Chapter 8: WPL

-_- — Literally my face when I saw this story sitting at the bottom of my list. *sighs over-dramatically* Oh well… I found it and it is ANOTHER story that hasn't been updated for over a year. What can I say… I'm a Warrior, a Princess, and a freaking LIAR (laughs hysterically at poorly placed pun).

Anyhoo, since this is a story that has been long forgotten, how about a quick fresh up? So… When we last left off, Tony had been stabbed in the gut by Gene Khan, who is wanting him out of the way to keep Pepper for himself. He's in love with Pepper, but since Tony is too, he decided to get rid of the competition. But our hero doesn't die so easy, so after a couple of days in coma, he is awake and planning to escape the hospital that night. Rhodey is introduced to the Iron Man armor and is (unknowingly) going to go get Tony. And oh… yes, Pepper's dad was murdered, and she plans on avenging him, because she assumes he was killed by Gene.

Yes… I believe that is all. If you really want to know everything in detail however, please go ahead and re-read the chapters. It's a fairly short read I believe, but a warning, my writing is… *shudders* is awkward. Let's hope this chapter can polish up any holes.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my story.

Pepper wrapped her arms around herself and continued marching towards her old apartment. She didn't need that stupid mansion, she didn't need money, she didn't need anything. But she did need her father, and her heart ached at the thought of his death. He was gone, actually gone.

It had been a week already, and she put her father into the ground just a couple of days ago. She had to leave Gene back at that mansion, prove to him that she wasn't going to fall for any of his stupid tricks. Or, his attempts, which he made so very often, especially since her father died. The morning her father was put to the grave, Gene had gotten through the greatest lengths to get him the best service he could. The funeral was overpriced, and overdone, all in hopes to get some sympathy.

And Gene freaking Khan. The heartache was soon replaced with rage. Pepper wouldn't love anything more but to put a fist in his pathetic face. She knew he killed her father, it was pretty obvious, and to think he thought of her as his property? There may be some girls that like the possessive feel, but for Pepper it made her blood boil.

And Tony… Pepper stopped walking, tears welling in her eyes. She left him back at his house with no attempt to get him help. He could be dead right now, and it would be her fault, just like the death of her dad. Why was everything so complicated? Why her? She was nothing special, just an average Joe with hopes to become a FBI agent in the future. Was that too much to ask?

Right now her main concern was to go back to her apartment and sleep off her pain and misery. And she would definitely be sleeping with a knife nearby, because she was sure as hell not gonna be caught off guard with Gene again.

The night's cold air pierced at her skin, making it feel like a thousand needles were biting through her body. She glanced up to see the moon shining through the thin clouds in the sky. It would've been a perfect night out if it weren't for the fact that she was freezing and didn't have someone by her side.

Her apartment came into view, and Pepper couldn't have felt more relieved. She rushed up the stairs and threw open her door, with of course the help of an extra stashed key underneath the floor mat.

"Home sweet home…," She muttered softly. But really, it felt wonderful to breath in the warm lavender scent that wafted from the empty apartment. It was so nice to feel at home again, but without her father on the couch watching some show, it still felt empty.

She locked the door behind her, and then walked around the apartment making sure every entrance was locked. There was a buzzing sound, scaring the wits out of Pepper. She went over to the kitchen and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Pepper."

Her heart stopped at the voice. She then realized that there was nothing in the world that would take her fear from hearing or seeing that boy ever. "Gene… What do you want?"

"I just wanted to make sure that you got home safe."

Pepper scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah."

"Yeah, what?"

"Yeah, I'm home! Why else would I pick up this stupid phone?"

"Please don't talk to me like that, Patricia. You know I only do this because I care about you."

She seethed. "I don't. I came home to get away from you, so how about you put down the phone and stop talking to me?" She was greeted by a silence, so she decided to take it further. "If you care about me so much, just stop talking to me forever, and leave me alone."

She heard a sharp intake, as though Gene had caught something in his throat. "It is my feelings for you that keep me from doing just that, Pepper. I will never leave you, and you will learn to care about me."

Instead of responding, which she planned on including some pretty colorful words, she hung up on the teen. She stared at the phone in her hand, and in rage flung it as hard as she could towards the wall in front of her. It shattered on impact, sending the pieces flying across the room and floor.

