All in a day's work
Disclaimer: I don't own Ironman, any of the actors and actresses and I don't make any money off this.
Side note from the author – this is based on the movies rather than the comics. I am ashamed to admit that I have not read the comics.
Also – it's a Pepper & Tony (Pepperony) fanfiction. Mainly takes place before and during the first Ironman movie.
I apologise in advance for any typos. Please let me know if you find any. It's 3 a.m. and I'm not really all that clear headed. I also have no beta for this fanfiction. So – Sorry again.
Also a line of these * symbolises a time jump. There are quite a few. Hope you enjoy it, this plot bunny has been bugging me for over 3 months now.
†************************************
Tired, overworked and exhausted Pepper sat down on the swivel chair in Tony's lab and sighed. She allowed herself all of 3 minutes to unwind and get herself into gear for the next few hours before telling the empty room "Hit me with it, Jarvis" and allowing screens to flicker into life at her words and calculations and 3D models surrounded her within a short space of time and an electronic voice started to fill the void. "Good evening Ms. Potts. I will continue where we left off last night..."
Within moments the 3D model started to rotate as different areas were highlighted and Jarvis patiently explained the functions of each part and how they interacted with each other. Over the space of four hours the artificial intelligence continued to illustrate different equations relevant to understanding the concepts and elucidated the different calculations the machine would run through on its own. After numerous questions by Pepper into the functionality and repeating the information back to ensure she had a sufficient understanding of everything she instructed Jarvis to shut down at 4 a.m.
"Good night Ms. Potts. I do not believe it would be beneficial to drive home at this late hour and have made sure that your preferred guest room is still available for you. The clothes you keep at Mr. Stark's for emergencies have been washed and dried." Yawning, Pepper stretched to hopefully prevent a stiff neck for the morning before addressing Jarvis.
"Thank you again Jarvis. Sound off. And no eyes either." As she walked off she could already feel the walls crumbling and the despair closing in on her. Two months and no word. She was on the phone with Rhodey once a week for an update but Tony remained stubbornly hidden. He was good at that. Being stubborn, that is. He'd once spent the entire three hours on a flight convincing her to go to a restaurant with him until she'd finally agreed; only she had invited all the business partners from that afternoon's meeting along with them and when they had arrived, Tony had given her this slightly amused smirk and a nod of appreciation at outmanoeuvring him. She'd smiled back and when he'd turned on all his charm suddenly and had one of the female business partners practically drooling at his feet to do anything he wanted, she swore herself she'd never end up in his bed.
Ironically, nowadays she mainly slept in his bed. The smell reminded her of him. She'd refused to change it until his actual return and she suspected Jarvis knew but he was polite enough not to say anything when the guest beds remained untouched for another night. Once again the tears started coming once she was on his bed and a sob wrenched itself from her throat. It was all too much. No one believed that Tony was coming back anymore. She and Rhodey were fighting a one man fight – him against the military wanting to give up searching for him and her against Obadiah and Stark Industries – Obadiah still wanted himself named CEO so he could "bring SI under firm control and more steadiness into the firm". She thought he'd given up on Tony remarkably quickly.
He kept bugging her to give up as she was the only person in his way; once Tony realised she was representing him in meetings etc he had a lawyer write a legal document to state that she was speaking on his behalf in any and all matters and in his absence was CEO for all intents and purposes. And everyone was trying to make her give up, but how could she? Tony was Tony. He'd fight. He was too stubborn for anything else. He needed to know that at least he had people here willing to fight for him too, willing him to come back to them alive. So she curled in on herself and cried herself to sleep to release a bit of all the stress and anxiety and panic and deep feeling of loss and loneliness. In a few hours she'd get up and she would once again present a firm, immoveable mountain of belief for everyone else and she would once again fight tooth and nail all day, attend all the meetings and not allow Obadiah to take control from her. She would not give up. Not on Tony, not ever.
†************************************
Within two weeks of being Mr. Stark's PA, Pepper realised that this would require far more than just the usual interference-running. Mr. Stark seemed prone to either turn up late for meetings or not turn up at all. Her previous positions had involved a lot of organisational talents on her part but she had to never actually force, coerce and/or blackmail her boss to actually turn up to his own meetings. She realised quickly she would have to change her entire approach towards this position if she wanted to stay longer than any of the previous PA's had – though she was still unsure if they left because Mr. Stark had slept with them and had thus become uninterested in anything that they told him or if they had been just as overwhelmed as her at the childish attitude the CEO was demonstrating.
