runs_the_show (runs_the_show) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2012-12-08 02:45:00 |
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Norman Osborn knew all about Stark Industries, of course. Know thy enemy and all that jazz, and even if referring to the other company as an enemy was a little extreme, things in Norman’s world weren’t quite as they were in everyone else’s. Anyone who wasn’t him was an enemy, a rival, and he barely trusted those who worked for Oscorp on a good day, never mind those who didn’t. He wasn’t well acquainted with Tony Stark, or even acquainted with him at all, but he did know that lovely redhead of his, and that was a start. To be on top you had to destroy the competition first, and Stark’s little setup was probably the only one large enough, and successful enough, to register as a threat on his own personal radar... especially after the Connors fiasco. If it hadn’t been for that damned spider, he could have used Connors... but no, now he was who the hell knew where and of no use to anyone. Business first, however, and Spider-Man and his little friends later. Or, you know, whenever he had the time. He could multi-task. So, all in all, some might think paying an actual visit to the company might be out of character. Why would the CEO of Oscorp go anywhere near the place unless he and Stark had some sort of meeting, right? Which wasn’t, as far as anyone knew, and some of these reporters were good, on the books, and rightly so. Norman wasn’t there for some businessman chats; no, he was there to see Ms. Potts, and they could do with that information as they liked. He strolled into the building like he owned the place, which he did no matter where he went, gave his name to the woman behind the desk with a winning grin, and after a few moments was sent up to Ms. Potts’ office, a bottle of wine wrapped in a silk bow-- which hadn’t come cheap, thank you very much. Pepper was a mess. A complete and utter mess. She was doing her absolute best to keep her act together but her paperwork had been slipping and, if it was later in the day, her words had been slurring. She’d gone through a good bit of Tony’s personal stock of alcohol, but he wouldn’t miss it. He wasn’t around, gone off doing god knew what. Since she didn’t particularly want to talk to him, she didn’t bother reaching out to Mr McKellar either. Pepper had spoken, briefly, to Doctor Banner, thus fulfilling her promise to the two men fussing over Ms Sorenson, and then she took a vacation. Four straight days on a beach in Maui, drunk to the point of near oblivion and that was the way she liked it. All good things come to an end though and she knew she needed to return to work. Freshly tanned and slightly less drunk, Pepper was seated at her desk dressed down in designer jeans and a silk, jewel toned blue blouse. Her strawberry blonde hair fell around her face, loose in a way she rarely ever had it. She even looked far more relaxed than usual, which should have been a red flag if anyone was looking. And they weren’t. When security called to let her know that Mr Osborn was at the front desk, she was quite surprised. Pleasantly surprised. She informed them to let him up and he was let into her office as soon as he arrived on the proper floor. “Norman, what a pleasant surprise,” she greeted warmly, stepping out from behind her desk to greet him properly with a kiss on his cheek. “What brings you here?” Being treated like a visitor was strange for Norman, especially since he was very much like a dictator when it came to Oscorp. No one questioned him, no one told him what to do, how to do it, or where to go; he held all the power, and everyone knew it. Oh, he put on a slightly more benevolent show for the general public and the media, since he hardly wanted to become a pariah, but college students didn’t go looking for interns at his company thinking it would be an easy ride. No, only the most ambitious dared apply to Oscorp, and only those willing to put in the effort worked there; just the way he liked it. He wasn’t sure how Tony ran Stark Industries, or if he even ran it at all these days, but being inside meant he could catch a glimpse of how things were run. Always useful, in his opinion. Next to the man himself, Pepper was the only one who knew as much about the company, and while he wasn’t fool enough to believe that she would just spill all her secrets, this visit was all about laying the groundwork. Who knew, maybe one day he could coax her away from Stark and get her to come work for him. He smiled as soon as he was let into her office, power and wealth all wrapped up in one suit-clad package. “The pleasure is all mine, Pepper,” he said smoothly, once the door was closed behind them. While Norman was usually more accustomed to handshakes, he could weather kisses on the cheek, a necessity in the business world. “We haven’t spoken since that terrible party, and I thought it was about time I paid you a visit. I think of you as a friend, and I don’t have many of those.” He set the bottle of wine down on her desk, and turned to face her. “How have you been? Well, I hope, since we last spoke.” Had she been herself, Pepper would likely have been more cognizant of potential ulterior motives on Norman’s behalf. She wasn’t herself though, feeling less and less like herself by the day. The alcohol helped, kept her numb and her mind off what happened at the party. It was her hope that if she just forced herself to not think about it, eventually she’d just forget. Norman distracted her quite thoroughly though, with the confidence and power that Tony always exuded, just a bit more maturely. Maybe she was just looking through rose colored glasses, but it didn’t matter. At the mention of the