Pepper looked at the expanse of the Pacific. It had been three years since she was able to appreciate this view. It's also been a while since she had this kind of peacefulness and calmness in her. She decided to go to Malibu a little early than their agreed time to have enough time for some very much needed activities- relax on the beach coast, breathe a little California air, and watch the setting of the sun she missed so much. She's been anxious to say the least in coming back to Malibu. The reason being she can't help but feel the pang in her heart whenever she remembered all their beautiful memories and how she just gave everything up.

"Hey," she suddenly said while looking at the horizon. She found a perfect place by the rock, quietly pondering on how the next hours of her life will go. She's been practicing what to say and how she will talk to her one and only ex-boyfriend- who may or may not be mad at her or may still be inlove with her. She really can't tell. But ofcourse, the latter is what she was hoping for.

"How are you?" She said blankly. "You look good." "Have you been working out? Or doing some crunches?" She sighed. How can she manage to appear as casual or as professional as she envisioned if the mere thought of talking to him makes her insides go crazy.

She should think of ways on how she won't melt at the sight of him, how she won't let her feelings take over. If she wants another emotion to win over, she just needs to think of that fateful night when she saw him with that slut. She knew very well who that slut was, and how she was hopelessly going after her boyfriend. Damn that freaking reporter. Well, she got what she wanted. She destroyed our relationship. I fled, and very much out of the picture. She frowned. Of all the things that happened, ending their relationship and going as far away as possible were all just her decisions. Definitely not Tony's. She could still remember how Tony pleaded, how he begged for her to not leave. Ofcourse, she stood her ground, blinded by all the hurt.

"Well, Pepper past is past. You have to focus on the now." She got up, feeling a little confident. 'It's time.'

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"Dummy! What the hell!" He yelled. He's been in a not so good mood all day that he's been lashing it all out on his poor bots.

"What did you do?!" He bawled out to Dummy who is looking every inch contrite. He's been working hard on his biggest project to date. Mainly because he's on a deadline and definitely due to the fact that in less than an hour, his ex-girlfriend would be coming over. He just needed the distraction, he needed something to occupy his mind to not let himself cancel at the last minute.

"Jarvis! Time." He barked.

"It's already 06:35 pm Sir. In less than..."

"Yeah right. I know Jarvis. That Ms. Potts will be here any minute. Bla bla bla." He said while waving his hand dismissively.

"Sir, might I suggest that you clean up." The AI continued on despite being interrupted rudely by his creator. He still needs to insist what he thinks, or rather, what he's programmed to do about his master's general well-being. Jarvis knows very well how important this meeting is to his master that he won't allow him to just ignore it. Besides, if the AI is being honest with his binary coded self, he's also delighted that he'll be able to see Ms. Potts in the mansion. Even the bots are whirring and circling around the workshop to express their excitement. That's why Dummy knocked out something in the process, pissing the already pissed off Tony Stark.

"What difference will it make J?" He said. He can't think of a reason why Pepper suddenly wanted to meet up with him without having to put his hopes up in terms of their relationship. Maybe this. What if that. Or it should be this. His mind feels like exploding because of the many possibilities he could think of.

"Sir, it would be proper to receive a guest without grease on your face, your shirt or your hands." The AI wants to emphasize that whoever the guest is, whether it's a former lover or just a plain delivery guy, it's just right to clean up a little to make himself presentable. But Jarvis thought better, and just let that part undelivered.

"Whatever." Tony knows his AI is right. Even he could smell himself and is a little bothered by all the grease in his body. Well, he could atleast make himself presentable as his AI put it. "Just let me know if she's arrived. I'm gonna take a shower."

"Ofcourse Sir." Jarvis quietly replied. He already ordered dinner and requested for one of their staffs to arrange it on the dining room without his master's permission. He knows his master would want him to do it, but still he's a man of such enormous pride and ego that he won't admit to himself, more so to his AI that he would want to prepare something for her. He search in the vast internet how to deal with this kind of situation but he could not find a single solution. As one of the article puts it- Getting back together is one thing and accepting that everything is in the past is another. Guess the AI can't really do something about this. He wants to sigh but ofcourse he's just a bunch of codes, so he settled with just flicking all the lights in the mansion.

"Jarvis?!"