The previous PA's – he'd gone through a staggering 63 PA's in the last 5 years alone - had lasted only days, others 1-2 weeks, one or two only 2 months. Of course, she had thoroughly researched this before the interview and before applying for the position but it had never occurred to her that anyone could be a CEO and not have a modicum of respect for actually attending meetings with his business partners – or potential business partners. Before the first two weeks in this job she had been confident in herself and her ability to organise anyone, no matter how forgetful or disorganised they were.
Stark had proven her wrong within such a short space of time and part of her just wanted to throw in the towel, like everyone else and give up. Let someone else try and deal with this... mess. But there were several problems she had with this: First of all, she kind of (kind of!) liked Stark. Unlike most people, his sense of humour was very much like hers, dry wit, irony and sarcasm. And he was intelligent – off the charts intelligent: Of course this wasn't really a secret and pretty much every newspaper pointed out just how much of a genius he was, but the important thing to her was that he could keep up with her – well, he could run circles around her, really, especially when it concerned anything mechanical or Physics – but they could banter back and forth on the endless flights, they could have intelligent conversations about most things and he was oh so very charming.
Stark had his flaws, just like anyone and they were kind of big flaws so it wasn't as if she would ever even think of entering a relationship with him as he was clearly more interested in one night stands, but he could turn into a very interesting and enjoyable friend; that is if he didn't drive her nuts at work first. Also, she was Virginia Potts and she was not one to just give up.
Having come to conclusion that taking the easy way out wasn't really the Potts-way, or at least nor her way, she debated what steps to take next. She needed to get Tony to attend the important meetings at least and she somehow needed to be able to take over the less important meetings, i.e. she'd attend the weekly employees meetings so he would only have to attend the bi-monthly meetings which were attended by all the employees. Same for meeting partners – she needed to get up to speed on his projects and the intricacies of what they were selling so she could handle the smaller meetings herself and Tony – Mr. Stark - would only have to turn up for new clients or major issues.
This was the moment where she realised she would need to take Mr. Stark up on his offer that all his resources were available to her as well.
For the following four weeks she only allowed herself 4 hours of sleep a night as she studied relentlessly with the help of Jarvis and brushed up on her non-existent mechanical knowledge and her thankfully-still-there Physics knowledge. She felt as though she was back at University and studying for exams, though now she had several every day.
Most of the time, even now, she kept a tiny device in her ear which would give her access to Jarvis who helped her when she didn't know the answer to some of the more technical enquiries by the business partners and their technicians. After that she reduced the amount of time she'd spend studying with Jarvis – and how odd it felt as an accomplished PA with several years on the job and out of University for over a decade to still have to study at night.
Needless to say, she kept the job and was not fired – nor did she sleep with the boss. She was still uncertain if there was a correlation between the two but figured after what amounted to over 8 years now she had made herself relatively irreplaceable. At least, that is was she thought before her boss had managed to get himself abducted and left her to handle everything by herself.
†************************************
The news of Tony's abduction hit her like a freight train. She had been deeply asleep only to be woken up by her mobile phone ringing incessantly on her bedside table. After years of working for Stark she had gotten used to these late night "emergencies". Usually they tended to be of a variety where he'd been caught with his trousers down or with some woman, most times with both of them naked. She was used to doing damage control for him and after the first few times had taken to leaving her phone on her bedside table and within easy reach.
So when her phone rang she didn't check the caller ID and was already half getting dressed, expecting to be called to clear up after another one of Tony's latest escapades. "Pepper" She halted in putting on her skirt for a moment before continuing. It was rare that Tony was able to drag Rhodey into whatever "brilliant" idea he'd had – well, no; that wasn't strictly accurate. Rhodey and Tony frequently got themselves into trouble and did stupid things. It was just rare that they went far enough – or public enough – to have to call in Pepper Potts – Tony's PA.
She vaguely wondered whether she'd have to bribe newspapers again into not releasing pictures of Tony and Rhodey drunk. Rhodey was a hilarious drunk and she had always been somewhat amused at his antics – at least after she'd finished handling the repercussions. "Tony has been kidnapped". For a moment she was sure she'd misheard but nonetheless froze in her movements. Tony? Kidnapped? She thought, slightly panicked, that he'd drive the kidnappers nuts within hours and then they would kill him because few people could handle Tony in truly annoying mode – which he'd be in if anyone or anything displeased him. Being kidnapped would definitely make that list.
