They'd worked their way through the next three ultrasound videos of the 12th, 14th, and 16th weeks of Pepper's pregnancy, with Tony becoming more enthralled with each one. Finally, they had come to the most recent one- the one for her 18th week, and the one where she learned what they were having. "This is where it gets interesting," she informed him.

Tony cocked an eyebrow at her. "It's already interesting, Potts. To say the least," he cooed, raising her hand to his lips to kiss the back of it.

"Hmmmm. Well, then. You'll just have to see what I mean exactly, now, won't you?" she told him knowingly, as they both turned their eyes back to the screen while FRIDAY loaded the final video. This time, though, instead of it being a grainy black and white image, it was sepia toned, and in much more vivid detail.

Tony's eyes widened, and he slowly took his feet off the coffee table. He sat straight up in his seat, once again mesmerized. Slowly, a wide grin spread across his lips.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the Potts-Stark children in 3-D," Pepper cooed teasingly, as she watched him.

Tony chuckled at her being melodramatic, but kept his eyes fixed on the screen. "Wow," he gasped, shaking his head back and forth in wonder. "You weren't kidding. Look at 'em! They're...they're..." he stammered.

"Amazing?" Pepper purred, running a loving hand over her stomach. But Tony scoffed.

"Pssh. No, they're better than amazing! These are our kids we're talking about, Pepper. They're...they're," he corrected, still struggling to find the words. He swallowed hard. "Really amazing," he finished, with a giggle coming from Pepper in response.

She sat forward in her seat as well, and wrapped her arms around one of his, laying her head on his shoulder. "I would have to agree, I think," she cooed in adoration.

Tony pulled his eyes from the screen to gaze into hers. Then he gave her an adoring smile, and went in for soft, lingering kiss. When it broke, they slowly opened their eyes and smiled at each other again. Tony dropped his eyes to her stomach, and laid a protective hand on it. Pepper watched him as he began to work his jaw in thought for a moment before he raised his eyes back up to meet her gaze again. Pepper studied his face, catching a glimmer of regret in his eyes mixed with that old familiar vulnerability she'd only been lucky enough to be privy to on very few occasions in the past. Pepper frowned in reply.

"Tony, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to upset..." she began.

Tony quickly offered a reassuring smile, and shook his head. "I'm not upset, Pep. God, no. Are you kidding? This is just..." he turned his eyes back to the image of their unborn children, his voice cutting out as he tried to find the words. But emotion filled his eyes, and his chin began to quiver before he could speak. "It's more than I could have ever hoped for, baby," he whispered. He turned his eyes back to Pepper and gave her a sheepish grin, shrugging. "That's all," he finished.

"Oh, Tony," Pepper cooed sympathetically, pulling him to her, and trying to fight off her own tears. "It's more than I ever hoped for, too!" she agreed softly in his ear.

Tony hugged her tightly, then pulled back to look at her curiously. "Really? You...you wanted this?" he asked hopefully.

Pepper smiled and shrugged. "I didn't know it at the time, but yes," she admitted. "After the initial shock of the news wore off, I realized it's...exactly what I wanted. I wanted a family, Tony. I wanted us to have a family. I just thought it was never going to happen, and the situation was never going to be right, and..."

Tony shrugged. "The situation still isn't perfect, Pep," he reminded her. "You...okay with that?" he asked, cautiously.

Pepper gave him a soft smile. "I don't think our situation will ever be perfect, Tony," she replied. "But I think I can accept that, now, actually."

Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What's changed?" he asked.

"Getting pregnant. And being alone," she admitted sheepishly. They both chuckled, but then Pepper looked deeply into his eyes. "I really was missing you, though. Pregnant or not. I just didn't know how to tell you. I didn't know how you'd take it."

Tony nodded in understanding, but then gave her his trademark smirk, and cocked an eyebrow. "So, tell me again how much you missed me? I don't think I quite caught it the first time," he joked, making an attempt to lighten the mood.

Pepper just giggled, and nodded, and then gave him a bit of a pouty smolder. "But you missed me just as much, though, right?" she teased.

Tony went straight-faced. "Nope! Not in the least," he dead-panned, trying hide a smile. Pepper scoffed, and smacked him on the shoulder. He flinched, but ignored her, as she was trying to look completely put out by his comment but failing miserably, and pretended to check his watch instead. "Yeah, and about that? I've gotta get home to the missus. She's probably wondering where I skee-daddled off to in such a hurry this morning. Or didn't I tell you? I got hitched while we were apart. We sent out engraved invitations to the wedding. What? You didn't get yours? That's a pity," he teased.

Pepper chuckled at him teasing her. "A wife, hmmmm? Already? Wow. You do work fast, Stark, having a girl on each coast," Pepper joked. "Tell me, what's Mrs. Stark's first name? Do I know her?"

