Undefeated

He steered her into the back of the limo, and Happy pulled smoothly out of the lot. Tony grimaced a little when a few media stragglers saw them get into the car, since it had been a fairly longstanding joke amongst reporters, he knew, that if a girl got into the back of a limo with him. . . well, to put it politely, they would always say that after achiving that stage of things, his record was unbroken.

Except for Pepper, that was true, actually. . .

But he didn't want to think about his past now, because his present was looking at him like she was going to put his future in grave doubt.

"Once, just once, you couldn't read from the damn cards?"

Deflect. "Whoa, wait, Pepper, did you just swear?"

She was having none of it. "Tony, do you realize what that performance is going to do? The rumors that are going to start - and you totally stole the spotlight from the people who earned it tonight."

"Oh no, Pep, I helped them. Do you know how many more people are going to see that movie now, just because you and I were standing there when it won?"

She blinked, and spluttered a little.

"B-but, you. . . why, Tony, why?"

He slid closer to her, and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It isn't your job to know all the rumors that go around about me - though you generally do anyway - but lately you've been really busy with. . . other things. . . and I've had to keep up for myself, and. . ."

"And?"

Was that humor he saw behind her eyes?

"Well. . ."

Her jaw set tightly. "Yes?"

Nope, she was still furious.

"I'm not going to tell you all the things they're saying, but I wanted to preempt some things. . . some things that we both don't want getting around." He saw her angry facade break just a little. "You know that starting your own round of "exclusive" stories gives you some control - that's what we did with Obi, and when I shot my mouth off about Iron Man, and what we did about Ivan at the Expo - and please don't say I should have warned you, because you'd never have agreed." She chewed the inside of her lip and glanced sideways at him. "All that's going to happen now is the rumor mill will start saying I'm sweet on you, and now that you're not my personal assistant, you've become my naughty-secret-slave-girl-baby-momma." She rolled her eyes. "Or something like that - and you've dealt with that before." She closed her eyes and sighed a little. "Besides - Jake wanted to get some footage of you in that dress. . ."

He broke off when she gave a loud guffaw and stated laughing outright.

"You. . . you and Jake. . . were so funny. . ." she paused for breath, "I just wish you'd warn me about these things Tony - I - I . . ." she laughed some more and then sobered, "I might say yes, you know."

"Really?" he lowered his voice, "Because you've never told me yes yet. . ."

"Tony. . ." and all at once the mood changed dramatically.

They didn't speak for a minute. During the silence, Happy pulled up at a nice restaurant downtown. She looked out of the window, confused.

"Wh-what?"

"Surprise." He got up and handed her out of the car, to the private entrance to his favorite Italian place. . . actually he owned the property, and they kept a special private dining room just for him. All of which Pepper knew, but he'd never taken her here before. . .

"Tony?" she turned to him just before going inside.

Happy had driven off, and the night air was chilly, but not too breezy. She looked cool and kissable in the half-light from the streetlamps.

"Yeah?"

"Why did you volunteer to do the Oscars?"

He took a deep breath and opened the door, "Because it was the only way you'd go out with me." He stepped inside, knowing she'd close the door behind her.

The room was refreshingly large for a private dining room meant for two, and it was decorated in a sort of wildly luxurious elegance that did not at all suggest a restaurant, but more a prince's hunting lodge.

Or a billionaire's playground. . .

"Tony, I. . ."

"Here," he handed her a glass of something sparkling, and she was stunned to find it was sweet cider. All the ninety degree turns tonight were making her head spin. . .

"And do you want to know why I had to reschedule my meeting with the Academy four times, Pepper? It was because I wanted to watch all the movies they had nominated this year - ALL of them, including the shorts. And then I watched a bunch of things that hadn't gotten the nod. I wasn't going to lend my name - or yours - to a function or a movie without knowing about it - AND its competition - first. And with being a high powered executive, an inventor, and a superhero, I just didn't have a lot of time to do the research I wanted. . ."

He shut up. She was vibrating with something to say, but she couldn't say it just yet, and clearly he had caught on to that, at last.

He put down his own glass of cider and came over and just held her.

"I know I'm a royal pain in the ass, and a loose cannon in more ways than one, Pep, but I. . ." he coughed a little, burying his head in her shoulder.

"Let's dance," he turned a pulled her towards the large open space before the fireplace.

"Oh, no. . ."

"Yes, Pep, there's no one here to watch. . ."

"But I. . ."

"Just dance, Pepper. Please. With me."

"There's no musi-"

He snapped, imperious and triumphant, and the music started.

She sighed, kicking off her shoes, deciding to be comfortable, at least.

He grinned at finding them the same height, and eye-to-eye at last, he took the lead.

Beautiful girls all over the world,

I could be chasing,

But my time would be wasted,

They got nothing on you, baby.

