in the papers? She runs through men almost as fast as you went through women. We can’t have this, Tony. This would be too much of a scandal. Particularly since it’s you…”

“If bad press really mattered so much I’d be penniless and living on the streets.” Tony scoffed. What did it matter that this woman had some mystery surrounding her? It only made her more intriguing, at least to him. What was she hiding? What was S.H.I.E.L.D. doing with her at press conferences as her security detail? If he wanted to know the answers to these questions then undoubtedly so did the press and so did the people buying magazines with her face on the cover. She wasn’t getting bad press from what Tony could tell. Yes, she was getting controversial press but that and bad press weren’t one in the same. Besides, Pepper couldn’t argue that bad press was the reason not to partner with Refuge. Tony had a bad reputation from his youth and he’d held true to it until the past few years when he’d become Iron Man.

Even then his reputation had lingered on. There was only so much a man like him could change over time. Tony still garnered bad press to that day. Every minute longer he stayed inside of his house and out of the public eye the news got worse about him. Pepper should’ve been proud of him for wanting to get involved in a project that got him out of the house! Wasn’t that important? He guessed it wasn’t as important as what she wanted.

“This could be a good move for Stark Industries.” Tony wondered if he could convince her of that. There had been a time where Tony could’ve talked a fish into jumping into a frying pan and be grateful for it. It hadn’t always worked with Pepper. She seemed to always know when he’d been working an angle. After years of watching him manipulating people with his words she’d been able to unravel them easily.

“Don’t even start.”

“Besides getting our name back in the papers teaming up with Refuge would provide an entirely new stream of revenue. Whatever it costs to pay her I can guarantee you that it’s going to be less than what we’re going to bring in because of her. Not to mention the insight she’s going to provide on current projects and what I’m building down here. The partnership between our companies could be incredibly lucrative. The advancements we could come up with together could be life changing.” Tony was only informing Pepper of what his plans were as a courtesy now. And he’d only done so because Rhodey had mentioned it. It hadn’t occurred to him what Pepper would think about contacting Scarlett until he’d said something. Yes, she was very attractive, yes, she was dangerous and that was kinda sexy, but it was Tony’s company that was on the line, not Tony’s reputation. Pepper didn’t get to make those kinds of decisions about his life. No one did except for him.

Refuge was the first thing that had interested him outside of his basement in months. It was the first thing he’d considered doing without having to battle the death grip on his lungs that made him practically suffocate when he’d least expected it. The mystery woman with the bright blue eyes and S.H.I.E.L.D. detail seemed to oddly draw him in through the magazine that was staring at him from the desk. Tony had already made up his mind. As far as he was concerned, this was all a formality no matter how big a fit Pepper threw about it.

“You’re already down here too often! The last thing you need is someone keeping you down here.” Pepper was having a hard time finding a valid argument outside of a bad feeling and her dislike for the woman’s reputation. “If you’re not down here you’re sleeping on the couch.”

“And whose fault is that?” Tony spat out before he’d realized it. Pepper looked outraged.

“You never want to spend time with me! You never sleep!”

“Because you’re always yelling at me about something or other when we’re together! Why would I want to be with someone that always yells at me and nags me? You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. And I can’t sleep. There’s a difference!”

“Excuse me?” Pepper’s voice was so high pitched with anger Tony could barely make out the words but he didn’t care. If Pepper wasn’t willing to listen to what he was about to say then he was done talking.

“I can’t read your mind.” Tony narrowed his eyes at her. “You come stomping in her everyday like I’ve done something wrong so of course I’m hiding down here. I can’t fix something that I don’t know is broken and there is nothing I do better than fixing things. You know that.” Pepper went to open her mouth but he continued, his hands shaking in frustration. As much as he wanted to address his current struggles and the things that kept him up all night long and cooped up in the basement he couldn’t seem to. “If I want to spend my free time down here in the basement thinking of ways to protect people then that’s my decision and you don’t get to say a damn thing about it. I don’t tell you what to do with your free time so you don’t get to decide what I do with mine.”

“Tony!” Pepper shouted to try and interrupt him.

“I don’t have anything more to say to you. This is what I’m doing with Refuge. It’s going to get me out of the basement. You’ve conveniently ignored that in your little argument.”

“You’re impossible!” Pepper looked at him, slack jawed and unsure of what else to say. Tony had half hoped that she would finally realize that the barrier that was built between them had been built by her, not by him. It had taken him a long time to realize that he hadn’t been completely at fault. Of course, it took two to tango and to create problems but he couldn’t be the only one making a conscious effort to fix things. If Pepper needed him to change who he was to love him then he wasn’t the man for her in the first place. Tony had worked hard to become even partially a good man. Didn’t that matter? Realizing that Tony had nothing else to say to her on the subject and wasn’t going to apologize for what he’d said she turned around and marched back upstairs and out of view.

“Living together is what’s impossible.” Tony muttered beneath his breath. Turning back to the computer desk he flopped into his chair with a heavy sigh. His eyes were burning and he felt exhausted, more exhausted than he had felt in weeks. Talking to Pepper about even a margin of their issues had drained him. Maybe for once he’d sleep without seeing his eventual death in front of his eyes.

