The Babysitter
Pepper walked into the house the next morning in search of her wayward boss. She had just gotten off the phone with Rhodes who had called looking for Tony so they could get on their way. Once she closed the door, she could hear noises coming from the kitchen. She walked through the doorway to the kitchen and was met with the sight of Tony cooking Peter, who was in his Spongebob pajamas, breakfast.
As Peter got older Tony made a point of learning how to cook so his son wasn’t eating takeout every night. He was still incredibly immature but really stepped up when it came to matters concerning his son. She knew this was in direct response to how Tony and his father were.
“You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now.” She said to Tony,making her presence known to the pair. “And you,” She said, turning her attention to Peter, “are supposed to be ready for school.”
With a raspy voice, Peter let out a quiet, “Busted.”
Pepper looked back at her boss at the sound of the younger Starks voice.
“He’s sick. Fever, sore throat, and coughing. He’s got a cold. I already called him out of school for the day.” He explained as he put the scrambled eggs from the pan on a plate and gave them to Peter. He then turned back to her. “Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?”
“Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago.”
“That's funny, I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there.” He said before he looked at Peter who was slowly eating. “What do you think?”
Peter just shrugged at his dad who laughed.
Pepper had a small smile on her face as she watched the two of them before she tried to steer the conversation back to where she actually needed it to go. “Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple things before I get you out of the door.”
Unfortunately for her he was still talking to Peter. “Doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?”
“I don’t know, I’m six.” He said, looking at his father like he was an idiot. That got both adults in the room laughing.
Pepper stopped laughing long enough to attempt to press on. “Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it? Yes or no?”
At this point Tony was putting the milk and egg carton back in the fridge. “Is it a good representation of his spring period?”
Pepper glanced at Peter and saw he was reaching for an orange that was in a basket on the table. She walked over and began to cut it for him. “No. The Springs was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked, not "spring" like the season.” As soon as she was finished cutting the orange she took a slice for herself and gave the rest to him, which caused Peter to gasp and point at her while she smiled and stuck her tongue out at him which he did right back.
Her boss prompted her to go on.
“I think it's a fair example. I think it's incredibly overpriced.” She explained knowing the inevitable outcome.
“I need it. Buy it. Store it.” He demanded as he put the frying pan the eggs cooked in into the sink.
“Okay.” She glanced at her checklist. “The MIT commencement speech…”
“Is in June. Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way, down…” He started to interrupt before….
“They're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes.” She interrupted right back.
“Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me.”
Pepper rolled her eyes at him before handing paperwork. “I need you to sign this
before you get on the plane.”
Tony signed it before handing it back. He crossed his arms as he leaned against the counter. “What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” She as she sat down at the table with Peter
“Well, share with the class.” He said as he gestured to himself and his son. Peter was still just happily eating his breakfast.
She just shook her head at her boss's antics. “If you must know, its my birthday.”
Peter perked up at hearing that. “It's your birthday?”
“Yes Peter.” She said to the boy who was now staring at her.
Tony looked to be deep in thought. “I knew that. Already?
“Yeah. Isn't that strange?” She asked rhetorically
Peter thought this would be a good time to chime in. “It's the same day as last year. Dad”
Tony laughed at that. “How silly of me.” He said before looking back at his assistant. “Get yourself something nice from the two of us”.
She reached over and took Peter’s plate and took it to the sink. “I already did.”
“And?”
“It was very nice.” She said turning to her boss
“That's good.” Peter said from the table.
“Very tasteful. Thank you, Mr. Stark.” Before glancing over at Peter. “Thank you Mr. Stark.”
“You're welcome, Pepper.” He said with a toothy smile.
The adults in the room just shook their heads in amusement.
Tony went over to Peter, picked him up and threw him over his shoulder which got Peter giggling and left the room. Pepper followed the pair. “Tony, you need to be on a plane.”
“I’m aware of that Ms. Potts.” Her boss said as he dropped the still giggling Peter on the couch. “I am just waiting on one thing and then I'm out the door.”
“What could be so important?” She asked incredulously.
“Well a babysitter for one.” He said as he handed Peter a blanket.
Pepper rolled her eyes at that. “I’m more than capable of watching Pete until May gets here.”
That last part had him snap his head at her. “May? She’s not the one watching him. Peter said he told you.”
