I wanted to post this on Friday for Tony's birthday. (Our poor hero is 50!) But I haven't had a chance to get the editing done until now, so it'll have to be a belated birthday upload.

Happy reading. Much love to everyone. Stay strong, and be good to each other. The world needs it right now.

I awaken after what must have been a few hours later to find that Pepper is no longer in my arms. But the kitchen light is on, so I lumber out of bed to go see what she's up to.

I squint when the bright light reaches my eyes and I rub them as I shuffle across the living room. "Hello? What are you doing up?" Pepper coos. I can see she's rolling out the dough for her cinnamon rolls.

I take a deep breath and then let out a big yawn before I answer. I swing around the side of the counter to where she's at, and I wrap my arms around her, nuzzling her neck with my nose. She pauses her rolling, and sighs softly, and an appreciative smile graces her lips. "I might ask you the same thing," I finally reply in a murmur, before I plant a kiss to the side of her head. "I thought these were for in the morning."

"They are for eating in the morning," she corrects. "But there are a few more steps in the process that must be done prior to. So..." she says, gesturing to her flattened dough. "Here I am. But I won't be long," she assures. "I just need to spread the filling on them, cut them, and get them into the pan, and then into the fridge. And I'll bake them while I'm getting ready for work in the morning. That way they'll be nice and fresh."

I frown and a give her a confused look. "Work?" I parrot. "You're not honestly thinking of going in tomorrow, are you?" I ask.

She shoots me a questioning look back. "And why shouldn't I?" she says.

I scoff. "Uh, well, because you just had a miscarriage only slightly more than 24 hours ago?" I reply. "I think that warrants a little personal time, Pep. Wouldn't you say?"

She frowns at me. "I feel fine, Tony," she counters.

"Pepper, you know what the doctor said. To take it easy for the next few days," I remind her. I wish she wouldn't argue. But I expected this. As usual, she wants to go full steam ahead back to normal, but she needs some rest. And I know that she knows she does.

She lets out an exasperated sigh, and then she turns to look at me, lips pursed. But I raise my eyebrows and give her a serious look. She then frowns and starts chewing her lip in thought. So I take the opportunity to turn on the persuasive charm. "Come on, honey. You know you want to spend the day with me," I purr, as I bend down to start kissing that part of her neck that always makes her moan. And I'm not disappointed in what happens next.

She lets out another soft little sigh, and then closes her eyes, rolling her head back against my shoulder and to the side to give me better access. I smile to myself and keep laying little wet, tongue flicking kisses against her skin.

After a moment, she takes a deep breath and then slowly picks up her head to look at me again. She gives me a shrug in surrender. "Okay fine. You drive a hard bargain, Tony Stark. But I suppose you're right. I should probably take at least one extra day to rest," she concedes.

I smile triumphantly and nod, smoothing my hands up and down her upper arms. I'll take her agreeing to rest for an extra day. We'll leave well enough alone for now. Because this is progress. I'll work on getting her to sit out for more when we come to that bridge.

However, she then raises her pointer finger in warning to me, and continues to speak. "On one condition, however," she says.

"Name it," I challenge.

"We make one quick trip to the office. Bambi's got some departmental budget projections waiting for me that need my signature first thing, and they can't wait. After that, I'm all yours?" she offers.

I nod. "Square deal. I'll drive you. And then what about getting a little sunshine while we have some lunch at some place along the beach?" I suggest.

She smiles approvingly. "Sounds perfect," she coos.

I grin, and reach to place a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I thought it would. I'm looking forward to it, Potts," I then tell her.

I let her out of my arms as she reaches for a bowl containing a brown, gritty substance, and she pours it all over her dough. She reaches for a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl with, and I watch her spread the stuff all over the dough, going corner to corner. A strong whiff of cinnamon wafts up to meet my nose, and I inhale deeply. "That smells amazing," I purr.

"Yes, it does," Pepper coos back. "And they'll smell even more amazing baking in the oven."

"Mmmm. Can't wait," I reply, and she smiles.

XxXx

And they were amazing. Especially with a hardy chunk of butter melted over the top, complete with a strong cup of coffee. I devoured two of those beauties in no time. And then shortly after, Pepper and I were headed to the office.

The sun was nice and bright as we sped down the highway in the R8, holding hands after I'd shifted into high gear. Pepper was pretty quiet the whole way over there, but she didn't seem upset or anything. Just contented, and thoughtful. Like she was enjoying the ride. I know I was. And, more over, the thought of the day we were going to have together.