party, she frowned, but it only lasted a moment as she reached for the glass tumbler on her desk. One swallow of the dark brown liquid was enough to push the party away. That was how she liked it. “You couldn’t have possibly had better timing, Norman,” she replied warmly, leaning back against her desk, legs elongated out in front of her. Her free hand was loose and relaxed, resting on her lap, the other still holding onto the glass. She wasn’t going to let it go of it any time soon. “I seem to be in a similar situation. I’m not quite sure I can count Mr Stark’s business associates among friends,” Pepper explained, referring to the Avengers who weren’t really the Avengers here. “Besides, I’m not so sure it counts when they care about your counterpart in Las Vegas.” Bitterness? What was that? Pepper washed her words away with the last of her drink. “I took a vacation for the first time during my tenure at Stark Industries. Hawaii is lovely this time of year,” she offered, setting the tumbler down. “How have you been?” By now, Norman would have assumed that the world had moved on from the party and whatever had occurred there. No use dwelling on the past, after all, and while he occasionally thought about what he’d done that night, it certainly didn’t dominate his thoughts. As he watched Pepper, however, he wondered if she was the exception, and the thought brought no shortage of satisfaction. He liked the possibility that he’d had such a profound effect upon her, even if he normally wasn’t inclined to such animalistic behavior. Despite his ruthless nature and the sadism of the seemingly separate personality created by the serum, he was still human, but strip all that away and he was just another monster. “Really?” He raised his eyebrows. “I’m glad my timing is so fortunate. Despite the amount of respect I have for some of my own associates, I would hardly call them friends either.” Respect? Hah. He worked with others because in the business world it was necessary, but if he’d had it his way, he would do everything himself. Fortunately, he was a master manipulator, and somehow managed to come out on top no matter who he had to work with or how the deal was split. “Ah, yes. Our counterparts. It almost makes you feel as though it’s simply concern by association, doesn’t it?” Personally, Norman gave little thought to the man through the door, though it amused him that the little blonde resided in the head of someone he cared about, and he also knew the woman with the redhead. All he had to do was find Peter Parker, and perhaps his son, and the collection would be complete. “A vacation to Hawaii? I hope you don’t mind if I venture an assumption and say you deserved it,” he said with a smile. “I can hardly remember the last time I took a vacation. Did you enjoy yourself?” As for how he’d been, Norman simply waved a hand. “The same as usual. Busy. I doubt that will change in the near future.” Not that he minded, of course. He needed to be occupied, otherwise the voice would find ways to occupy him instead, and that would undoubtedly end badly for someone. "Indeed. Working for Mr Stark has left little time for anything else, friends or otherwise. It isn't so bad, in all honesty. I love the work I do and managing people has always come naturally," she replied, glad she could at least count Norman as a friend. It was simple, easy, and he understood how busy things could be given that he was in a similar business. Pepper was just wallowing, feeling sorry for herself in the worst possible way. She wasn't thinking about anyone else but herself, which was wholly unlike her in any other instance. "Concern by association is perhaps a very accurate sentiment," she replied, setting the glass down and moving back around to sit in her chair. "Mine, Ms Sorenson, she seems to attract the attentions of a number of older men who, rather unfortunately, have people through this door. It certainly raises a few questions," she offered, this time not as bitter. She'd given up on pushing Tony, given up on hoping he would realize just how much she cared about him the way he had after the events of the Expo. It just hurt too much, and now this? It was insult added to injury and she wouldn't have it. "Oh yes, I'd say so. I dare say I could have taken more than four days, but I have the company to think about an I'm rather hands on with everything." Pepper forced a smile. "Busyness seems to be the way of our world. It's a good thing we enjoy it so much, hmm?" Pepper might have said that it wasn’t so bad, but Norman knew that there was more to it. Maybe on a regular day she enjoyed her job, didn’t mind working all hours and having little time for herself, but something had changed, and whatever it was he certainly intended on using it to his advantage. “Doing something you’re good at is an advantage,” he agreed with a nod. “Enjoying it is simply an added bonus. Free time, however, is rare. I often feel as though I’m not around enough for my son, but I do the best I can.” He sighed, as though lamenting the difficulties of parenthood, aware that this was likely the first she’d heard of his child. Well, he was practically an adult by now, but still a constant disappointment. Not that she needed to know that. “Personally, I would rather have no concern at all, rather than being treated as an extension of someone else. You deserve better.” Oh, sometimes he outdid himself. The name she gave was tucked away, categorized as something that might one day be useful or, conversely, utterly useless. “What sort of questions?” He was quite pleased that no one on either side of the door knew who he was, or who the man was, and he intended to keep it that way for as long as possible. Much less complicated. When she mentioned