Now Pepper was confused. “He did tell me. He told me that his aunt was coming.”
Realization struck him. “He was talking about my sister, not May.” He looked over at Peter, who wasn’t paying any attention to them. Instead he was watching tv. “That ones on me, I should have told you, not let Magoo fill you in.”
Pepper was surprised. “No, it's fine. I’ve just never met Maria, don’t even know what she looks like, so I sometimes forget that she exists.”
As soon as she said that, Tony could hear the front door open. When he looked towards it, his sister was standing there staring at him with an unimpressed look and her bag over her shoulder. “You’re supposed to be gone already. I believe I was promised quiet time before I had to pick up the little monster from school, who I believe that I see watching cartoons.”
Tony started walking over to her. “Well it's nice to see you too. Excuse me for wanting to see my baby sister.” As he got to her he pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear. “Pete’s sick so I had to wait for someone to get here.”
Maria nodded and walked over to the couch where her nephew was bundled up in his blanket. “What, no ‘hello aunt Ria’? I thought we were pals kid, besties even?” She teased him.
Peter just stuck his bottom lip out as he looked up at his aunt. “I’m sick.” He mumbled before he let out a fake cough.
“Oh you poor baby.” She said as she tickled him, getting him laughing.
Tony, though clearly amused watching the pair, interrupted them. “Ria this is Pepper, Pepper this is my sister Maria.”
Pepper walked over to Maria and stuck her hand out. “It's a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Likewise.” Maria said as she shook Pepper's hand out. “I also have to thank you for keeping an eye on these two and making sure they stay out of trouble.”
“Well Peter is still easy to handle, he’s still cute and unlike his father, he has manners.” Pepper said with a smile. “Though I’m not exactly sure where he got them from considering he’s spent so much time around his father.”
Maria laughed at the statement, Peter preened at his compliment, and Tony just loudly scoffed.
“Well if you’re done taking unnecessary shots at me,” He began before a “Never” from Maria, “I have a plane that I need to catch.”
After her brother left, Maria just hung out with Peter for the rest of the day. Pepper had left with Tony but had promised she would be back later. Jarvis informed Marie when it was time for her nephew to take his next dose of medicine.
“I hate this.” He mumbled she poured the medicine into the plastic cup.
Maria smiled at him. “Too bad kiddo. It will help you feel better.” She said as she handed him the medicine.
“Yuck.” He grimaced as he swallowed it.
Maria just ruffled his hair as she took the cup back from him and rinsed it out. “I know but the sooner you get better the sooner I get my partner in crime back.”
Peter perked up at that. “And I get to go back to school.”
His aunt just stared at him. “You know most kids would be excited about missing school?”
“I’m smarter than most kids.” He said in a nonchalant tone.
Maria walked out the bathroom, nephew in tow. “Tony’s genius and arrogance in such a cute form.” She looked back at him. “You’re dangerous kiddo.”
Peter just smiled innocently at his aunt who chuckled at him. The two went back into the living room and settled onto the couch.
“How about a movie Pete?” She asked him.
“Star Wars.” He immediately said, nestling into her side.
She just shook her head in amusement. She had loved the original trilogy as soon as Tony had shown them to her after she moved in with him and saw all of the prequels as soon as she could, episodes one and three in theaters on opening night but had to wait for episode two since she was in Afghanistan. She had shown them to Peter when he and Tony visited their old New York house last year and her nephew became obsessed with them.
“On it kiddo.” She said to him, “Jarvis, start A New Hope and dim the windows please.”
“At once ma’am.” The A.I complied and the room got darker and the opening credits for the movie blared.
Peter was fast asleep by the time Luke was rescuing Leia from the Death Star. She had Jarvis lower the volume and kept watching, she couldn’t move without disturbing Peter, and was now starting Empire. She was absent mindedly running her hand through his hair in thought. The last time she had seen him and Tony was a quick trip the two of them had made in between Christmas and New Years. Maria had taught Pete how to skate and they threw snowballs at his father. Sharron’s parents came to see them for a day, Sharron was busy with work for Shield.
Before they had left, the three of them went to see aunt Peggy and it was luckily one of her better days. She immediately recognized Peter which was a relief. Tony wanted to give his son as many good memories of Peggy before things got too bad and that was something Peggy agreed with. Peggy had made the siblings swear to her that Peter would not see her when the disease got to bad, she didn’t want him to remember her like that.