About a half an hour later, I pull up to the front of our main building to drop her off. She leans over with a soft smile to peck my lips. I smile back and return the kiss. "Take your time," I tell her. "Text me when you're done and I'll pull back up here."

She gives me another sweet smile. "Well, okay then! What a treat! I get curbside service, and everything," she teases. I chuckle. "But don't get too comfortable. I won't be long, I promise."

I nod and smile in reply, and she opens the car door. I watch her as she climbs out, walks to glass doors at the entrance, and disappear behind them before I pull away.

I may not be here a lot of the time, but my parking spot right up front waits for me none the less. So, I pull the R8 into the space marked "Reserved for Tony Stark, President, Stark Industries", and roll the windows down before I cut the engine. The weather is beautiful. The temperature is perfect, and there's a gentle breeze blowing, keeping the car nice and cool, not to mention lazily blowing the leaves on the trees. And I find that it's actually pretty relaxing to listen to. Funny, I know. Back in the day, I would've kept the engine running, and cranked the music while I waited. But these days, I don't know. Just sitting here, waiting for Pepper to return is enough. I guess I don't need the distraction, anymore.

This revelation makes me instantly smile. It's just another way that she levels me out, I guess. Another way that she makes me better.

I rest my elbow on the bottom sill of the window and lightly brush my finger tips back and forth against the door jamb, letting my mind wander.

But unexpectedly, I'm soon interrupted by a call from Pepper. I look at the clock on my dash. Less than five minutes have past since she went inside. Actually, it's been less than two, if I'm being completely accurate. I furrow my brow, not able to predict what she could need so soon. So I pick up.

"Done already?" I ask.

"Don't play coy with me, Tony Stark," I hear her purr wantonly.

I frown even deeper. "Uh...Kay? Not following you, Pep," I reply.

" 'Last night was magical. I can't stop thinking about you'," she says, as if she's reading the words off of something. "Ring any bells?" she then playfully asks. "They're beautiful, by the way. And, yes. It was."

I shake my head. Now, I'm totally confused. "What's beautiful? I swear I don't know what you're talking about," I insist.

"Wow, you're really milking this for all it's worth, aren't you?" she teases me, but my insides are starting to twist with the anxiety of knowing there's something not right. "The flowers," she finally says. "I don't know when you did it, but..."

I tensely huff. "Flowers?! Pepper, listen to me," I interject, interrupting her. "I didn't send you flowers."

There's silence at the end of the line. "Stop it, Tony. That isn't funny," she warns. Her tone has swiftly gone from playful to apprehensive and stern.

"And I'm not laughing! I'm telling you, I didn't send any flowers," I reiterate firmly.

I can hear her breathing start to get heavy. "Then...who did?" she asks meekly.

I immediately yank the handle on the car door, and then shove it open, my phone in hand. I climb out of the car, beep the alarm, and start briskly walking to the entrance of the building. I have a sneaking suspicion I know exactly who did it, but I don't want to say it and alarm her even further. "I don't know, but we're gonna find out quick. I'm coming inside. Sit tight," I tell her, and we disconnect.

I march through the front door, and over to the security desk. The employees give me a welcoming smile at first, but immediately see I'm not there for pleasantries. Their faces now look worried.

"What brings you in, Mr. Stark?" one of the women asks, trying to fake a polite smile.

I make a "gimme" motion with my fingers. "Delivery logs from this morning," I curtly request.

The woman awkwardly clears her throat, and slides across the clipboard in my direction.

I spin it around, and quickly scan over the entries. Several early morning deliveries from parcel carriers appear for various departments, but the name of a florist catches my eye.

8:58 am.

Pacifia Floral Arrangements

Drop off

Receiver: Pepper Potts

I glower at my findings, and then promptly shove the log back across the desk.

"Thank you," I mutter, and the woman nods as I pivot around toward the direction of the stairs. I then take two at a time up toward the reception area for Pepper's office and yank the door open once I reach it. Bambi, her secretary, instantly greets me.

"Mr. Stark! Hello! What can I do for you?" she immediately recites. But I hold up a hand and give her a polite smile, feeling her eyes follow me as I enter Pepper's office.

I swiftly open the door, and Pepper startles. She was standing in the middle of the room with her back to me, and she instantly spins around. "Jesus, Tony!" she hisses, clasping a hand to her chest.

"Sorry, Pep. I didn't mean to scare you," I say, rushing to her. She's got the card that came with the flowers in her hand. She hands it to me, and then watches me closely as I read it.