being hands on, he let out a good-natured chuckle. “Oh, I understand. That’s why I doubt I’ll ever manage to take a vacation. If I didn’t enjoy my work, I doubt Oscorp would be as successful as it is. The same could be said for Stark Industries,” he added, knowing very well the man whose name the company belonged to wasn’t half as hands on as either of them, or as invested. His son? Norman couldn’t have been too much older than her, she didn’t think. Mid-forties at the latest and she was in her early thirties. A number of thoughts ran through her mind in quick succession. He had a son? She wasn’t even dating someone, hadn’t even considered marriage, nor children. Not once, had she ever considered having children before. Nor now, really, but it did make her think. What would have happened if she had gotten pregnant from the green eyed man? Her immediate reaction was to insist that she would’ve kept the baby, but maybe that was because she wasn’t pregnant. She couldn’t face the idea of wanting to end a fetus’ life because she’d made a poor choice. She had no doubts that what happened that night was her fault. She had asked, begged with her body and her words, and he’d delivered. Darkness washed over her until he said something about her deserving better. That snapped her out of it because she didn’t. She knew she didn’t. Pepper was shaking her head before she even realized what she was doing. “No, I...It’s not like that. Mr Stark has his own responsibilities. As his assistant, sure, I was an extension, but here? It’s...a little different.” She thought it was, but Norman had just planted a seed of doubt and she didn’t even realize it. Giving up Justine’s name meant nothing. She trusted him as a friend, and what was the name of her person through the door? “Oh, just about who, exactly, cares about who.” From her tone, it was easy to deduce that she thought it was the Vegas side concern that outweighed any concern for her. It always came back to Justine. Pepper managed a small smile at his own dedication. “I’d never missed a day of work before this whole Door business started. Four days vacation was never something I would have considered before this.” She paused, a little melancholy. “I hope this place doesn’t change you too much, Norman. Though, I will suggest at least a day’s relaxation if possible.” Not drunk on a beach, perhaps, but time to himself wouldn’t hurt. “How is your son? I’m sure you did the best you could.” Oh, it was a tragic tale, how Norman had married his college sweetheart, only to lose her to an illness when Harry was just a baby. He’d been a different man then, and he might be a different man now had she lived. But she hadn’t lived, and there was no use dwelling on hypotheticals that had no bearing on the present, or the future, because the dead couldn’t return to life. Even without an explanation, it was common knowledge that Norman Osborn didn’t have a wife, even if it wasn’t widely known that he was a widow. Of course, he had no way of knowing where her thoughts had roamed; he wasn’t a mind-reader, unfortunately, though he was quite adept at convincing people he was something pretty damn close to one. When she insisted that she wasn’t an extension, however, he merely smiled, aware that he’d hit a nerve. It was good enough for now, and he feigned haste in backtracking, as though he’d simply misspoken. Hah. “Of course,” he assured her. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.” It was becoming quite clear that Pepper had a complicated relationship with her girl through the door, and those connected to her, and feelings like unimportance and being second-rate were so very easy to play upon. “Ah. Those are tricky questions, ones we might not always like the answers to,” he remarked tactfully. As of yet, the Door business hadn’t yet driven him to take a vacation, and he had far too many plans in the works to allow himself to slack off now. “I hope it doesn’t either, Pepper.” That would just be tragic. As for his son, Harry wasn’t a topic he often discussed, but he wasn’t adverse to doing so. “Harry’s in his senior year at Midtown High,” he told her. “He’s not the most focused student, but he has potential. He simply has to learn how to use it. His mother died when he was only a few years old, and it’s been the two of us ever since.” That he backtracked quickly eased some of the tension she was feeling. “Of course not,” she replied, managing a smile, but she still thought about it. She loved working for Tony more often than not, loved the environment Stark Industries provided, and she was content with her life. That was all before the Doors business and Las Vegas. Did it really change things that much? There were too many people, too many influences and opinions that were clamoring for attention. Maybe she was over thinking things or simply extending herself too far. She wasn’t sure, and she likely wouldn’t know until she burned herself out. “They are. How do you get along with yours? Hopefully much better than Justine and I,” she offered, though if they were talking, it was already a step above hers. The more Norman talked about his son, the more familiar the story became. “Oh, yes, I think we have spoken about him before. I’m sure once he hits college, he’ll find his path and things will just fall into place. He’s quite lucky to have you for a father, Norman,” Pepper replied warmly. “I am sorry to hear about your wife though. I can only imagine that your relationship with Harry is stronger for it.” In this, at least, Norman didn’t have to lie. As long as his man through the door toed his line and behaved, they would have no issue with one another. “We don’t have a great deal of interaction,” he admitted. “He’s aware of me, and I’m aware of him, but