"Tony – he's alive. We're looking for him. We'll find him, Pepper." His tone was trying to be reassuring but she could hear the screaming and yelling behind him and it was hard not to panic. But she was Virginia Potts, now very much know as "Pepper Potts" and as Anthony Starks PA, had only taken a minute to put all her emotions onto the backburner to deal with later. Okay, maybe it had been much more the shock doing that for her as everything seemed kind of distant but clear.
"Are you hurt?" Her tone was slightly sharp and all business. She needed as much information as she could get before the military stopped Rhodey from leaking potentially sensitive information to her. "No, I'm okay, a few scratches maybe. But Pep – Tony... We found his blood very close to a bomb. He – they told me it wasn't near enough blood to be fatal but he is likely to be injured, wherever he is." She breathed in deeply. It was okay. She could handle this. He was NOT dead. He'd come back to her and if she had to get Jarvis and drag Tony back by his feet, she'd do it. They'd find him. Rhodey would find him.
After another deep breath Rhodey kept talking "I – they attacked our Humveys. Tony and I went into separate ones and all I know is that they have taken him – rebels, apparently. Tony is alive. They-" He cleared his throat. Him and Tony had been best friends since college, it was no surprise he was upset.
Idly, she thought that once the shock wore off she would probably not have anywhere as much self-control and that she should really handle as much PR as she could right now as she would probably need several hours to herself afterwards. "Rhodey, it's okay. We'll find him. I'll get Jarvis onto it. We'll have him back in no time, you'll see." Her voice was pitched just right, calming and soothing, the way her mum used to talk to her as a kid when she had a nightmare and woke up.
The problem was that this was not a nightmare and she didn't know if Tony would ever come back to her –them and even if he might never be the same. Joking, fun loving, annoying, childish Tony. The same Tony who would send her endless emails if he got bored or sit on her desk and annoy her until she either gave in or blackmailed him into doing exactly what she wanted. She missed him already, she realised with detached surprise.
"Pepper", Rhodey interjected and rose her from her thoughts. She realised now she'd been quiet for quite a few seconds. "There's something else you should know." The pause seemed quite long and part of her dreaded what he'd say next. Tony was alive - he had said as much. They were looking for him. What more did she need to know?
"They used Stark Industries weapons." That got her attention again. Her whole world narrowed and zeroed in on this fact – if this came out it could prove disastrous. SI weapons in the hands of rebels in Afghanistan and they had kidnapped the inventor of these very weapons. This was so not good. "Are you sure?" She knew he wouldn't have mentioned it if he hadn't been certain, but part of her needed the confirmation. "Yes, they even had the Stark Industries logo on them – they didn't even attempt to cover this up." He paused and he had obviously realised that she was Tony's friend too. "Pep, I am so sorry." She nodded, even though he couldn't see it. "We'll find him. Let me know if you get any news." With that she ended the call without saying goodbye. She had no time for pleasantries and it was time for her to start being Tony's PA and doing damage control – as per usual, only more serious and far more urgent this time.
Pepper wasted no time in remotely contacting Jarvis after switching her phone to silent. "Jarvis – Tony has been kidnapped on the way back through Afghanistan. Can you track him? Also, get me any satellite images of the time and I need our weapons log for the past three years to see if we have got missing weapons." Whilst she instructed the artificial intelligence in everything she needed she finished getting dressed and by the time he replied she was just locking her front door. "I will have the data ready for you when you arrive, Ms. Potts." With a quick thank you she ended the connection and made her way to her car to drive to Tony's house.
Upon arrival Jarvis allowed her to enter and opened the doors for her. The lights switched on automatically. "Welcome Ms. Potts. All the information is downloaded and now available to you. There are no detailed satellite images of the area during the time, I'm afraid but I have cleared the pictures we have as much as possible for you and have identified Mr. Stark on them."
Jarvis paused. "Ms. Potts, I am uncertain if you should be seeing these images. It's not... pretty." Pepper snorted, half anxious, half distressed. "Jarvis, since when has that ever mattered? I have seen the damages the weapons that Tony invents do. I have seen the villages decimated, people dead and torn apart and the dying. I have seen the children hit by another one of his weapons. I handle his PR – you know I have seen all this and much worse."
