First Time For Everything

Chapter 6

Epilogue

Dinner had been fantastic. The mood was light and conversation flowed easily. There was candlelight as well as champagne. A hand-in-hand stroll through the streets of Paris culminated with a declaration of love at the base of the Eiffel Tower. Tony had an excellent view of the lighted landmark through the penthouse window. He stood there with his hand on the curtain, reflecting on the evening. He decided it had gone just about as close to perfect as he could have imagined.

Tony saw a shimmer out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head enough to see it was the light hitting the dress draped across the back of a chair. He smiled. On the flight, Pepper told him she packed for dinner at the hotel's formal dining room. What she failed to say was that she brought the blue backless piece of satin wonder that was his favorite garment on earth. Pepper looked so stunning in the dress that perfectly matched her eyes. She outshone and outclassed everything else. Everywhere they went, with her on his arm Tony felt like the frame for the Mona Lisa.

His jacket and tie lay across the arm of the chair decorated with her dress. Their clothes together seemed perfectly normal. Looking around the room, it struck Tony that nothing seemed out of place. Everything was where it was supposed to be, including the redhead occupying half of their bed.

Their bed. Tony would be lying if he said he hadn't pictured her there before. He would even admit to concocting an idea or two of trying to bed his PA when she was new to the job. He had never gone after an employee, but, then again, he had never had an employee like her. She blurred lots of lines for the boundaries he set for himself. The longer she stayed, the more he put it out of his mind. Long before he realized he loved her, Tony knew Pepper Potts was the best thing that ever happened to him. Keeping her in his life was more important than getting her in his bed. It took a stint in an Afghan cave for him to finalize getting his priorities in order and Pepper stayed at the top of that list. Fortunately, it began a shift in her thinking as well. After months of hit-and-miss and skirting around, they were both finally on the same page and ready to be together. His life and her life became their life. Now, after tonight, no matter where they were, his bed and her bed would be their bed.

Tony took one more look at the Parisian landscape and started to pull the curtain closed. He was about to ask himself What could ruin a night like this? when he heard a stirring from the bed.

"Tony?"

He stopped. He turned to see Pepper reaching out to his spot and touching nothing but air. Instantly, Tony's heart fell. He recognized the hint of disappointment in her voice and a pang of regret shot through him that he caused it. "Of course, you would wake up now," he muttered. "I'm right here," he said.

"What are you doing?" Pepper asked sleepily, sitting up in the middle of the bed and pulling the sheet to her armpits.

"Besides thinking how glad I am I had sense enough to finally see what had been in front of me before I wasted any more time?" He hoped it didn't sound as lame to her as he thought it came out.

"Yeah...besides that."

Tony saw her smile and knew he was safe. "When they call this place 'The City of Light,' they're not kidding. Something shining in my eyes woke me up. Normally, I would just have J.A.R.V.I.S. take care of it, but, he's not here. I had to drag myself out of my new favorite place and fix it the old fashioned way." He pulled the curtain the rest of the way across the window. "There we go," he said. "Oh, uh, I hope that's okay." I…I didn't even think about…You're not afraid of the dark or anything are you?" Tony could have kicked himself not thinking of her first.

"It's fine," Pepper said, sensing his nervousness. "How could I be afraid when I have the world's sexiest nightlight right here beside me?"

Tony smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "I didn't want you to think I broke my promise. Technically, I didn't. I was still here. I was just…"

"Standing naked in front of the window?"

"In front of our window," he corrected. Tony studied the woman across from him. "You're the first, you know. The first time I've ever slept with a woman. For the first time, I want to stay."

"I want you to stay."

"It may be weird for a few nights."

"You don't do anything like snore or wet the bed do you?" Pepper asked.

"No," Tony answered, somewhat puzzled.

"Then, we will be fine."

"Do you need anything?"

"Yes."

"An extra blanket? More pillows?"

"I need you to quit fussing and lay down. I would like to sleep with my boyfriend now."

Tony leaned in and kissed her bare shoulder before sliding under the covers to lie down. Pepper followed suit. He could feel her getting settled beside him. Slowly, he inched closer until their lower bodies made contact. Lying there hip-to-hip, he was testing the waters, wanting to be close, but giving her space at the same time. Tony felt Pepper's hand make its way into his hair. After a minute, he rolled onto his side, facing her and resting his hand lightly on her stomach. "This is good?"

"This is good."

"Not uncomfortable or anything?"

"Nope."

There were things that needed to be discussed, but this was not the time nor place. Tony was determined to enjoy the here and now. Right here and right now, all was right with the world. Pepper's fingers continued to dance across Tony's scalp, bringing him closer and closer to sleep. There was only one thing he needed to say. "Good night, Miss Potts. Sweet dreams."

"Good night, Mr. Stark. See you in the morning."

Author's Note: Alrighty, this is the end for real. I hope that you enjoyed this story. I actually had a good time writing it. Thanks to NCISVILLE and jewels1798 for their help and continued encouragement. There will be a quasi-follow-up to this coming soon. Thanks to everyone who took the time to review and comment. It helps to know when people really like my writing. It let me know that my 8th grade teacher who told me NO ONE would EVER like ANYTHING I wrote may not have been telling me the truth. Let me know what you think. PEPPERONY FOREVER!