"It's nothing, Sir. You can proceed with your shower." The AI just hopes everything ends well.

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Pepper drove quietly, looking at the familiar fronds and landcape in the road to the mansion. It feels weird to go back in a place she'd been so familiar with for years, and then realizing how she missed taking this path. She knows every detail, every design made for this one heck of a pathway to the mansion, sadly because she was the one who planned it all. She could still remember how excited Tony was in building the place. He even called it their 'love nest' much to her father's disgust as he's not keen on letting his one and only daughter move in with a guy.

"He didn't like Tony, but he almost forced me to marry him." She shook her head, a little amused by that fact. She stopped in front of the main door, she's been arguing with herself if she will just leave the car outside or she would park in the garage.

"Pepper, it's not like your living here," she chided herself and motioned to get out of the car. "This is it." She took her things and proceeded with the door.

"Good evening, Ms. Potts. It's nice to finally see you again. You look rather beautiful, I might add." Jarvis's voice welcomed her. The door opened and she hesistantly stepped inside.

"Well, thank you Jarvis." She took in a deep breath and looked around the house. It's still the same. The furnitures she chose, the paintings she hung, all the little detailed she carefully thought of for the interior designs, are still all there. Nothing's changed. She closed her eyes. It was all too much to take in right now. She's been trying too hard to forget him, and here she was, desperately trying to get a grip, to not loose it all, just because the house is still the same as she left it. That he never made a conscious effort to remove everything that could make him remember her.

Tony quietly made his way to her. She was standing in the middle of the room, with her back to him. He could see how still she was. He decided to make his presence known by clearing his throat. Pepper was slightly startled by his appearance, that she abruptly turned around only to lose her balance and fall off to him.

"Uh oh." She heard Tony muffled before they crashed in the floor, and she, falling on top of him. He was taken aback by the sudden collision, and before he could realize how compromising their position is, he was captivated by her eyes. The same blue eyes that never ceases to amaze him. It's as if the time has slowed for them, and only they exist in the world.

"Mr. Stark, the food is ready." Jarvis snapped them out of their little intent staring game. Pepper stood up as abruptly as she fell, when she saw how she was positioned on top of him.

"I'm sorry," she said while collecting her things on the floor. Tony just stood up and still stared at her gravely. She can't tell what's going on inside that big head of his, and when he flashed her that grin he used for show, for the press or for the appearances he made for Stark Industries, she decided to just play it cool too.

"Ms. Potts." He said smugly. He extended a hand as if he wants to make it more awkward with a handshake. She took it and returned the smile. She uses her best Mona Lisa smile and shakes his hand gently.

"Mr. Stark."

"To whom or to what do I owe this pleasure Ms. Potts," he said. He's surprised at how casual his voice was. She, too, held her cool and got in to business.

"I need to discuss with you some proposals regarding our family's long and standing business relationship," she said without even blinking. She saw a hint of disappointment on his face but it was so brief she might just be imagining.

'Business relationship' he thought. He was not able to hide his disappointment but he easily recovered and studied her for a moment, carefully processing what to do next. 'So much for getting back together, Tony,' he scolded himself mentally. And then he remembered something about Jarvis telling them about some food he didn't know existed. He looked up at the ceiling, thinking he'll just deal with his traitor AI later.

"I see, can we bring this to the dining area," he asked, trying not to cringe at how fake he feels at the moment. 'And the best actor award goes to...' He'll decide later if he really deserves such an award.

"Yes, ofcourse," she said and followed him, carefully slowing down as to not walk beside him. She felt as though her head could explode any moment now due to all these pretensions.

Tony stopped dead on his tracks, not believing the sight in front of him. He blinked hard and looked around dumbly. The dining room looks polished, this does not surprise him as it's been rarely used since she left, but what caught him off guard are the many flowers that adorned the room, the perfectly arranged cutlery as if some professional did the work, the candles in the middle of the table and the single white rose at the edge as if waiting to be picked up. He noted two bottles of wine in the bucket of ice and the dishes served look exactly like Pepper's favorite meals in that restaurant they always dined in before. He's too stunned to react, he looked behind him only to see a much more stunned Pepper Potts.

"I, uh, ahm." He stammered. What can he really say?

