When Happy drops them at the mansion, when they're in the safety of soundproof glass and one way windows, Pepper's stoic façade starts to crack. Tony is staring blankly, not quite recognizing the place he's in. He remembers it, knows it's his house but he's been gone so long, too long.

He's concerned to see a suitcase, stacks of books, pillows and blankets on his couch. All so neatly organized that it could only be Pepper's.

He turns to her suddenly.

"Have you been sleeping on my couch?"

She looks down, wringing her hands as she wills herself not to cry.

"I knew that you'd try to contact Jarvis. And someone needed to look after the mansion, just in case..."

She hates that her voice cracks. She hates that she can't look him in the eye. Can't touch him, hold him, squeeze him and tell him how much he scared her.

He reaches up suddenly, strong fingers tilting her chin up. The first tear falls.

"Hey," he whispers softly. "I'm okay." He takes one of her hands in his, guiding it to his cheek and then his hair. He lets her run delicate fingers through it and it doesn't take long before the other hand joins in, glancing over his shoulders and arms, looking for any signs of distress.

Tony doesn't usually do touching but he needs this as much as she does. He needs to know he's needed, wanted, missed. He needs to know he came back for something other than his old life.

It's to his great surprise that instead of comforting her, he's actually managed to make her cry. The tears are streaming freely now and the sniffles are small but frequent. Her fingers are back in his hair, clenching and unclenching and she's trying her best to look anywhere but at him.

Before the thought even registers, his arms are wrapped around Pepper, holding her close, holding her steady. She buries her face in his neck and shakes her head.

"I was so scared. They said you were..." Pepper can't bring herself to finish the sentence. She'd never believed them anyway and so she'd waited.

"If I'd known getting kidnapped was all it took go get you to move in..."

"That isn't funny Mr. Stark." Tony thinks it is, if only because he kind of means it. Granted, he could have done without the shrapnel in his chest, and without the death and explosions and the general unpleasantness, but for the most part, he means it.