"Uh, no. No, I don't think so," he answered, matter-of-fact. "Her name is..." he snapped his fingers, and furrowed his brow.

"That memorable, huh?" Pepper goaded. "Must be true love."

"I'll think of it in a second, just...Petunia! That's the one. It's Petunia!" he joked, trying to keep a straight face. "Mrs. Petunia Stark. The one and only."

Pepper spluttered in amusement, and then tried to regather her own composure, giving him an inquisitive look. "Petunia? Really? Hmmm," she teased back.

Tony nodded in the affirmative. "Yep. Good old Petunia," he joked, and then they both broke their already weakened facades and chuckled at each other.

"Pe-tunia?! Are you kidding me, Tony? That's the first woman's name that came to mind?" Pepper prodded.

He shrugged. "Hey, I like plant names, okay? Pepper. Petunia. I'm going for a botanically themed love life, alright? Don't judge," he teased.

Pepper just rolled her eyes, and smirked at him. Tony smiled at her in adoration before leaning in for a kiss, capturing her mouth soundly with his. And Pepper let him, loving the feeling of his lips on hers, and the fluttery butterflies in her stomach that had happily returned with it.

After a moment, Tony slowly broke the kiss, and moaned in approval. "Still can't get enough of that," he murmured softly. Pepper just smiled, and bashfully bit her lips together.

Tony studied her face fondly for a moment, a bit lost in thought, before coming back to the present and speaking again. "Come here. Come with me," he said, standing up, and holding out his hand to her.

Pepper looked curiously up at him. "What? What are we..."

"Just come on. Follow my lead, Potts," he urged.

Pepper stood, and Tony lead her around the coffee table to the space between it and the tv screen. Then he pulled her into his arms, and Pepper smiled knowingly at the realization of what he was doing. Tony saw that she recognized this move, and he smiled at her before raising his eyes ceiling-ward.

"Hey, Friday? Freeze the video where we're at. The Mini's make for a pretty great backdrop," he commanded.

"Certainly, Sir," FRIDAY responded. "And shall I start the music you'd requested earlier, as well?"

Tony brought his eyes back to Pepper, and smirked at her. Pepper chuckled and gave him a knowing smile back.

"Well, it seems it's as good a time as any, huh?" he joked. Just then, a soft, lazy piano riff echoed out over the sound system, and they began to sway.

"Uh-oh. Look who's up to his old tricks," Pepper cooed.

"Yeah, it's an oldie, but a goody," Tony answered. "Incidentally, is it working?"

Pepper chuckled, and leaned in to rest the side of her head against his. Tony pulled her closer to him with the arm he had at her waist, and brought the hand he held in his to his chest.

"Like a charm," she purred softly in his ear, to which Tony smiled proudly to himself.

They swayed back and forth together for a few tender moments as the first few bars of the melody began.

"...It's not the pale moon that excites me. That thrills and delights me. Oh, no. It's just the nearness of you. It's isn't your sweet conversation that brings this sensation. Oh, no. It's just the nearness of you.

When you're in my arms.
And I feel you so close to me.

All my wildest dreams come true.

I need no soft lights to enchant me. If you'll only grant me the right to hold you ever so tight. And to feel in the night the nearness of you..."

Pepper smiled, and Tony smiled knowingly back. "Did I pick a good one?" he murmured.

She nodded. "You did," she replied. "I love this song."

"I know," he said. "You really are a hopeless romantic, Potts."

"True. But I'm not the one who picked the song, or decided we should dance to it," she retorted, with a smirk.

"Well, I did promise you some entertainment, did I not? Though you topped what I had planned. In spades," Tony said, turning his gaze to the tv screen to admire their babies once more. He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Little girl looks like you," he said.

Pepper turned her head to look at the screen, too. She furrowed her brow, and squinted, trying to see what he was seeing. "Really? You think so?" she asked.

Tony nodded. "Yep. Same nose, same lips," he replied. "She's gonna be beautiful. No doubt about it."

Pepper turned her eyes back to his, and Tony smiled at her lovingly. Then she turned her gaze to the image again. "And Junior, there? See anything familiar with him?" she asked.

This time Tony squinted at the screen, and then recoiled. He looked at her with alarm. "The mailman?!" he chirped, and Pepper promptly smacked his shoulder. He flinched and laughed at her, and Pepper rolled her eyes and gave him a smirk, shaking her head.

"Seriously, Tony! You don't see any similarities to you in that face?" she asked, nodding at the screen.

Tony turned his attention back to it as well, and worked his jaw for a moment before he shrugged and answered. "Yeah, I 'spose. Why? What do you see?" he asked.

"The same shape of the eyes, for one," she said fondly. "But over all? I think we're looking at a virtual Tony-clone."

