Disclaimer: I do not own Ironman/Marvel/ or any affiliated ideas/characters

"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Stark?"

The brown-haired man turned slowly towards the woman whose voice he would recognize even during an apocalypse. Pepper Potts. She was a fiery woman, and not just in the way of her hair; she was the kind of girl, the only girl, that could make Tony Stark stop what he was doing and pay attention.

He was currently going to a meeting; yes, it was a boring obligation, but he'd managed to incur his girlfriend's anger by skipping the previous two, so he figured that if he didn't fancy sleeping on the couch that night, he should probably show up.

Tony almost smirked in spite of himself; he'd gone soft, he really had. Tony Stark being kicked out of his own bed by Pepper Potts, his used-to-be secretary. Who would have thought?

All the same, Pepper was a very terrifying woman when she wanted to be, and it was in his best interest to stay on her good side. So, it was with great pleasure that he turned and announced, "to work," in an almost cheerful tone.

He expected fanfare and praise to come leaping off the redhead's red lips, but instead, he was met with a pout. A pout. Pepper Potts was pouting. Rather sexily, Tony mentally added.

"You're going to work? Today?"

Tony stared at her quizzically, taking in her attire for the first time. She was wearing nothing more than a silk bathrobe; one that he vaguely remembered importing from China. It was rather expensive, but it looked delectable on Pepper, and Tony wasn't really one to complain. Under that, who knew? The hairs raised on the millionaire's arms. Pepper, he cursed inwardly, What have you done to me?

"Yes," he replied, oddly stiff.

Pepper slowly descended the stairs from which she had been standing on, and sauntered slowly towards the Stark. "But Tony," she moaned, "It's raining."

Tony gulped as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him. He quickly grabbed her hands from around his back and held the seductress at arm's length.

"Who are you and what have you done with Pepper Potts?"

She smiled silkily. "Oh, be quiet, Mr. Stark," she whispered, putting a finger to her lips.

"I'm serious, Pepper. Are you ill? Do I need to call a doctor?" He began to touch the back of his hand to her forehead, and much to his dismay, he found that she didn't have even the slightest fever.

"Please, Tony. I'm not sick."

He frowned at her, trying to figure out what in the hell would make her act this way. It simply wasn't like Pepper to ditch work, or take a break. Tony cupped his chin in his palm and stared at the woman in front of him as if she'd grown a third head.

Meanwhile, Pepper was rambling. "We could finally go to Europe, you know. Not a business trip, more like a pleasure trip. A very pleasurable trip. We could go to London, and Paris, and Rome. Oh, Rome sounds great, doesn't it, Tony? Grapes and cheese and oh - oh come on, Tony! Don't look at me like that! I just think we should have some fun, is all. Before we get too old. Don't you think?"

Tony's eyes narrowed. "You aren't having a midlife crisis, are you?"

Pepper shook her head furiously. "No, but I could see how you might think that, being that I quit my job and started dating a millionaire," she said, a slight smile tugging at her lips.

Tony laughed lightly. "Billionaire," he said with a wink. His features softened. "I'm serious, though. Tell me what's up with you."

The redhead sighed and took his hand. She pulled him gently towards their (well, his) living room, and she sat down on the couch, gesturing for him to follow suit. While skeptical, Tony knew better than to question his girlfriend's actions, and sat down next to her, waiting.

"I just…" she averted her eyes slightly, "I saw the ring, Tony."

His face fell, and he cursed under his breath. Pepper hadn't been meant to know; he had been planning the 'perfect' proposal for months now, and had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. It was to be romantic and spontaneous, and wonderful.

This was…well, it killed the spontaneity, if anything. Tony took a deep breath. "Is this a polite way of saying no?" He asked, slightly fearing the answer. It had never struck Tony until now how very much he needed Pepper in his life; the thought, however, of her telling him that she didn't want to marry him, or didn't want a future with him, suddenly became equivalent to the apocalypse.

"That's not it," she said in a low voice, still avoiding Tony's piercing gaze. The billionaire took a sigh of relief and relaxed his tensed muscles. Crisis averted.

"What is it then?"

Pepper took a deep breath. "I just want to be able to do everything we wanted to do before…you know, before the rings and the matrimony and the kids and the-"

Tony stopped dead. "Y-you want kids?"

Pepper stared at him blankly. "You don't?" There was a slight edge to her voice, and that honestly terrified the past playboy.

He was quick to shake his head. "No, that's not it. It's just that we never talked about it before. I didn't know if you - if you wanted kids. Pep, you can have all the kids you want, so long as they're mine."

She smiled hesitantly. "That's sort of the thing, Tony."

"What?"

Pepper looked towards the window, as if she wasn't sure. It took a full minute before she was able to look him in the eyes. "I'm pregnant."

He blinked about four times before he was able to register what she had just told him; he was going to be a father?

"I…really, Pep?"

She nodded, and a grin slowly began to spread across the Stark's face. Pepper laughed as Tony lunged forward, and immediately attached his lips to hers. He hovered over her body and caressed her face. A happy laugh came through. "Seriously?" He asked again.

Pepper nodded and a grin overtook her face. "So," she began, "won't you stay home with me today?"

Tony smirked, "Today?" he asked in a devilish manner, "I've already cleared my schedule for a trip to Europe. You aren't going to bail on me now, are you, Ms. Potts?"

She laughed. "Do I have a choice, Mr. Stark?"

He grinned and leaned down to kiss her once more. "No, Mrs. Stark, you do not."

(;