Pepper felt her heart beating faster, and an uncomfortable lump clog in her throat. She knew what she had to do, so she closed her eyes tight and let out a wounded scream.

…

Tony managed to get through the staircase entrance, and up a flight of stairs. He already had sweat beading on his forehead, which was surprising considering he was fairly healthy in general. His knees began to wobble, so he clung to the railing breathing rapidly.

He glanced up and saw two more flights of stairs. "Jeez…," He huffed, catching his breath. Maybe this wasn't a good idea; he was clearly not well enough regardless of what he thought a couple of hours ago. "Come on… You're Tony freaking Stark. If you can solve Einstein's Theory of Relativity in your sleep, you can get up two more flights of stairs. Now… stop talking to yourself you creep."

Tony didn't know how much time passed before he reached the top, but he did know it took much longer than he thought. By the time he got to the door opening to the roof, he was pale and felt the urge to pass out. But he had to make sure he was outside so his ride could fetch him.

Almost by coincidence, Tony heard jet boots firing and the hum of a powerful weapon. His best invention of all time, which he proudly called, Iron Man.

His hand trembled as he turned the knob and pushed open the door. A red and golden armor landed right in front of him, its back turned towards its creator. "Why am I at the hospital?" A mechanical voice said from the suit. In response, the armor opened up, expelling the rider from its grasps.

Rhodey fell to the floor, not at all prepared for that to have happened. "Ow!" He hissed, looking back up at his ride. But just as his eyes floated up, they caught the genius on his hands and knees looking right back at him. "Tony?"

Tony saw shock registering on his face before a flash of confusion. "Rhodey… thank god you got the message." He huffed out. He felt so drained already. What he would give to see his doctor's face right now at his foolish attempt to escape.

"Tony, dude, you should be in the hospital! What the heck are you doing out here?" Rhodey rushed to his friend's side, holding him up. "Did you send me that message?"

Tony nodded, trying to fight off the wave of fatigue. "Yeah… Look I can't explain everything, but we need to go find Pepper."

"Wait, that red-headed chick? I thought her name was Pat." Rhodey then paused, realization dawning on him. "Oh wow, she was actually Pepper. The girl you were chasing… She played you well didn't she, man?"

Tony chuckled, but the laughs came out in quick bursts of air. "Right? But right now just get back into the suit, and take me to her. I don't have the energy to pilot, so you have to get me there."

"Okay, yeah, sure. Where does she live?" Rhodey gently let go of Tony and rushed back to the suit. As the armor wrapped him up again, he leaned down to pick up his friend. Tony was clutching his abdomen, wincing in pain. "What's wrong?" Rhodey asked, immediately noticing the wound.

Tony's hand came off to reveal a splash of blood on his gown that had transferred onto his palm. "The stitches must've ripped. It's fine, I'm okay. Just— her apartment is on 32nd street, the suit will know."

Rhodey was surprised by how fast the suit pulled up Patricia Pott's information, even pinpointing her old apartment. "Okay, yeah got it. We should be there in ten minutes max."

Tony nodded, his face paling significantly. "Awesome, okay… until then, I'm gonna pass out." And he was out like a light. His body was not ready at all, and his efforts now made his recovery rate deteriorate rather than improve. The suit was capable of indicating the status of the person's health, and even was able to administer temporary care, but without a vocal command, it had to remain quiet.

Which, in Tony's case, was not good.

Rhodey was able to fly the suit with ease, but he knew the real reason why. The suit was in autopilot, since Tony hadn't removed the command when Rhodey had reached him. Not like he would complain, because the ride and view was fantastic. Since he didn't have to pilot the suit, he was able to take in every detail of the city beneath him. Strange how it looked so different from above, when really it's the same city that he walks in everyday.

The suit suddenly jerked to a halt and descended to the group, firing up its boots at the end to gently land on the floor. Tony was still unconscious in the suit's arms, but looked a lot better than he had minutes ago. As the suit retracted itself, surprisingly not moving its arms to rouse the inventor, Rhodey surveyed the surroundings.

There was no one around him, so the suit's secret was still intact. "Uh, computer?"

Almost immediately, the internal voice said, "Yes, Mr. Rhodes?"

"You can hand me, Tony, but are you able to go back to the armory?"

"Indeed I am. Mr. Stark programmed me to fly unmanned. Are you sure my assistance is no longer required?"