She was interrupted from her thoughts by the sound of the front door opening. When she looked up she saw Pepper coming in. She brought her finger up to her lips and pointed at Peter's sleeping form, getting a nod of acknowledgement back from the assistant.
Pepper got closer to aunt and nephew and took her phone out and motioned to the camera. Maria looked down at her sleeping nephew and then back at Pepper and nodded.
“I don’t want to see this on your MySpace page.” Maria whispered.
“I would never…..I don’t have.”Pepper sputered.
Maria’s soft laughter brought her to a stop. “How many years have you been my brother’s P.A and you can’t recognize when someone is screwing with you?”
Pepper harrumphed at Maria. “I have come to expect it from him but was kind of hoping you would be different.”
Maria just let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. “You forget he practically raised me. We practically fed off each other with sarcasm.” She said as Pepper shook her head. “What are you doing back here? I figured with your boss out of the country for the next week you would be living it up.”
“I was just coming to check up on you guys.” She said sitting down on a chair across from Maria.
Maria just raised an eyebrow at Pepper. “You do know that I have spent time alone with my nephew before, right?”
Pepper immediately defended herself. “No no, that's not what I meant. Just that he was sick and I didn’t know if you needed help with anything. I know Starks can be pretty difficult when sick.”
Maria shook her head in amusement. Tony was a royal pain in the ass anytime he was sick. Always fighting with everyone, telling them he wasn’t sick and usually making it worse for himself. So far Peter was far easier in his young life. “We’re doing fine. I’m going to have to wake him up soon so he can eat dinner.” She said before something dawned on her. “Do you happen to know if my brother has any soup in the house?”
Pepper thought. “Uhm.. I think there should still be some in the pantry. If not, I can run to the store for you.”
Maria shook her head at that. “You’re not going to the store to buy soup. If there isn’t any in the house I’ll just order some. Enjoy your week off.”
Maria suddenly felt movement to her side and heard a moan. When she looked down she saw Peter slowly starting to wake up. “Hey bud. Are you hungry?” She asked. He nodded yes as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
When he started looking around the room, his eyes settled on Pepper and they widened. “Pepper, you have your birthday party!”
Maria looked at her brother's assistant. “It’s your birthday?” She got a sheepish nod back. “Okay. I’m going to say this as nicely as possible. GET OUT.”
“But aunt Ria, I want to celebrate Peppers birthday” Peter pleaded with his damned puppy dog eyes.
Maria sighed. “What are you doing tomorrow?” She asked Pepper.
“Wha…. nothing.”
“Good, you're coming over for dinner and cake with me and the munchkin.” Maria said before looking down at her manipulative nephew. “Happy?” She asked and got a nod back. “Fantastic, now then you,” she pointed at Pepper, “get out and enjoy yourself on your birthday and you, “she tickled Peter's sides, “get up so that I can make you dinner.”
Both did as they were told. After Pepper left, aunt and nephew wandered into the kitchen in search of soup. Miraculously, Tony had a can of chicken noodle soup in the kitchen so she heated that up for the two of them. Peter would chime in every so often letting his aunt know where something was.
After they ate, Maria sent Pete to get a shower and get ready for bed while she cleaned up the kitchen from dinner. Once she had everything cleaned up, she went upstairs and found Peter in a new pair of Star Wars pajamas standing on a stool in his bathroom brushing his teeth.
She leaned on the doorframe and watched him. “Jarvis, can I get a temperature check on Peter please?” She asked the A.I.
“Certainly ma’am, young sir’s body temperature has dipped to 98.8 degrees. His fever has appeared to have broken but would recommend that you continue giving him his medicine at least for tonight.”
Peter groaned as he spit out the tooth paste and his aunt poured him another dose. “You heard the almighty computer Pete, drink up.”
Peter made a face as his aunt handed it to him. He drank it and grimaced as he swallowed the last of it.
“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” His aunt teased as she led him to his bed. She pulled his covers back and he hopped up onto the bed. She put the blanket back over him. “Goodnight sweetheart.” And she kissed his forehead.
“Night aunt Ria.” He said with a yawn.