that’s the extent of our... relationship. I give him his time, and he gives me mine. I suppose we’re more civil than some, though we’re hardly friendly.” In his opinion, the man was lazy and unmotivated, living off family wealth and doing nothing worthwhile with his life, and he wanted to distance himself from that sort of person as much as possible. Of course, the fact that the girl he had feelings for also happened to have Miss Stacy in her mind complicated matters, especially since she was a valuable pawn, but he could sort all of that out later. Within the confines of his mind, the voice began to laugh, a mocking, manic sound, but Norman simply pressed his lips together and smiled. Oh, yes, anyone would be so very fortunate to have him as a father. He was not so self deluded to believe that he was a good parent, but he refused to coddle his son, to spoil him. Harry needed to learn how to survive in the real world, how to succeed, and to hell with what anyone else thought. “I’m hoping that college with give him a little more direction,” he agreed. “I do like to think we’re close. He’s all I have, after all. My legacy lies with him.” “Civility is something sorely lacking in many these days. It’s certainly preferable to conflict,” Pepper offered with a warm smile, glad that at least he wasn’t burdened by the stress of the job and the stress of the person through the door. She wondered, briefly, if they had interacted in Las Vegas, but decided that he would’ve mentioned it if that was the case when she told him Justine’s name. She didn’t press him for a name, not even thinking anything of it, and found another drink rather quickly. Anything to make the day go by faster. “I’m hoping that things will get better with time and distance,” she admitted. The whole Door business was a curve ball she hadn’t expected and after Felicia, it was a little difficult for her to adjust. If alcoholism worked for Tony, maybe it’d work for her. For now, at least. “College will be a big step for both of you, I think. I remember when I first went off to school. It’s as much of a wake up call as he’ll get through school. There are always other ways, of course, but I think college will be a good first step.” She could barely imagine having a child ready to go off to college. Was she missing something out of life? was she happy? Party aside, she had been. She felt as though she needed to mend her relationship with Tony, because she had a feeling it was her fault, but she would deal with that later. When he wasn’t so busy with the not!Avengers and she wasn’t so busy with the least professional pity party in the world. “If there’s anything I can do, don’t hesitate to ask. It’s the least I can do,” she assured him warmly. Norman she could focus on. There was a small voice, in the back of her mind, suggesting he could have been the man at the party, but she drowned it out with another sip from her glass. She wasn’t going to push away one of the few friends she had because he was a man. If Norman could take a step back and look, really look at the picture he was painting of himself for dear, sweet Pepper, he might have burst into laughter right then and there and blown his cover. Oh, Norman Osborn knew how to pretend to be civil, sure, but the truth was he relished conflict, often because he won, and he did so like to win. “Of course,” he agreed, so smoothly that there was no hint of a lie anywhere in his words. Why would there be? “So much can be accomplished without conflict, often with more success, but some seem incapable of realizing that. It’s unfortunate, that good sense is becoming rarer and rarer these days.” That much, at least, was true. If he could run Oscorp solely on his own, he would fire every goddamn employee on his payroll in an instant. “I do hope things get better for you as well,” he added, throwing in a little empathy for good measure. In all honesty, Harry being in college and Harry being in high school wouldn’t be much of a difference in terms of how often he saw the boy. Norman was rarely home as it was, and his interaction with his son was minimal. His only hope was that he would turn his life around in college, and live up to the Osborn name; he was his only heir, damn it, and unless he went out and started trying to have more sons there wasn’t going to be anyone to step up and take Harry’s place. “I hope so,” he sighed. “Maybe he just needs to leave high school behind, and find friends who take their futures seriously.” Gwen Stacy was, perhaps, the only good influence in their little ragtag group of teenagers, but as a female she was automatically a distraction despite her intelligence. “I’ll try not to, but I would hate to inconvenience you on my behalf,” he told her. “Then again, the same goes for me, so I suppose I’m in no position to object.” Pepper felt as though she and Norman were very similar. It was a comforting thought, one that made her feel a little less alone. Well, provided he kept his distance and let her initiate all the contact. She’d realized that had been the difference; she’d initiated contact here, whereas Tony had reached out to her first the last time. It was about being in control, making the decision about who to touch and where, and who to allow to touch her. She could do this. “It’s a pity there aren’t more people like us in the world, Norman,” came her warm reply. Her phone rang a moment later and the caller ID indicated it was a fairly important contact that she’d been trying to reach unsuccessfully for the better part of the week. “I need to get this, but it was lovely to see you again, Norman. At the very least, don’t be a stranger,” she offered, and waited until he was out the door before picking up the phone and getting back down to business. |