Rhodey was taken aback by the computer's courtesy. "Yeah, I got this. Seriously, I don't think T is ready for the world to see you just yet. I'll have him contact you if you're needed again."

"Very well." The suit walked forward and carefully placed Tony into Rhodey's arms. Then without a word, it sped up into the air back in the direction of the armory. With drooling eyes, Rhodey walked up to the apartment's entrance and used his foot to kick the door. Tony was surprisingly light, which was also not a surprise based on the fact that he had spent over a week in the hospital without food.

The door opened, but a chained bolt kept it from opening all the way. "Who— Is that Tony Stark?" The red head said alarmed. She didn't wait for a response when she unlocked the bolt and threw open the door the rest of the way. "Come in! You can put him on the couch."

The red head came from the kitchen with a glass of water in her hands. She handed it to Rhodey, who graciously gulped down every drop. "Thanks."

She nodded, taking the glass from his hands. "I'm Pepper." She stuck out a hand, and Rhodey shook it.

"Rhodey."

"Rhodey?"

He laughed. "Yeah… it's a long story. I just go by Rhodey."

Pepper shrugged, smiling herself. "Interesting names go with interesting people. It's cool."

"Thanks." Rhodey said, already liking the girl. She had such a confident and playful personality. No wonder Tony liked her. "So, uh, Tony escaped the hospital to come here. I don't know why, but I'm hoping you'll answer that for me." He watched her walk to the kitchen to place the glass in the sink. She looked up at him with weary eyes and sighed.

"It's not exactly a story that can be told within a couple of minutes." She said finally. She knew Tony's friend wouldn't back down, but she was hoping he would spare her all the details.

"Yeah well, you have until he wakes up. I'm just as much of a friend to him as you are, so I'm not too keen on being in the shadows with this. Especially if it involved him going to the hospital." Rhodey said. He was going to get an explanation no matter what, but he felt as though the red head would actually tell him the entire story if given the time.

Pepper shook her head. "Trust me, if I had the time and energy you'd hear every detail. But I'll give you the gist." And so she told him about Gene Khan, the jerk face scumbag that entered her life and killed her father. She told him on how she met him, and how Gene went to some drastic measures, involving stabbing Tony, to get her for himself.

"So you're basically telling me this Gene kid is a psychopath."

Pepper shrugged. "Yeah basically."

"And you haven't tried calling the police?"

She snickered. "And say what? Gene Khan, the wealthiest, smartest, and quietest teenager in Manhattan killed my dad, stabbed Tony Stark, who is another wealthy kid who's father provided the military and officers the top weapons, and is attempting to keep me like a psychopath?"

Rhodey didn't respond back, knowing clear and well that Pepper had probably thought of every known way to get this Khan kid away from her. But what was Khan's reasoning behind this? It seriously can't just be that he liked the girl. But… if that was the case: would he really go to those great links to ensure that Pepper was his?

"You have a point, but it doesn't hurt to try." Rhodey reasoned, softly. Pepper sat down on a single couch, wrapping her legs underneath her. She gazed at Tony's body on the couch, and then at Rhodey who was balancing himself on the armrest.

She looked down at her hands and was surprised to see them visibly shaking. "I guess I was afraid to. My dad was a FBI, and he always worked closely with the NYPD."

"So?"

"So… they knew about me. They also know how much I complain about Gene Khan, and… I guess I was afraid they wouldn't believe me. I mean, my dad didn't even believe me. And now he's dead." She sighed, shaking her head.

Rhodey didn't seem convinced. "Did you see Khan kill him?:

"No. It wasn't really Gene Khan, per se, but I think he gave an order to." Pepper slowly thought about it, her subtle nods becoming stronger as she put her evidence together. "I—I was out with him after he stabbed Tony. He had his phone in his hands and got a call. He must've given his men a signal or something…"

"But you don't have the proof. You couldn't have gone to the police regardless. It's a dead case." Rhodey stated. He was about to say something when he heard a low moan. Tony's eyes snapped open, and he sprung up on the couch, his eyes wide. Rhodey stood up, rushing to his best friend's side. "Whoa, T, you okay?"

Tony gasped. "Bathroom, where's the bathroom?" He didn't wait for a response as he rushed from his place and to the nearest toilet. Rhodey and Pepper exchanged glances and waited as the genius walked back out, wiping his mouth on the back of his hands. He was still in his hospital gown and socks, but didn't seem the smallest bit bothered.

