The Invention Left By A Little Stark | Book 2

10) One on One

Pepper tried to busy herself with housework as she waited for some news from Tony.

She had made herself breakfast. She had tidied the living room and kitchen. She had filled the dishwasher. She had sorted clothes through the washing machine. And now she was finally taking a break as she sat down on the couch and turned the TV onto a news channel.

Her laptop was sitting on the coffee table and she decided that now would be as good a time as any to send an email to the mayor requesting a meeting. Naturally it would have to go through personnel first before reaching him directly but she emphasized the importance of the meeting and that it would be on behalf of Tony Stark himself, and that she was willing to attend the soonest availability no matter the time.

After considering every word to make sure no detail was missed, Pepper eventually sent it with just a tap of the keyboard. She relaxed on the couch and listened to a report on a fluff piece about a fundraiser until her phone began to ring from the dining table. She glanced over and realized she must have left it there when doing the dishes after breakfast.

"Who's that?" She mumbled.

It could be Tony, or it could be her assistant, or it could be any number of people considering how busy she always was.

"The caller ID belongs to Mr. Stark." JARVIS's voice spoke up. "He is calling from the RAF."

Pepper, having forgotten about the AI for a moment, chuckled. "Thanks, JARVIS."

She rose to her feet and maneuvered through the apartment to reach the phone and answered.

"Tony?"

"Hey, Pep." He quickly replied. "You doing okay?"

"I'm fine. How'd the trip go?"

"You know, the usual. Boring, boring, boring."

"Did you eat?"

"Yep. The sandwiches were great. Thanks. Did you manage anything?"

She laughed softly. "I'm more than capable of managing breakfast, Tony."

"Hey, I'm just asking. I didn't want you all tired out from our hot, steamy sex."

Her cheeks flushed. "Tony!"

"What? I can be very exuberant as you know."

"Just tell me how the meeting went before I die of embarrassment."

"Alright." She could practically see his smirk as he spoke. "It was the usual brief. Bad guys, retrieve this, save that. You know."

"So it's serious. Not just a monthly rundown."

"Afraid not. It's-" His tone changed drastically as he sounded more serious. "Hill said we've located the scepter."

An audible gasp escaped Pepper's lips, the scepter meaning as much to her as it did to Tony. She would never forget seeing you on your deathbed and hearing your last words... And all because of that one artifact.

"Where is it?" She asked softly.

Tony sighed. "HYDRA have it in Sokovia."

"Sokovia? As in...?"

"Yeah. Tiny place in Europe. Hill said we'd be there a couple days, maybe a week if things go wrong."

"Tony, I've heard that place is... It's so dangerous."