Last night was magical. I can't stop thinking about you.

The words are typed, and, predictably, there's no name. Seeing them in black and white sends a chill up my spine. I glance over at the entry table that sits just inside the door and, sure enough, there is a giant bouquet of red roses in a heavy glass vase. Must be 2 dozen, at least.

"What the fuck," I grunt, in disbelief.

"I know! I know! Bambi said they showed up bright and early!" Pepper reaffirms.

I nod in agreement. "The logs say 8:58 to be exact. Pacifia Floral Arrangements brought them," I report.

Pepper frowns and shakes her head. "Well, there's obviously been some mistake!" she says. "There has to have been! They delivered these to the wrong place!"

I furrow my brow. I really don't think this was a mistake, and honestly, I don't think Pepper does either, in her heart of hearts. But I know her well enough to know what she's doing right now. She's using the process of elimination in order to rule every possible explanation out. And I don't mind doing it, if it means not getting her worked up if it does, in fact, prove to be an honest mistake. So, I yank my phone out of my pocket and dial the number on the card before hitting the speaker button. Pepper watches my every move in silence, lips pursed, eyes wide.

We stare at the phone in silence as it starts to ring. A woman soon answers.

"Pacifia Floral? How many I help you?" we hear her say.

I go to speak, but Pepper immediately interjects. "Yes, hello? I'm calling from Stark Industries, and we received a delivery from you this morning that we believe to be a mistake," she says.

"Hmmmm, let me see," the woman says. We hear the clicking of keys on a computer keyboard in background. "What was the person's name it was delivered to?"

"Pepper Potts," I say. Pepper starts chewing her bottom lip. And I start praying they can't find it.

"Potts, you say?" the woman asks.

"Yes," Pepper replies.

"No, that's correct! The order was actually placed yesterday," she confirms. "In person," she adds.

Pepper audibly gasps, and I frown. "By who?" I ask pointedly.

"One moment," the woman says. It seems like it takes her a damn millennium to search for it, but finally she speaks again.

"Huh," she says.

"I'm sorry?" I say.

"There seems to be a...problem," she says.

"With?" I ask testily. Pepper and I exchange anxious looks.

"I can't find the name of the person who placed the order," she says.

"How is that possible?" Pepper asks. "Wouldn't you have a name from the credit card they used at least?"

"They paid cash for the order," the woman replies.

The gears in my mind start turning. "A description!" I blurt out. "What did they look like?" We both noticeably hold our breaths for the answer.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't in yesterday" she replies.

"So, who was?" I ask. "We need to speak to them."

"Uh, Carrie, it looks like," she responds. "And she'll be here tomorrow after 10 am." Pepper exhales in frustration and I grunt in annoyance. We hear more typing. "But...as for now," the woman mutters. "Yes!" she suddenly exclaims. "I do have an address for them!"

I snap my fingers, and pump my first once in the air. Perfect. Whoever it is, they're getting paid a visit. Immediately.

"I don't think I'm allowed to give you a house number, but I can tell you it's..." she pauses as we hear more keyboard clicking. "...on Malibu Point," she says.

I deflate and roll my eyes. Pepper just closes hers, and shakes her head. "Lemme guess," I say. "Is it...10880 Malibu Point?" I wryly suggest.

"Yes!" the woman answers brightly. "How did you know?"

Pepper and I look at each other in defeat. I shake my head. "Uh, yeah. That'll be all. Thanks for your help," I say.

The woman bids us good bye and I hang up. Then I throw my hands up in frustration.

Pepper is anxiously chewing her lip, and her chest is heaving. She looks shaken up, now, and it punches a hole right through me. I watch as she swallows hard. "It's that guy from last night, isn't it?" she finally admits, and I let out a long exhale. Damn it. I have no choice but to surrender to it because it's obvious now- wer'e dealing with a stalker.

My gut fills with foreboding dread chased with simmering rage as I reach this conclusion. This dude picked the wrong woman to mess with, and he clearly has no idea what's coming for him. But for now, I've gotta show some semblance of cool. So I purse my lips, and give her an affirming nod. "Yeah, I'm thinking it is," I reluctantly tell her, as I look her in the eyes. "But I promise you, Pep. This nonsense ends here. I'm gonna get this guy. Okay?"

She gives me a weak smile and a nod. "Okay, Tony," she murmurs, as she walks toward me. I nod back, and pull her into my arms, hugging her tightly. She hugs me back. "I hope so," she adds.