Tony gave her a smirk, and cocked an eyebrow. "Then get ready, Pep. We'll be beating the girls off with a stick," he quipped.

Pepper chuckled. "Ah, never an opportunity missed to tout those rugged Stark features of yours," she replied.

"Hey, you brought it up. And I'm not touting anything. It's just fact. We'll have to bump up security once he turns 13, mark my words," he joked back, and Pepper giggled again. "Same thing happened when I was 13. Drove mom and pop nuts, girls calling or ringing the bell every five minutes."

"Somehow, I think they were driven crazy by you by other means," Pepper retorted.

Tony chuckled at her jabbing him, and then gazed at her lovingly for a long moment. "You know, they liked to do this, too. Dance together, I mean," he said, his voice wistful in reminiscence as he pulled Pepper closer to him.

"They did?" she asked, with a soft smile.

Tony nodded. "Yep. Where do you think I got it from? Pop loved pulling Ma in for a little spontaneous rug-cutting."

"It's certainly romantic, I'll give it that," Pepper cooed, wrapping both of her arms around his neck, and smiling at him.

"What can I say? I learned from the best," Tony replied, now wrapping both of his arms around her waist and holding her close. "Pop could be pretty romantic when he wanted to be. Maybe that's part of the reason why they both stuck it out for so long. He made a lot of mistakes, that's no secret. But..." Tony's voice trailed off, as he got lost in thought for a moment, feeling a bit of deja vu from the conversation he and Steve had had about this very subject, before bringing his eyes back to Pepper, who was looking at him expectantly.

"But?" she urged softly.

"But..." Tony began. He teeter-tottered his head from side to side. "But Ma, she...always forgave him. Because deep down, she really loved the guy. You know?" he said, looking into Pepper's eyes intently.

Pepper studied his face, and then slowly began to nod her head as she came to understand the meaning behind his words. "I do," she murmured.

A long, silence passed between them as they both gazed at each other intently, processing what had been said, until Tony cracked a smile and ran his eyes down Pepper's body to her stomach. "Another kick? Or was that a hiccup?" he asked, with an impish smirk.

Pepper relaxed, and smiled back at him. "That was a kick, I believe. And another party heard from. Looks like Junior's come out of his food coma," she informed him. They both chuckled. Tony pulled Pepper back to him from around the waist. He put her hand in his again and brought it back to his chest, and they began to sway again.

"By the way? I'm thoroughly enjoying your choice of attire at the moment," he said, his eyes scanning her body once more, which was clad in his dress shirt from earlier.

Pepper blushed, and gave him a knowing smirk. "I thought you might," she said. "Though pretty soon it may be more of a necessity than anything. I could easily be squeezing out of the largest size in maternity wear in the near future. I may have no choice but to borrow your clothes."

"Fine by me. If the only two options for you are to wear this or walk around naked, I'm sure we'll make due," he joked, and Pepper laughed at him. "But seriously, though. You know I love it when you borrow my stuff, Pep."

She smiled. "I'm glad. And very grateful, I might add. Especially when the time comes that I can barely fit through the door way."

"You're sexy as hell now, and you'll be even sexier then," he assured her. "Besides, you could wear a brown paper bag, and still be stunning. End of discussion."

She blushed at his gushing over her, and raised her lips to his to give him an appreciative kiss. But she found, in that moment, that her perpetually hormonal state suddenly ignited her desire and she deepened the kiss. Tony let out a surprised moan in reply, as his eyebrows shot up, and he went along deepening the kiss himself in response. Pepper then curled herself around him, and pulled him further into her embrace.

Tony ran his hands down her body and around to her behind, gripping it tightly with both hands and give her a playful yank further into him. Pepper squeaked in surprise, then giggled and cooed in approval, momentarily breaking the kiss.

"Talking about brown paper bags gets you hot, huh?" Tony joked just before Pepper crashed their lips back together.

After a moment, she broke the kiss and chuckled. "Just shut up and get those pants off, Stark," she ordered breathlessly, her eyes filled with smokey arousal.

"God, I thought you'd never ask. Paper bags do it for me, too," he teased, and Pepper giggled once more before Tony crashed their lips back together and the moment continued heating up between them.

Hello, there! It's the rare post-chapter author's note this time! LOL! And Uh-oh. I see another fluffy, smutty scene on the horizon! ;)

Before I go, I'd just thought I'd mention- If you wanna know what the song I quoted is, it's "The Nearness of You". And I listened to it on loop while writing this chapter, particularly the version sung by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. SO good. It's very romantic and classic, and just so warm and fuzzy. Perfect for these two, in my opinion, because they are all of those things put together and then some (or, at least WERE. But I digress...) Let me know what you think if you check it out! I'd love to know. :D Thank you as always for your support! It means the world! :D