A Different Path

The New Plan

Pepper and Tony met up in the lab. The genius locked the doors and turned on the sound proofing. His assistant sat down the box she had brought with her, pulling out two laptops (custom made), notepads, pencils, a tablet (also custom made), peppermint, and lots of different kinds of coffee.

He sweeped up the coffee into his arms. "I'll take this. What kind of coffee would you like, Ms. Potts?"

"Pumpkin spice, please."

"This far from the holidays?" Tony asked, but started to make it anyway in one of his state of the art coffee makers. (Created by him.)

"It's just a month away."

"Too early, Ms. Potts. Too early."

Pepper laughed. Tony's heart did little flips at the sound, but he tried to squash the feeling down. She might not like him back. He couldn't risk it.

He made himself a black coffee, only because he didn't know how much sugar or milk he liked in it, and brought their mugs to the table.

"You remembered mug." She said, sounding suprised.

"Of course I wouldn't," Tony scoffed.

She smiled, then eyed his coffee. "I see you forgot how you liked your coffee." She raised an eyebrow.

Tony pouted as be sat, muttering, "I only like it when you make it." He immeadiately shut his mouth, hoping she hadn't heard, but she did.

Pepper made no comment, just pulled out some sugar and creamer, putting a few in and stirring it. "Four sugars, five creams," she said, pushing it over to him.

He took a sip, immeadiately recognizing the flavor. "You know me best, Ms. Potts." Tony grinned like a child, getting a laugh out of Pepper.

But things quickly turned serious as Pepper opened her laptop. "First things first, we need to draw up the paperwork. Then we need to convince a few key board members on our side. It'll be like dominos until news gets to Obadiah."

Tony nodded along. "I can do some smooth talking. We also might need some paperwork to sign me as the only CEO of Stark Industries. We need to kick him off the map."

She was already typing, working faster than he'd ever seen her. "How do you plan on doing that?"

"If we turn the board against him, it's make things a whole lot easier."

Pepper glanced up. "Do we have any dirt on him?"

"Maybe I could find some," he had been thinking about what Obadiah had been doing a lot, he thought he had taken the full realization, but the feeling of being punched in the gut was just the tip of the ice berg of feelings.

The way he talked today, like he was trying to keep Tony oblivious.....

There had to be something. Some kind of dirt.

He flipped open a hologram (another thing he had created this week), pulling up SI records. The inventor didn't notice Pepper looking at him in amazement until he noticed the sound of typing had stopped.

He glanced over. "Hm?"

"When did you make that?" She gestured to the hologram.

"This week."

"You made the phones this week, too?"

"Last week. I've been working on a lot of things the passed few months. My head has gotten a lot clearer."

"I noticed."

He sighed. "But Stane keeps trying to drag me back to oblivion. I can't believe I never noticed." His hand goes through his hair out of frustration, shoulders slumping. "I'm so stupid!"

Pepper rolled her chair over to him and wrapped him in a hug. He was shocked for a second, but quickly leaned into her touch, hugging her back.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Pepper finally pulled away. Tony was reluctant to let go, wanting to save the moment, but he did so.

"Tony," Pepper cleared her throat, "you aren't stupid and you shouldn't think like that." She reached out and ran her hand against his arm. Tony sighed, head dropping forward.

"You are brilliant. Stane is just a liar. A betrayer. You don't need him."

Tony nodded slowly and her hand moved away. Without her touch, the room seemed a little colder.

"Let's get back to work," she said quietly. He nodded once again.

Hesitantly, she rested her hand on his wrist. He didn't pull away, nor did he comment.

"Pep, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"By doing this..... would I be destroying what Dad created?"

Pepper paused from her one-handed typing, giving him her full attention. But he couldn't look straight at her, instead turning to look at the hologram.

"Tony."

He didn't look.

"Tony." Her hand came up to his cheek and a thousand sparks of heat erupted at the touch. She gently turned his head to look at her.

"I think your father would have wanted you to do this. He would be proud of you for standing up for what you want and not letting Stane stand in your way."

"Stane was his buisness partner....."

"He wouldn't approve of what he's doing. Stane may have been different in the past, but this is the now. He needs to go."

Mindlessly, he brought his hand to press over hers. "You're right."

As Tony looked into Pepper's beautiful blue eyes, he though about all that Stane could do if he stayed in power. He had favor with the board for always showing up and most were basically his monkeys.

What would happen if he used that to get Tony locked out? Kicked out of his own company? He knows something is up, and he might just do that.

If Tony had no control, Stane would fire Pepper. He'd never liked her. What might happen to her? Or Rhodey? Or Happy?

His resolution solidified right then and there.

Stane would not continue this rein over Stark Industries, over him.

He was going down.