"Ms. Potts, no one you know personally was injured in these. That does make a difference and is more likely to emotionally affect you." She steeled herself, half annoyed now as she walked towards the big screen. "I am Tony's PA. I need to know what has happened to him and I need to see exactly what happened so I know what I should be telling the press." Jarvis argued no further and the screen flickered to life. The images were still somewhat grainy but Jarvis circled Tony for her; though he was one of the few in a suit so he wasn't that hard to pick up out of the crowd. She appreciated this more though once she saw the gun fire, the hum vees being hit and people running everywhere. Tony, he was hiding behind a rock and then suddenly a bomb went off next to him just as he was trying to run.
Then the screen was blank. For a desperate moment she just stood there, heart thumping in her chest. It was all so much more real seeing it happening. She'd heard everything but seeing it... She bit her lip and clenched her fists as she closed her eyes and swallowed, gathering all the calmness in her and pushing all her anxiousness and panic to the back. She could not deal with these right now.
"Jarvis, why did you stop the video?" "There is no other footage. This is all the satellite caught. No other satellites were in the position at the time." She sighed. Of course not. "Okay, thank you Jarvis. Please monitor the military and all the satellites. If we get any more footage of any movements I need to know immediately. Also, please monitor the media and alert me if anyone releases anything." "I will take care of it, Ms Potts.".
With a calm nod she turned her Blackberry's volume back on and phoned Obadiah Stane next. "Mr. Stane, this is Ms. Potts, Mr. Stark's PA. I presume you have heard the news?" She heard his breath and felt vaguely uncomfortable before he started speaking. "Ms. Potts, thank you very much for your call. Yes, I have been informed. Tony, dear Tony. What are we going to do?" She knew it was a rhetorical question and she knew he probably already had a plan. He always had a plan. She'd been forced into corners by him too many times to not know that so she interjected before he could lay it out. "I will be holding a press conference in an hour and make an announcement. I will handle Mr. Stark's meetings and either attend them myself or reschedule them for the next two weeks. I just wished to inform you that I will continue acting as Mr. Stark's PA, as I have been for the last eight years and manage the PR. You will not need to take care of anything." She clenched her fist again.
There, even in shock she'd laid it out politely but firmly to him. He would not be taking over for Tony in his absence as he always seemed keen to do. "Why, Ms. Potts, you are very well prepared." Was it her imagination or was there more annoyance than usual in his tone of voice? He sounded furious. She frowned. "I'd be happy to leave it all in your capable hands. I am too distraught over Tony to be of much use to you anyway just now." Funny, he didn't sound all that distraught, though she supposed she didn't either. She still sounded more cool and aloof and with no outward signs of the anxious, distressed and hair-gripping Pepper that was running circles in her head. "Just leave it all to me, sir." After his "Thank you Ms. Potts" she hung up and threw her phone down.
A hard kick to the couch was all the emotion she allowed herself before instructing Jarvis to organise the press conference whilst she went to clean up and make herself presentable and the calm and collected representative of Mr. Stark and Stark Industries that she needed to be.
†************************************
It was with grim satisfaction that she had left the latest meeting. Stane had somehow managed to sever her connection with Jarvis and hoped she'd falter during the meeting when the technicians asked her more technical data and he had been about to step in when she had met his gaze before and arrested his movement before turning back to the technician with a smile and explaining what Jarvis had so patiently drummed into her during the many late nights. Then she gave him the personal number of their head engineer so that if he had further queries he could have someone to get in touch with who could handle any and all technical queries.
Stane had been furious – she saw the glint in his eyes, the way his hands balled and his forehead furrowed, before it all smoothed out and disappeared and he was back to being the unflappable Obadiah Stane, only concerned for Tony. Sometimes she was not sure if she just imagined half these moments, but not just now. Just now she was too satisfied that her late hours had paid off. Even Stane's joke about "Can you believe she is only Tony's PA?" had fallen flat as the meeting partners had been too impressed.
She'd always been good at business and after 8 years had become quite accustomed to being the go-to person for problem solving and even technical questions. The meeting partners had only been more impressed that she was "just" the PA and offered her a job on the spot if she ever wanted. She had just smiled and declined and led them out to the foyer before going back to her desk – still in front of Tony's room. She had made sure nobody touched anything in Tony's office so everything remained as it was when he left. Every now and then she made sure to update his paperwork in his drawers but no one else was allowed access.
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That's it for now. Let me know if you like it. This is my first attempt at fanfiction so I would appreciate some constructive criticism. Tell me what you think could've been done better, what you liked and what can be improved.