Epilogue

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts walked hand-in-hand down the hallway of the Tomorrow Academy, having just turned in their lockers and preparing to leave high school behind forever. The pair tuned out the sounds of other lockers slamming around them, focusing more on the feel of the other's hand in theirs and thinking about how best to spend the weekend together. Sparring, unfortunately, was out of the question, since Pepper was still healing her dislocate arm.

"So, you're sure your dad and Sam will be OK? You're sure you don't want to go with them?" Tony wanted to make sure that his girlfriend was truly all right with being left behind for the weekend while her father and sister enjoyed some time traveling upstate to spend some quality father/daughter time for themselves. Pepper nodded to Tony's inquiry.

"I'm sure. Sam hasn't had a chance to do anything fun with Dad in a long time, at least not without me being around, too. And he hasn't been able to spend any real time with her since she got here. They need this."

Tony smiled back at her and squeeze her hand just a little more, glad that the whole situation had finally smoothed over; that the two Potts sisters were on good terms at last, and that things would be returning to how they had been before, if not a little better.

The blue-eyed genius and the redhead looked away from each other and toward the school's front doors, and just as Tony registered a young man as tall as Happy Hogan, wearing a military dress uniform, who was standing in front of them, he heard Pepper gasp beside him and come to a sudden stop, her hand squeezing tighter to his and causing him to nearly stumble forward.

"There's more about my life that you don't know yet. And I want to tell you. I will tell you. But later. I promise. Later," she had said these words to him, a week ago, and later was here. Now.

Tony looked at Pepper briefly, noting a look of utter astonishment on her face, before looking back at the tall soldier standing in their way. The man was a few years older than they were, probably in the mid-twenties range, and was holding a large bag by its strap in his right hand. He smiled down at the ginger, dropped the bag at his side, then removed his hat from his head, revealing a standard military crewcut hairdo of short red hair.

"Hi, Pepper."

The redhead being spoken to released her boyfriend's hand and held both to her mouth for a moment. She then uttered a squeal, spread her arms wide, ignoring her dislocation soreness, and threw herself at the young soldier, screaming out at the top of her already powerful lungs, causing echoes to flood every hall of the academy.

"TOMMY!"

The ginger's arms circled the young man's neck while he circled her shoulders with his own arms, lifting her feet right off the ground with the hug. After a moment, he set Pepper back on the floor, still smiling widely.

"Still loud as ever, I see."

"Tommy, I can't believe you're here," Pepper's eyes began to tear up as she looked him over. Tony's face denoted his confusion, but he remained unnoticed by the two until he cleared his throat and took a step forward.

"Uh, Pep, you gonna introduce me?"

Pepper looked back at Tony, her eyes going wide again as she remembered that she would need to offer up an explanation for what was taking place. However, the handsome soldier beat her to it. He removed his arms from around the ginger's shoulders and stepped toward the inventor.

"Well, well, would you look at this? Iron Man himself; the Tony Stark!" He then snapped both booted heels together and raise his hand in a salute.

"Corporal Thomas Alexander Potts."

Tony's mouth dropped open as Tommy lowered his arm from its salute position and extended his hand towards Tony – a move which the inventor reciprocated, mostly on autopilot, resulting in a strong handshake.

"I've been looking forward to meeting my little sister's famous boyfriend."

At this, Tony's eyes went wide and he looked to his girlfriend, who was now looking at the floor with her arms behind her back, one foot moving back and forth, her usual expression of embarrassment. He kept alternating glances between the two.

"Little… sister? You have an older brother, Pep? A brother you've never told me about?"

Pepper smiled sheepishly in response.

"Oh, yeah: Him. So… about that… funny story…"

The End