He still hadn’t told her that he was struggling with that. When he’d been arguing with her and trying to point out the craziness that they’d been going through for months he’d considered it. But when he’d gone to say it he’d hesitated. He recalled the night he finally tried to tell her that nothing was right with him. He didn’t feel like himself and something was seriously wrong. He kept having these attacks that threw him off and scared him enough that he refused to go outside. When he closed his eyes he saw monstrosities. Sometimes his hands shook when he heard loud noises and often he couldn’t control his renegade thoughts or even his breathing. It had taken almost all of his nerve to share that he was struggling that night with Pepper and to have been dismissed had been a form of rejection.

It had only made things worse. He didn’t blame Pepper at all; he blamed himself. Why couldn’t he get himself under control? When he thought about how silly it all seemed when he said it out loud he felt terrible, even pathetic. Pathetic was one thing Tony had never felt in all his life until then. He’d been the top of his game in everything he’d ever done. Why couldn’t he perform the daily functions he’d performed for years without a second thought? Even showering seemed too taxing.

What was happening to him?

He couldn’t panic about it, not now. If panicking was what he was doing after all. Tony had no idea what a panic attack was supposed to feel like and had nothing to compare it against. Even looking it up seemed silly to him. Besides, he was Tony Stark, he couldn’t have panic attacks! That was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. No one would believe it. But the more he thought about it the more he knew the truth. If that was really the case then what had broken inside of him to cause them? How did he get so ruined? Where were the pieces that were going to put him back together? At this rate he wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to last before he lost his mind.

Tony realized he was spacing out and blinked when he realized how dry his eyes had become. His gaze then fell on the magazine on his desk and he picked it back up. How many times had he reread the article on Refuge? How many hours had he spent investigating Refuge and its CEO? The blue eyed woman stared back at him from the paper. He could’ve sworn that she really saw through him even through the glossy cover. The notion was crazy and he knew it wasn’t true but the thought kept returning to his mind over and over again.

Pepper didn’t seem to think that she was as good for him as he seemed to. Or wait, for Stark Industries, not for him. Tony wasn’t sure why he kept confusing the two. Maybe he’d represented his company for so long that he thought they were one in the same when he, in fact, knew that was far from the truth. He’d neglected his company for so long he knew he was going to have to do some serious work in order to get things back to the way they once were. The task had once seemed daunting but now it almost seemed inviting. It was a new distraction, a new challenge built out of something he already had.

One step at a time though, he thought. He had to get Scarlett to agree to work with him first and from what he read he wasn’t sure how easy a task that would be. Surely the fact that he was who he was would give him some leeway. What engineer didn’t want to work with Tony Stark? Plus Stark Industries was one of the most lucrative companies on the planet. It would be absurd of her to reject the offer. If persistence was what was required of Tony to make it happen then he would do it no problem.

Tony knew that the fallout in his household would be catastrophic if he went ahead and contacted her even though Pepper had argued with him tooth and nail not to. Could he really throw the opportunity away simply because she had a bad feeling? It was too tempting, Tony couldn’t help himself. It was the first time he’d felt anything besides fear and anxiety since he’d returned from Manhattan. There was no way he could let that feeling go.

“Jarvis, do you still have that email to Scarlett and her people that we wrote up earlier?” Tony turned his attention away from the magazine and glanced back at the holographic screens that jumped to life in front of his eyes as though they had never dimmed when Pepper had come down to see him.

“Yes, sir. Which draft would you like to see?” Four different documents appeared in front of him, each resizing so that they could fit into a neat square in front of Tony. Some were lengthier than others that were shorter and to the point. The last one had been a combination of the two, vaguely enticing the reader with the projects he wished to discuss.

“The last one. Send it.”

“Are you positive, sir? You seemed apprehensive earlier and Miss Potts…”

“Miss Potts is wrong, Jarvis. I need to do this. I think you know that already.” Tony wiped away the three drafts and the one that remained expanded and filled up the space the others had occupied. If anyone could see that he was struggling, it was Jarvis. Unfortunately, Jarvis was just an intelligent computer; there was little he could do besides follow orders.

“Yes, sir.” Jarvis responded. As quickly as it had appeared the document had folded up and flown away in the shape of a paper airplane across the basement. Tony leaned back in his chair. There was no second guessing his decision now. He’d have to wait for Scarlett to get back to him, or one of her people, on the offer made. It was such a tempting offer he was sure it would be sometime the next day. It wasn’t very often that Tony’s emails were ignored by much of anyone. “Sir?”

“Yeah, Jarvis?” Tony looked up at the ceiling toward no one in particular.

“You did the right thing.” Jarvis’ voice sounded oddly concerned but also tinged with a warmth Tony hadn’t programmed him with. He was always surprised by that when it came to his computer.

“Thanks, Jarvis.” Usually he would’ve said something snarky in response but today wasn’t one of those days. Someone needed to be proud of Tony for sticking to his guns. If the only one willing to do that was an artificial being of his own making Tony would take it. Tony exhaled deeply and leaned back in his chair. Perhaps even Tony’s computer had realized that he’d needed someone to assure him he wasn’t losing his mind. Tony was still partially certain that he was.