FIRST OFF: I'm not a big fan of Pepper in the Iron Man comics. So, none of this will make sense if you're trying to fit it into the comic's stories. It won't work. I don't like Pepper and Happy together. Sorry. I just don't. Now. Things you have to assume before you read this: The first one is that Pepper is almost 35 in the second Iron Man movie. The second is that she began working for Stark Industries as soon as she graduated from college. The third is that, like she said in the second movie, she'd been working for Tony for 10 years. The fourth is that she doesn't go by her nickname 'Pepper' … At least not in the beginning.

Tony Stark didn't fall in love very often. In fact, he only believed he'd actually only been in love once. And that was back in 1990 when he was in college. But that's a different story. For Tony, falling in love wasn't something that just happened, like love at first sight. It had to go through certain steps. The steps were different for every girl, so it's not like Tony could decide 'I'm going to fall in love with this girl today by following the steps.' But if he didn't follow the steps, it simply didn't work for him. And these steps took time—something Tony didn't have a lot of. But when he really did fall in love, he fell hard.

Step 1: Boss—Employee's employee

"So your job is to conduct and evaluate interviews. You will turn your notes in to me and I will take care of the rest. Simple job, really." Ted, the man Virginia would now be working for, concluded. "Any questions?"

Twenty-two year old Virginia shook her head. "No, sir."

He smiled. "Well then, welcome to Stark Industries, Ms. Potts. And no 'sir' or 'Mr. Boutin,' you can call me Ted."

"Then you can call me Virginia." she smiled at him and he finished showing her around.

Virginia caught on to the job quickly. After only a few months she was well known around many of the departments, not just 'Employment Management.' Besides the fact that Virginia was highly efficient and did very well at her job, she was also an extremely attractive woman in her early twenties. It also didn't take long for Ted to be calling her to fill in for him when he couldn't make it to work instead of one of the employees that had been there for years.

That morning, for example, Virginia woke up to her phone ringing. "Hello?" she asked.

"Hey Virginia, it's Ted. My youngest grandson caught the flu earlier this week and gave it to me. Is there anyway you could fill in for me today?" he asked.

"Of course. I'll just sort the notes into folders by what department they're applying for and—"

Ted cut her off. "I have a meeting with Mr. Stark today to go over the interviews and assessments for the past week. I have my notes written out but they're not organized at all; they're just sitting on my desk."

"I can fix that. What time is your meeting?" Virginia asked.

"Three." He replied. Virginia assured him that she would take care of it and he thanked her. As Virginia hung up the phone, she knew she was in for a looooooong day. When she got there she immediately went to Ted's desk and began sorting, typing, and organizing. By three she was barely finished and heard a knock on the door.

'At least he's on time.' Virginia thought. She'd heard stories about Mr. Stark, but had never actually met him. One of the things she'd heard was that he was infamous for living on his own schedule and his own time, meaning he was late. A lot.

"Is Ted Boutin here?" he asked.

Virginia glanced up. He was mildly attractive. She couldn't completely understand why girls threw themselves at him, but he was cute. "Ted is home with the flu today. I have his assessments here, though." She handed him the small filing folder.

"And you are?" he asked.

"Virginia Potts." She replied.

He smiled at her and she understood a little bit more why women fell in love with him so easily. "Well thank you." He replied, flipping through the pages before closing the folder. He looked up at Virginia expectantly.

She looked at him, confused. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?"

He smiled. "Yes, that will be all, Miss Potts." And he left.