"Wow," was all Pepper could utter. She already imagined every single awkward scenario there is, that could happen on this fateful meeting but NOT this one- a perfectly romantic dinner set-up. Tony Stark? He would prepare something like this?

"Jarvis!" He yelled, hoping Pepper would take the hint that it was his AI's doing. To his luck, silence answered him. 'Damn it, Jarvis.' He could just shrug as if they are just eating some cereals from his cabinet or he could just pretend to plan it all, give her his best puppy dog eyes and ask for another chance. Well, ofcourse it's easier said than done. 'Think Tony.'

"Uhm. Let's just eat?" He casually asked, clearly choosing the former.

"Yeah," she said with a frown. Out of all the things Tony Stark would never do for his ex-this should top the list. How come he would do this given how she broke his heart, and crushed his ego. 'Maybe he still loves you, Pepper.' She mentally slapped her head and motioned for the chair.

They sat opposite each other. Both a little too uncomfortable with the romantic set-up. Tony is trying hard to ignore the very awkward, tension-filled atmosphere. 'I would really fry Jarvis' mainframe later,' he thought bitterly. 'Damn, AI.'

While he was silently cursing to himself, Pepper was busy examining the food. It just occured to her that all the dishes were her favorites- Grilled Vegetable and Golden Quinoa Salad, Oven Roasted Chicken Roulade and Stuffed Roasted Anaheim Chili Pepper. Plus Tony's favorite which is Geoffrey's Surf n' Turf. They have always loved dining in Geoffrey's before. They loved it there since it's oceanside, the view is perfect plus the dishes are well-prepared. She just can't believe that Tony would think of ordering the meals they loved just for this meet-up.

They tried to eat silently, as if the other does not exist. They'd been avoiding eye contact, looking elsewhere and not at each other.

Pepper decided to just get on with it, and see where it will take them. "Ehem." She pretended clearing her throat, and tried to look him in the eyes. "Tony." She stares at him intently, silently wishing that all goes well with her plan.

"Yes, Pepper?" He matched her stare, looking as if he's been waiting for her to finally break the silence. He tapped absentmindedly in the table and tilted his head a bit trying to appear casual.

"As you may already know," she started a bit unsure, looked down on the table, held her breath and looked him in the eyes, "we're in some kind of a crisis, and the best possible way is for us to combine our assets. And I mean you know the deal." She inhaled and retrieved the paper inside her bag.

She handed him the papers and he took it albeit reluctantly. He studied her for a minute and proceeded with reading or rather scanning the papers. Pepper watched as Tony read through the proposal she made, she could see how creased his brows are. She waited patiently, wishing she does not need to explain more to him than what is written.

He wondered if Pepper forgot the fact that he's not really keen on reading papers that does not involve mechanics and technology. He tried to scan as thoroughly as possible but still, he can't grasp every word, every statement he read. It's a proposal with a legalized contract. He frowned upon reading the texts.

"You mean, you're agreeing to marry me?" He paused and frowned a bit more. He swears he could feel his face wrinkling. "But just temporary?" He's waiting for her to supply the necessary information his brain cannot comprehend at the moment. 'What the fuck is this?' He really wanted to yell at her and throw the papers.

"Yes," was her only reply. He looked at her, gesturing for her to explain more.

She sighed. 'Well, so much for having to prepare a detailed contract.'

"Tony, everything's written there.."

"I know everything's written here, but what I'm trying to comprehend is why we are doing this?" He said while she was still speaking.

"I told you we are doing this for the benefit..."

"For the benefit of all that is holy.. bla bla bla. Pepper. Stop sounding like my dad." He said, irritation obvious in his tone. "I know this is for business, whatsoever," he suddenly stood up, unable to hide his anger. "You know for a fact that I could not care less about this damn business! And neither do I care about the money!"

Pepper was shocked at his sudden outburst. Another scenario to add up to her list of not what-I-imagined-sort-of-scenes-when-meeting-up-with-your-ex. She breathe in, trying to calm her nerves. "Tony, I know," she said.

"So what the fuck, Pepper?!" He said while running his fingers roughly through his hair.

"I just need your help," she said quietly. Tony was taken aback by her honesty. He knows he would do everything to help her, he would do it for her. But what really ticked him off is what was stated in the contract and the fact that they need a contract for this marriage to push through.

