"That could be it," she chuckled. "Although that reminds me, there are some movies I'd like to show you sometimes. My friend Sue Richards thought you might find them amusing."
Nodding her thanks at his condolences, she paused, deciding if she'd say more. There were very few people she spoke to about her past at all. "We, um. My childhood was very unusual, and Jamie and I were... the outcasts. Literally, in this case. We were both disowned, and Jamie had just started his own business during my first year at Metropolis University. We found out he was HIV+ in my third, and I was forced to change majors, add a second to help support us, get a few jobs. When it because AIDS he couldn't work anymore, so he was forced to sell the business and lost his insurance. There weren't as many assistance programs then as there are now, but there were a few. I did a lot of his care myself, but it was a losing battle. He died a few months before graduation."
She didn't question where he'd been stationed; Pepper knew better. It was interesting to know he'd been in the Army though - something that both fit with her idea of him, and didn't. "How long were you with the Army?" she asked, hoping that was an appropriate question. "And, if it's okay to ask, did you go on to SHIELD from there?"
Pepper secretly loved her fish. She would have loved a house pet even more, but she would have felt guilty over leaving it along so long. Part of her envied Tony his robots. "Get at least two so they're not lonely. But, um... the same size, so they don't... you know. And make sure the tank is big enough, otherwise they fight." His mention of houseplants made her eyes light up. "Cactus!" she said, then blushed, biting her lower lip. "Um. Yes, cactus. Less watering. And some of them are edible. Just... don't overwater; you'll kill them." She looked away, her cheeks darkening noticeably.
Unable to help glancing at the sky, trying not to let paranoid creep in again, Pepper frowned. "No. It's not work related and it's none of his business. He knows I'm not kidnapped, injured, or dead - that's all that concerns him." It probably wouldn't be all that satisfied him, but as long as he stayed far away, she wouldn't be forced to maim him.