A/N: Another PepperxThor idea I got.

If you like this pairing too, or are just curious about it, you can check out my other story, The Pen Is Mightier Than The Hammer. It's short and funny, with very little hints of romance.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers.

Chapter One: The Article~

"Lady Pepper?" Thor called as he peeked around the corner of the door leading to Ms. Potts' office.

Tony had tasked him with finding the ginger haired woman some time ago, and Thor feared if he didn't locate her soon he would become suspicious of the Asgardian's ability to work alone and unattended on a planet he had little to no knowledge about.

He stepped into Pepper's office, looking tentatively around the room.

"Lady Pepper?" He called again.

When he received no answer, the god of Thunder decided to walk about the room in search for clues as to the woman's whereabouts. She had a very neat office; everything was nice and clean and put where it belonged, and her choices of color and decoration were pleasing as well. Walking over to examine the richly colored curtains that draped the wall-to-floor window at the other end of the room, Thor paused as something caught his eye.

It was a book.

'Magazine,' his conscience corrected him. 'Sir Stark said it was a magazine.'

If it hadn't been so brightly slathered in pictures and words and neons, he may not have given it a second glance (or a first, for that matter), but something about this Earthen 'magazine' drew his attention away from the tasteful curtains of Pepper's office and over to her desk.

Running a finger over the glossy cover, Thor read the title.

"'Cosmopolitan'," he said slowly, sounding out the word.

Strange, he had never heard of that word before. He would have to ask Lady Pepper concerning its meaning.

Curling his fingers around the magazine, he picked it up and curiously skimmed the pages. He understood why humans enjoyed them so much - there were lots of colors and pictures; far more interesting than any ancient tome they had back on Asgard.

Just as he was growing bored, Thor noticed a particular page had been bookmarked. Curiosity piqued once more, he turned to it.

It was an article.

"'10 Signs to Show Him You're Interested'?" he muttered to himself, struggling a bit on the slang word 'you're'.

Thor brought his eyebrows together. Was Lady Pepper in love with someone? Suddenly feeling as though he were obligated (and mildly interested), he began to read.

Pepper walked into her office, carrying a large package while simultaneously sifting through her mail and walking over to her desk.

Getting to the last envelope, she looked up, gasping and dropping all of her things to the floor as her eyes landed on Thor. He was perched quite comfortably at her workspace, feet crossed on top of her spotless desk, with a magazine in hand as her $300 swivel chair strained beneath his weight.

Upon noticing her presence, the blond warrior leapt from his spot, dropping the object he had been so intensely focused on.

"Lady Pepper! I did not hear you come in!" He said in a panic, as though he had just been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

Pepper smiled, despite her frazzled nerves. "Oh, no! It's- it's okay!" She laughed, slapping her stocking-covered thighs. "I just wasn't expecting you, is all! What are you doing here?"

She bent down to pick up the remnants of her mail, only to be overtaken by Thor as he scrambled to scoop everything up and into his arms, including the rather large box she had carried in. They both stood up simultaneously, and Pepper couldn't help but notice how small the box looked compared to his hulking figure.

"Sir Stark asked me to locate you," Thor said, and she broke her gaze away from her seemingly shrunken mail to meet his eyes. "He said it was important and requested your presence immediately," The blond explained, straightening to his full height.

He looked at her strangely then, noticing idly that Pepper was closer to eye level with him than most of the Avengers, Tony included.

"Forgive me, but I must ask, have you grown?" Thor asked, looking her up and down like one would an animal they had never seen before.

Pepper blinked.

"Me?" Realization hit her. "Oh, no, no! I- it's these darned shoes..."

As if to prove her point, the redhead brought a foot up to her hand, turning slightly so he could get a good look as she held it there.

"They've been hurting my feet all day," she complained, annoyance ringing clear in her voice.

"Then why do you wear them?" Thor asked curiosly, examining her razor sharp 6-inch heels.

"Because Tony bought them for me," she sighed, bringing her foot down. "But now that you mention it, that's a really good question."

Without another word she began stripping the crimson colored weapons off of her feet, and Thor felt the decency to look away as she did so. She tossed the high heels to her right, not seeming to care where they landed, and stood happily to look at him. Her eyes were now level with his throat rather than his lips.

Jane's head had been lucky to reach his chest...

"So. You wanna tell me what you were doing in my office?"

He shook his head clear of his thoughts. "I informed you, Sir Stark had ordered me to find you."

Pepper smirked. "Then why were you looking so cozy in my chair just before I walked in?"

"Uh..."

She didn't give him a chance to stutter.

Instead, she walked briskly over to her desk, the smell of peppermint wafting into the Asgardian's nose as she passed by, and he turned around just in time to see her picking up the magazine he had been intensely reading just minutes ago.

"Cosmopolitan," she said, applauding him. "You have good taste. I never would have pegged you as the gossip type."

She didn't notice the Avenger begin nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot as she flipped through the pages. He wasn't sure why, but he earnestly hoped that she wouldn't find any evidence of the page he was reading.

Apparently satisfied, Pepper closed the magazine and put it back down to rest neatly on her desk. She looked at him.

"So how long ago did Tony send you to find me?"

Thor straightened his back, happy with a question that he could easily answer.

"Nearly one hour ago," he replied, nodding.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay...Well, I better get over there. Don't want Tony to blow a gasket just because I decided to go get the mail without a bodyguard. If anyone asks, you were with me the whole time - got it?"

He nodded again. "Yes, Lady Pepper. I shall tell everyone who inquires that we both ventured to retrieve the mail."

She laughed. "That's great, Thor. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a more than likely panicked billionaire to calm down."

She swept past him again, and Thor couldn't help inhaling the pleasant scent the breeze left behind. He turned to watch her exit, but she whirled around at the last second before reaching the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You can set that stuff wherever, I'll get to it later."

She motioned to the mail he still held in his hands, and the caped Avenger looked briefly down at the large box and envelopes before bringing his head back up to see that she had already gone. Setting the items down beside her desk, Thor stole another glance at the magazine that lay in front of him.

He eyed it wearily - he wasn't quite certain what it was about the knowledge he had acquired from its glossy pages, but it left him with a strange and oddly foreboding feeling that only seemed to worsen the longer he pondered on its contents.

Backing slowly away, Thor kept his eyes on the deceptively innocent object, his gaze not leaving its bright and shiny cover once as his back made contact with the door.

He was going to find out who Pepper's attentions were trained on, and help her acquire their heart, if possible. After all she had done for them, it was the least he could do.

Staring at the magazine a few moments more, Thor wrapped his large and calloused hand around the door's tiny handle, finally breaking his gaze before turning it and exiting the room.

A/N: The next 10 or so chapters after this will focus on a different 'sign' that Thor read, thus ultimately leading to who he believes Pepper's attentions are meant for. Although it could turn into a mere 3 or 4 chapters (or even 1) depending on how long each sign takes.

I hope you liked this chapter, but even if you didn't, don't hesitate to let me know in a review ;)

'Til next time!