I've been getting a lot of positive feedback from my first story so I thought I'd post another. Thanks for all of your kind words, and I hope you like this one as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

Two blue lines. 10 years of dealing with the alcoholism, the womanizing, the kidnapping, Iron Man, all of it- strangely enough nothing had ever seemed so terrifying as telling Tony Stark that she was pregnant with his child. Inside she was ecstatic. But deep down- fear. Tony and a baby? No way. He had barely pulled his life together enough to be with her, and he was still as chaotic and immature as ever. Endearing sure, but stressful nonetheless. Not to mention their recent, "I just don't think children will ever be a good idea" conversation. You would have thought it would have been her with the reservations as it pertained to the dangers of Iron Man, but alas it was Tony who voiced his fears adamantly.

The subject had really come up accidentally as a result of a movie they were watching. It was one thing to put her life at risk being associated with Iron Man, it was another to put a child in danger as well. "Actually, Pepper, I dunno," he had said. "With Iron Man and everything, do you really think it's such a good idea?"

She frowned. "What do you mean? Are you saying as long as you're Iron Man we could never have kids?"

"It's dangerous. And let's be realistic- they'd be the first target for anyone who wanted to get to me."

"Wouldn't that mean that right now I'm the target?"

"I guess so. Once everyone finds out, yes, you probably will be. You're not afraid?"

She spoke softly. "I didn't say that. But I trust you, Tony, and I know that you'd be there if anything happened. You can't scare me away. Tony, I know you well enough to know that you protect the people you love. Why would that be any different if it were our kids?"

"I dunno…it just is."

She shuddered at the thought, remembering how adamant he'd been about keeping her safe and preventing his new superhero lifestyle from negatively impacting anyone else. She knew she had to tell him, but how? She paced around her apartment (he still hadn't managed to convince her to move in with him), trying to find the words. "Oh sure, I'll just walk up to him all, 'Hey hun. I know we've been careful and I know you didn't want this but surprise! You're going to be a daddy!' Oh yes, that would go well." Her cat Leo looked up at her in confusion and she sat down on the carpet to pet him, leaning back against the side of the couch.

She finally decided to do it indirectly, with a note of sorts. She knew it was a cop out, but she was so nervous that she couldn't face him. Luckily he'd been away on several missions lately ('luckily'- she never thought she'd ever think such a thing about his missions) so he hadn't been around her enough to notice her acting strangely.

He woke up one morning to find a card on his bedside table. He was wrapped around Pepper cozily, and as he turned around to turn the alarm off, he noticed it. A plain white envelop with his name written on it in the perfect penmanship he would recognize anywhere.

Managing to pry his arms and legs free from his sleeping companion, he sat up against the headboard and opened the card, removing it from its envelop.

'Aww, that's sweet, Pepper,' he thought to himself, smiling as he read the outside of the card.

The quiet rustle of paper as he opened the card had woken Pepper, who had always been a light sleeper after years of 3am phone calls from her eccentric employer, though Tony didn't noticed. She watched as his softly spoken "Happy Father's Day? What the…?" slowly turned into an expression of acknowledgement, then one that she couldn't read at all.

"Pepper…" he said quietly as he looked down at her.

The smile that had graced her face from ear to ear fell and she took his lack of expression or response as something quite the opposite of happiness.

"I thought this would be a good a way as any to tell you," she stumbled. "And the timing was appropriate, though I guess Father's Day is technically next week but…"

He cut her off placing two fingers on her lips.

"I love you," he said simply, an enormous grin spreading across his face.

"Oh. So you're not unhappy? This is good?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, I thought it was but I know what you said about not wanting to have kids. And I know we've tried to be careful so I thought you might be upset."

As he saw the underlying hurt in her eyes, he felt a lump build in his throat. What he had said to her just a few weeks ago must have affected her much more than he thought. Sure it would be dangerous, but she was right- so was their life now. And damn, a baby. If he was honest with himself, there could be nothing that would bring him more joy than Pepper having his baby. Their baby. Secretly, he already wished it was a girl; a beautiful little girl, the spitting image of her mother.

He let himself fall back against the headboard with a sigh. "I wish I could properly express to you just how happy I am," he breathed as he pulled her up to lay against his side.

"Fuck what I said, Pepper."

She grimaced at his language, but snuggled closer to him nonetheless.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "But I swear to you, Pepper. No one will ever touch you. Or our children. I swear on my parents' graves that I will always be there to protect you. Iron Man or no Iron Man, your safety will always be my first priority, Pepper."

She smiled at him, leaning up to kiss him softly.

"I love you, Tony."

"I love you too, Pepper." Then he leaned down next to her pulling her shirt up reverently. "And I love you too, baby."