InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Who ya gonna call?"

lunafreya nox fleuret (luxoraculum) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2012-05-24 04:25:00

Entry tags:

mycroft holmes, pepper potts

Who: Pepper Potts and Mycroft Holmes.
What: A domestic evening...or as domestic as it gets when Mycroft is planning an assassination.
Where: Mycroft's house.
When: Late evening.
Rating:
Status:

For all that Pepper had told Tony her place was a mess from packing, and it was from her perspective, she had actually managed to be very organized and efficient about moving in with Mycroft. Not that this should have surprised anyone. Pepper was nothing if not organized and efficient in everything she did. She'd decided that bringing things over a little at a time was far more practical than trying to move everything in at once, and she had most of her books and already moved in. At least she didn't have to worry about furniture, since Mycroft's house was well furnished, so all she had to do was move some more things in, then bring her clothes and personal items with her when she finally left her place.

It was a big step, but she was happy with Mycroft. Their relationship was a comfortable one, and she was looking forward to this new step, especially since it felt as though things wouldn't change that much from how they already were. At the moment, for instance, the pair of them were sitting on the couch, working on some files and eating takeout. Well, she was working. Mycroft seemed to be more and more preoccupied with his phone. She could hardly blame him, of course. Moriarty showing up in the city had to unsettle him. She just hoped that whatever he was doing would work out for the best.

"Relax," she said gently, resting a hand on his arm as she leaned over and pressed her lips to his cheek. "It will all work out. Worrying about it isn't going to change anything." All they could really do was wait and hope that Clint would manage the job Mycroft had given him, and she didn't want to see Mycroft work himself into a state over the situation. "Now stop dwelling on things that are outside your control. You stress yourself out enough as it is." The words might have been more believable, of course, if she didn't keep sneaking anxious glances at his PDA. She was still reeling a little from Natasha telling her about Phil, and she didn't want to think about the possibility of something happening to Mycroft now.

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hisarchenemy
2012-05-29 09:45 pm UTC (link)

In the city of Colligo, things seemed to ebb and flow in a way that was downright dizzying at times and quite frustrating, to say the least. Whenever something positive happened, something equally negative came along not long after. For example, Mycroft had, for the first time in his life, truly allowed his emotions for another person to be known and, as a result, things with Pepper were going splendidly. And then Tony Stark had arrived.

Now, just when he and Sherlock had finally reached an understanding insofar as to how involved they would be in the other's life, Moriarty had come to the city. And although Mycroft still had every intention of allowing his brother to make his own mistakes and find his own way, there was absolutely no possible way he was willing to let the madman responsible for Sherlock's downfall in their own reality free reign here. So he'd taken action with a bold move that went against the main - and really only - unspoken rule in Colligo that the non-locals had been practising since they had first come to the city: allow anyone who comes here to live in peace, regardless of their actions in their own reality.

In short, he'd hired someone to kill James Moriarty before his presence could even be known much less before he could do anything to warrant the reaction.

Mycroft knew it was a very dangerous move on his part. If something went wrong, if Clint Barton somehow failed in his task, there would be hell to pay for all parties involved. There was also the slim possibility that Sherlock would learn of what he'd done and would be rather upset about it. Not because Sherlock had any love loss for his self-proclaimed biggest fan but rather because Mycroft had, once again, stuck his nose into things. However it was a calculated risk he was more than willing to take. In fact, it was one he felt he really had to take. Allowing Moriarty free reign of the city was only going to lead to disaster in both small and large ways and Mycroft simply refused to allow that to happen.

Sighing softly, worry lines etched deeply across his forehead, he glanced up from his PDA and over at Pepper as she spoke. There was a touch of fondness in his gaze, despite the clear preoccupation with what was hopefully taking place between the hired assassin and the biggest challenge his brother had ever known, and there was even a bit of amusement to be found as well at Pepper's own anxious glances toward his PDA as she, too, waited for confirmation that the deed was done.

"You're right, my dear," he agreed after a moment, purposefully placing his PDA on the table and reaching for his glass of wine. "Working myself into a state is scarcely going to ensure success in the matter." Pausing, he took a sip of his wine then added, "Although, should Mr. Barton not succeed in his task, I'm certain you'll understand my reason for insisting upon the immediate increase in security, both here as well as at the office."

The thought of anything happening to her, because of him, simply wasn't something he could even tolerate.

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luxoraculum
2012-06-04 06:02 am UTC (link)

Pepper was relieved when Mycroft gave in as easily as he did. Their relationship wasn't perfect, because no real relationship was, and they were still working on finding a balance in so many ways. Work and their personal life was just one of those balancing acts, and Moriarty straddled that line in an uncomfortable way. For all that dealing with the man was business in a sense, it was also deeply personal. She didn't know all the details of what had happened between the criminal, Mycroft, and his brother, but she did know it had been serious and, in many ways, Mycroft was still haunted by what had happened.

She just hoped that Clint could do the job. If he was one of Phil's that meant he was competent, but competency alone wouldn't necessarily be enough with Moriarty. She was afraid that, if he did fail in getting rid of the man, things would be far worse than they would be otherwise. And if that happened, she knew Mycroft would be right in the middle of it. And with a giant target painted on him. It wasn't a possibility she particularly wanted to consider and she reached for her wine and took a sip to calm her nerves. Worrying wouldn't help. They just had to hope for the best.

"We just have to have faith in your judgment where Mr. Barton is concerned," she said with a small smile, because trusting Mycroft's judgment really was easier than it should have been. Pepper had always been a practical woman, never the sort to just trust someone's judgment implicitly. It certainly had never helped that it was usually Tony she was supposed to trust. The man was something of a disaster and, though she cared for him, trusting him was a difficult thing. But it was different with Mycroft. She believed in him and she was more willing than she usually was to follow his lead. It was as unsettling as it was reassuring. She was pretty sure she'd grow to like the feeling.

"If this doesn't work," she assured him, "you'll have my full support in increasing security. I promise. I'm not exactly thrilled at the idea of Moriarty going after you, and I'd rather be prepared for that possibility than not." She didn't say what they were both thinking, that it was very likely that Moriarty would try to use her against Mycroft. She didn't want to think about that, not because she was scared but because she didn't want to put Mycroft through that again. He'd lost enough and she wasn't certain he could handle losing her again.

"We'll figure it out," she promised him, taking another sip of wine. "But I don't want to borrow trouble. There's every chance Mr. Barton will succeed. He is very good at what he does after all."

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