Rhodey hadn't truly realized the condition of his friend. The blood mark on his gown had grown a little bit more since when he first saw him on the rooftop. His face was ghostly pale and there were purple circles underneath his eyes. His once vibrant blue eyes had dulled into a stormy grey. He also lost weight; his cheekbones so sharp they could cut.

Tony frowned at Rhodey, but then he blinked several times, groaning. His knees buckled, but before he went down, his best friend caught him, pulling him to the couch. "I shouldn't have left so early." He gestured at his body. "I mean… look at me."

"Then tell me why you left?" Rhodey demanded.

Tony sighed, but then realized that the place he was at was not his home. He froze, then slowly turned his gaze towards his red-head, who was cautiously watching him from a reasonable distance. "Pepper?"

She smiled, and walked over to sit on the other side of him. She took his hand and nodded. "Yeah, it's me." Tony choked out a relieved sigh and cry.

He closed his eyes and breathed in. "Oh thank god. I woke up this morning from a coma, apparently. You're friend did a number on me." He said, gesturing to his wound. "I had to make sure you were okay." He looked over at Rhodey, who automatically understood.

"If you are going to protect me, you need to be in much better shape than this." Pepper said softly. She got up and walked back to the kitchen, swinging open a cabinet door. She came back with a handful of first aid supplies, and laid them out on the coffee table. "Lemme look at that." She pointed to his stomach.

With the help of Rhodey and Pepper, Tony managed to get the gown off of his chest to his waist. As Pepper got to work with gently peeling and re-bandaging the wound. "Where did you learn to deal with this? I mean, paper cuts okay, but stab wounds?"

Pepper smiled, still focusing on cleaning the bloody gash. "My dad. He sometimes comes home with bullet wounds, and I'm talking about the bullet being inside his body. I had to help him, and from there became his little nurse."

"Impressive." Tony hissed as Pepper smoothed out a fresh new bandage. "Thank you."

"Yeah no problem." She sat up, admiring her work.

"Okay, next problem at hand." Tony stated, slipping on the gown once more. "Has Gene done anything to since I was… out?" When he was met by silence, he looked over at Rhodey who stared down at his lap.

Pepper cleared her throat. "My dad was murdered." Tony's shocked expression led her to continue. "I think it was Gene Khan. He planned it after… after he… stabbed you."

Rhodey quickly interjected. "She thinks it's Gene Khan."

"I know it is, Rhodey." Pepper snapped back.

"You don't have proof."

"I know my father, and I know Gene Khan. I know what Gene Khan's plans, okay! I know him!"

"Well I don't care about you knowing anything about Gene Khan. Your relationship with him and Tony got Tony stabbed and in the hospital for a week!"

"It— wasn't— my— FAULT!" Pepper stood up, her face as red as her hair. Rhodey was up too, his eyebrows drawn tightly into a deep frown. He walked over to her, ready to yell at her some more. But, Tony quickly stood up, stepping in front of Rhodey. He put an arm out to block Pepper from approaching his best friend.

"Stop, both of you. First off, I'm fine Rhodey. It's not her fault what happened to me. Secondly, Pepper I'm so sorry about your dad. But, I agree with Rhodey that I need some proof. Regardless of Gene's stupidity, I won't kill him over no evidence." Tony reasoned. Suddenly an idea formed in his head, which he felt Pepper would fight against.

Pepper scoffed. "So what? What do you think is gonna get him to talk? Huh?"

The genius looked cautiously at the redhead, "It's an idea, and you won't like it."

"What are you talking about?"

The idea became solidified in Tony's mind, and he realized it was the best in the book, especially against a pig headed lunatic like Gene Khan. "You're gonna have to fall in love with Gene Khan."

I just COULD NOT find a place to end this chapter. I tried polishing up the edges here, because I mean, what I had before was a little rough. I also did try to remind you guys of what happened in the previous chapters, without you guys having to re-read it! So this is the best I got for a while.

Anyway… how about that small cliffy, eh? But as you guys know… the usual, please review! Let me know what you think! I know this story isn't one of the "highs" but hey… let's hope I can get this one quickly out of the way.

Review!

Love- PercyJacksonLover14