The Unquiet Thought, Interlude 3
So obviously posting early didn't happen, but you know what did? Hydroplaning.
Interlude (Pepper)
The plane had landed at precisely 11 am.
Happy had picked her up, sans Tony (which was rather worrying since he knew exactly when she was planning to arrive), and welcomed her with a rich cup of coffee. She could have kissed him.
By the time Pepper reached the tower her phone had not rung once and when she walked through the doors she was greeted by security and an assistant. It was almost normal, normal being relative to how a business trip at any other company might function, which was why she knew Tony was up to something.
It just wasn’t clear what that something was.
She sends a quick text to James.
The fact is that she’s so focused on what she’ll say to Tony when she does run into him that she literally runs into a wall.
Well, Thor. But sometimes he’s like a wall.
“Oh!” she catches herself by grabbing onto his arm before she overbalances backwards. He blinks blue eyes down at her in confusion and Pepper has enough time to become genuinely concerned before he responds with a quiet, “Miss. Potts.” She can barely hear a word which is so unlike him that she is instantly on alert. The mutterings are a mix of “trickery” and “gone” and “didn’t work” and the focus of his eyes darting about. He looks lost.
“Thor? Are you alright?”
“I-” He stops, distracted.
She reaches up to cup his cheek in her hand.
“Go lie down.”
“No, I-”
“Thor.” He looks at his feet. “You need to take a break, something is wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Do you need to get out of the tower? Maybe go see Jane?” He perks up a bit.
“I will go see Jane, yes, that sounds-” he stops abruptly, looking absolutely stricken. For a moment Pepper is thrown, and then she calls Happy. And the Pilot. In ten minutes Thor is being driven to a private jet and en route to Jane. Pepper didn’t want him trying to fly himself in the emotional state he was in.
She is watching him walk out to the car when her assistant calls to her. Pepper hesitates by the doors of the elevator, lets out a heavy breath, and then heads to her office.
Chapter 8
Interlude (Pepper)
The plane had landed at precisely 11 am.
Happy had picked her up, sans Tony (which was rather worrying since he knew exactly when she was planning to arrive), and welcomed her with a rich cup of coffee. She could have kissed him.
By the time Pepper reached the tower her phone had not rung once and when she walked through the doors she was greeted by security and an assistant. It was almost normal, normal being relative to how a business trip at any other company might function, which was why she knew Tony was up to something.
It just wasn’t clear what that something was.
She sends a quick text to James.
The fact is that she’s so focused on what she’ll say to Tony when she does run into him that she literally runs into a wall.
Well, Thor. But sometimes he’s like a wall.
“Oh!” she catches herself by grabbing onto his arm before she overbalances backwards. He blinks blue eyes down at her in confusion and Pepper has enough time to become genuinely concerned before he responds with a quiet, “Miss. Potts.” She can barely hear a word which is so unlike him that she is instantly on alert. The mutterings are a mix of “trickery” and “gone” and “didn’t work” and the focus of his eyes darting about. He looks lost.
“Thor? Are you alright?”
“I-” He stops, distracted.
She reaches up to cup his cheek in her hand.
“Go lie down.”
“No, I-”
“Thor.” He looks at his feet. “You need to take a break, something is wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Do you need to get out of the tower? Maybe go see Jane?” He perks up a bit.
“I will go see Jane, yes, that sounds-” he stops abruptly, looking absolutely stricken. For a moment Pepper is thrown, and then she calls Happy. And the Pilot. In ten minutes Thor is being driven to a private jet and en route to Jane. Pepper didn’t want him trying to fly himself in the emotional state he was in.
She is watching him walk out to the car when her assistant calls to her. Pepper hesitates by the doors of the elevator, lets out a heavy breath, and then heads to her office.
Chapter 8