She wondered if he had been practicing his dancing skills as well as doing exhaustive research about his public appearances, because his steps were much smoother than that awkward dance at the party all those months ago. Now, she felt like she actually wanted him to lead. . .

I know you feel where I'm coming from,

Regardless of the things in my past that I've done,

Most of it really was for the hell of the fun,

On a carousel, so around I spun,

With no direction, just trying to get some,

Trying to chase skirts, living in the summer sun,

And so I lost more than I had ever won,

And honestly, I ended up with none.

He wondered if she knew how lonely he was. Jarvis and robots did not a family make. For so long she had been the only woman he had wanted to just be around. He didn't know if that was love, but he did know it was a thousand times better than anything else he had felt for a woman ever since his mother died. . .

It's so much nonsense, it's on my conscience,

I'm thinking maybe I should get it out,

And I don't want to sound redundant,

But I was wondering, if there was something that you want to know,

But never mind that, we should let it go,

'Cause we don't want to be a TV episode,

And all the bad thoughts just let them go.

Maybe it was time for her to stop being so afraid of what this man could do to her. . . Maybe he could be trusted with something more than affection. . . Maybe he needed something more than the friend she knew she was to him. . .

Maybe. . .

Beautiful girls all over the world,

I could be chasing,

But my time would be wasted,

They got nothing on you, baby.

He'd been building up to this all day, and now there seemed nothing to say. He was dancing, in a private room, with the only woman he wanted, and he couldn't say anything. He would have been embarrassed if it didn't feel so right.

They might say hi, and I might say hey,

But you shouldn't worry, about what they say,

'Cause they got nothing on you, baby.

Imagine him actually caring about what the rumor mill was up to. He'd never been one to care that much about his public image - he just did whatever the hell he wanted and let her or Rhodey or Obi clean up after him. Reporters loved him, but hated her because when she took charge they knew they weren't going to get. . .

Oh.

He had cared what the rumors were saying about her, not him.

For the first time that evening, she blushed, hoping he didn't see. . .

Hands down, there will never be another one,

I've been around, and I've never seen another one,

Because your style, I ain't really got nothing on,

And you wild when you ain't got nothing on? - Baby you the whole package,

Plus you pay your taxes,

And you keep it real, while them others stay plastic,

You're my Wonder Woman, call me Mr. Fantastic,

Stop. . .

Now think about it.

He felt her hands go warm, and he looked and saw her face flush. He wondered what she was thinking. He knew what he was thinking, and to distract himself he imagined what her superpower would be, if she ever wanted to be a superhero.

He doubted Stark Wrangling counted. . .

I've been to London, I've been to Paris,

Even way out there in Tokyo,

Back home down in Georgia, to New Orleans,

But you always steal the show,

And just like that, girl you got me froze,

Like a Nintendo 64,

If you never knew, well, now you know.

He hadn't said anything for the past three minutes, and. . . and she didn't think he'd ever been more eloquent. She knew he could be a gentleman when he tried, but she'd never seen him try like this before. It was more than livable, it was. . . really rather wonderful.

Beautiful girls all over the world,

I could be chasing,

But my time would be wasted,

They got nothing on you, baby.

He'd brought her here because he loved this old restaurant, knew and trusted the manager, and wanted to show her a good time, but now he was glad they were here because he loved this place. There was love involved in this thing, somewhere, at least.

They might say hi, and I might say hey,

But you shouldn't worry, about what they say,

'Cause they got nothing on you, baby.

She had a crazy impulse, and for a second she wondered if there had been something in that cider. . . but no. Tony wasn't that type, especially not nowadays. Not. . . not like this. . . no, he wouldn't.

Oh well, it was Oscar night, and she was on a blind date with Tony Stark. . . if she couldn't give into a mad impulse now, when could she?

She leaned her head on his shoulder. . .

Everywhere I go, I'm always hearing your name,

And no matter where I'm at, girl, you make me want to sing,

Whether a bus or a plane, or a car, or a train,

No other girls on my brain,

And you're the one to blame.

He'd never have thought that the sight of a woman just simply relaxing in his presence could be so powerful. Was it a cliche to say she had just rocked his world?

Oh, he didn't care. . .

Unless she stopped him, in three seconds he was going to kiss her. . .

Beautiful girls all over the world,

I could be chasing,

But my time would be wasted,

They got nothing on you, baby.

She could feel him winding up. This is what he'd been looking for from her all night - not an invitation, an embrace.

Of course he wanted an invitation too. ..

Alright, well. . .

Whether it was time or not, she was comfortable enough to be brave.

"Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"Yes."

They might say hi, and I might say hey,

But you shouldn't worry, about what they say,

'Cause they got nothing on you, baby.

He might not care about it the same way he used to, but it was pretty clear from that point on that the Stark record was, in fact, undefeated.

Fin.