He exhaled heavily. With a much calmer nerves he said, "You want us to get married, within a time frame that is to be specified depending on what? Inflation rates? Stock market? Really,Pepper?" He said incredulously.

"Tony, I will help you run Stark Industries so that we could gain whatever money the bank needs to get going and stabilize the business. And then will get a divorce." It's just that. Plain and simple. They will be husband and wife for a duration of time that only the flow of money could tell.

"This is absurd," he said while throwing the papers in the table.

"Tony, we have to do this.." She's panicking inside."It's the only way.. SI will not be monopolized by other investors as well as the bank won't suffer bankruptcy. You know very well Uncle Howard won't agree to help Dad, if he won't benefit." She said almost close to begging.

'Yeah, right. The Great Howard Stark only cares about himself and his company.' He knew Pepper's right. His father will not lend a great amount of money, compromise his main share in SI just to help a friend. He could see how desperate she was, looking at him with those sad blue eyes. He suddenly remembered how the tables had been turned. He used to be the one with the desperate look and pleading eyes.

"Fine," he decided suddenly. Pepper appeared surprised but kept herself together. "I'll agree, Pepper."

She stood up and walked towards him. "Thank you. I promise I won't meddle with what you want to do, I mean, whatever you want to do.." she stuttered at where her thoughts led her. True, she will not stop him from still living the bachelor's life as long as he keeps his 'activities' as discreet as possible, even if it kills her. After all, she would benefit more than him as he made it clear he does not care about business. She wanted to say that he knows too that they felt the same way, that she only cares about her father's well-being.

"But we will do it my way," he said gravely. This caught Pepper off guard.

"What do you mean?" She asked suddenly wanting to cancel their deal, plus knowing Tony, he will not go through every condition she stated in the contract. He gets the gist, then he's done reading it.

He looked every inch the man who wants to aim for his kill. She could see there's that glint of something in his eyes she can't quite explain but it brought some chill to her spine. Is she afraid of Tony Stark?

"We will do it my way," he repeated, this time he flashed her that smug smile he knows she hates and love. "I'll decide on how we'll tell them, I'll decide on how are wedding will be like, how grandiose it will be."

"But..Tony. I mean, don't you think a grand wedding would just..."

"We're children of billionaires Pepper. Don't you think that a grand wedding," he teased, "would just fit us perfectly."

"I know, but.."

"No buts. We have to make appearances on public so they could see us getting back together. Right? This is your plan right? Make it appear as if we're not forced to get married, save us both the humiliation?" He sarcastically said. He obviously loathed how he's being manipulated to do something, so he will up the ante by playing along.

"Yes. I know." She sighed heavily. "Dad, does not need to know that we're getting married for the wrong reasons," he frowned and she saw it, "I mean, I told him that we're kind of getting back together."

"Brilliant Potts, as always." He mockingly praised her. "Now, as I will be the doting fiance and soon to be husband, can I get what I could benefit from this?" Then he walked towards her, smirking his ass up, grabbed her by the waist, and looked her intently in the eyes.

"Tony..." She looks afraid of him. She starts to panick, not knowing what to do.

"This is just the first of the many things I want to do." He whispered in her ears that sent shivers down her body. She gasped when he felt his hot breath on her neck.

"Tony.." she felt helpless, as though all the energy in her got sucked up, that everything is too much to take in. His scent suddenly filled all her senses.

"Pepper," he uttered. The next thing she knew is he's kissing her feverishly. She coud feel his thumbs wander across her waist and settle in her hips. 'No, this is not right,' her mind is screaming, alarms are going off like crazy but still she did not stop him from attacking her lips-that anytime now, would be as swollen as she had an allegry attack.

"Hmmmm." She heard him moan when he proceeded with her neck and sucked at the throbbing pulse point. She withdrew her breath, her legs felt like giving up and suddenly, she felt as if she's been poured over by some cold water. She pushed him away just enough to stop him but not so hard to make him tumble. He stopped. 'Thank God.' She's not sure if she'll be able to stop him if things will progress a bit more.

She tried to catch her breath. Keeping in mind to get some distance between them.

"I have to go," she said blankly and then leaped out of the house.