behisgirlfriday | (no subject)

[ Pepper is no stranger to starting over. When she was with Tony, she did it a half-dozen times. It feels like more-- a thousand times, half of them in her nightmares-- but she knows for sure that she has watched her life fall apart and has been forced to put the pieces back together. If there is one thing that she is sure of, one thing that she has a bitter sort of pride in, it's her own ability to keep going.

So when she falls in semi-familiar territory, the transition is almost too easy. Gotham might not exist in her world, but she knows Jersey. This is home. Almost. Close enough. Close enough that she's determined to make it work. Pride-- and a little fear; always a lingering touch of terror when it comes to being forgotten-- keeps her from going straight to Wayne Industries. ]

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From:

a_dark_knight

[ Bruce quickly pulls the knot of his necktie up along the finely pressed collar of his shirt-- something that his butler, Alfred, will almost assuredly adjust with dissatisfaction. He's late for a charity something or another; regardless, something that doesn't need his voice so much as it just needs his face. Either way, billionaires like Bruce Wayne are expected to be fashionably late, and so his tardiness will almost certainly be smiled upon.

He stops himself in the mirror with the knot pinched firmly between his thumb and forefinger, and he catches himself thinking for a moment about how she would have adjusted it for him. The thoughts snowball, and he remembers with his own dissatisfaction how he had meticulously poured over every variable to find her, to find that world, only to come up with nothing in the end. He would do the same thing again this evening though, just like he had done the night before, and the night before that. If there's something he'll never accept, it's an unanswered question. An itch that he has to scratch.

The knock on the door behind him breaks him from his thoughts and brings him back to attention. With a turn, he heads for the door, tugging the knot of his tie snugly along his neckline. ]

Edited Date: 2013-10-06 07:43 am (UTC)

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ It's not the job that she wants, and it certainly isn't the job that she deserves, but the job at the shoe store is the only fruit that Pepper's threadbare resume ended up giving. Only a week in, and she's already plotting exactly how she's going to climb up the corporate ladder. The obvious, yet inexplicable hole in her work history is what did her in. For the last several years, she has been working for Bruce Wayne, but she doesn't know the numbers, much less the extensions, to get her the recommendation that she needs and deserves. She hasn't worked for minimum wage since she was a teenager, but the economy is tough and her work history rests in an alternate dimension.

The night out is a gift to herself. She thinks about going to the movies, and thinks that maybe she'll even enjoy it. Predictably, the theater that she only caught glimpses of on her bus route is bordered up and long-forgotten. She sighs heavily. ]

From:

a_dark_knight

[ And while her day is still full of new and unwelcomed surprises, his is full of tedious routine. He shakes hands and flashes smiles and plays the part of a true figurehead, though meticulously controlling every aspect of his company behind closed doors. And though the day is winding down, he keeps his collar buttoned and his tie tightened, lest the hint of old scars peek out from behind his neckline.

He loses himself in the silence of the limousine, unaccustomed to how quiet it is. He's still used to her incessant prattling next to him, something he would certainly never admit to missing out loud. Before he realizes it, he finds himself in Old Gotham. The worn architecture of the buildings he grew up around rouses him from his deep thought. ]

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ It's difficult to plan ahead and iron each and every wrinkle out of an itinerary without the use of a phone or computer. Pepper is saving up for both, but in the meantime, she's marooned on an island void of technology. That's why she doesn't realize that the theater she'd seen from the bus was closed. She's not sure what annoys her more-- the waste of time, or the loss of what might have been a nice evening. She sighs, telling herself that it's better this way. She didn't really have the money to waste on a non-matinee movie anyway. Practicality always makes her feel better. ]

From:

a_dark_knight

[ There's a certain tightness that settles in him every time he passes this neighborhood, unbeknownst to him or not. It's not the movie theater that catches his attention this time though, but the flash of red hair just in his periphery. He doesn't take his eyes away, but reaches a hand forward to gesture to the driver. ]

Pull over.

[ The car rolls to a stop, and he considers things very seriously for a moment before opening the door. ]

Excuse me, miss?

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ She'd had a whole library of mental scenarios catalogued for her inevitable run-in with Bruce Wayne. The first thing she'd done when she'd woken up in Gotham was to make sure it was his Gotham, fully-equipped with playboy philanthropist and grim Bat. Pepper had promised herself that she'd establish herself before she found an excuse to cross paths with him.

But she knows his taste well enough to recognize the sleek dark car before it comes to a complete stop. She's familiar enough with his voice to not have to see him to know who he is. What she doesn't know is whether this is an exercise in his usual worry for young women walking alone in bad neighborhoods, or if he recognizes her. Lips pursed, she starts walking. She's not ready for this particular brand of disappointment. Not yet. ]

Before you ask: yes, I'm fine. Thank you very much, Mr. Wayne.

From:

a_dark_knight

[ There's a sound of a gunshot in the distance, or maybe the sound of a bad car exhaust going off-- at this distance, it's anybody's guess. He does instinctively look towards the direction of the sound. ]

Not as fine as you might think. This isn't a neighborhood for leisurely strolls.

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ Her mouth cinches tightly, holding back the irritated retort she wants to fire off. His concern is genuine, and she's only mad at herself. She reminds herself of this, refusing to flinch at the maybe-gunshot. ]

I'm very aware of that, thank you.

From:

a_dark_knight

[ He decides to test the water a little. This could be a coincidence, for as little as he believes in coincidences. ]

Let me at least offer you a ride, miss...?

Edited Date: 2013-10-06 09:36 pm (UTC)

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ The fact that he has to ask is proof enough. She exhales hard, trying to breathe through the little stab between her ribs. ]

Potts. Pepper Potts.

From:

a_dark_knight

[ His brow sets low and he approaches her briskly. His voice is very distinctly two octaves lower. ]

You can tell me how you got here later.

[ He gets back into the car, but leaves the door open. ]

Get in the car, Virginia.

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ Her emotions catapult in the opposite direction so quickly, she feels like she has a mild case of whiplash. She's not sure whether to laugh or tear up, so she does neither. She wobbles a little, her heels suddenly unsteady beneath her, but she makes it to the car with most of her dignity intact. ]

So you do remember me.

From:

a_dark_knight

[ He doesn't respond to her, but instead signals the driver to start driving and put up the window to afford the two of them so privacy. It'll be fun to field the inevitable rumors as to the strange woman he picked up on the sidewalk late in the evening in the bad part of town. ]

I'm more interested in what you remember.

From:

behisgirlfriday

I remember building a business with you. Not in my world, and not in yours, but that other one. I remember thinking that I'd forget it whenever my time ran out and I went back home, and I... [ Pepper pauses, tucking a hank of her hair behind her ear. She needs these to be the right words, so she's careful. She takes her time. ] ...for a while, I did. But it came back in bits and pieces-- things that reminded me of memories that'd gotten lost in the shuffle. Then I went out on a coffee run a few months back, and I ended up here. In Gotham.

From:

a_dark_knight

[ He takes a pause before continuing, inspecting her answers between pauses. ]

How long have you been here for?

From:

behisgirlfriday

[ She knows better than to lie, even though it sounds convenient. This isn't a can of worms that she's looking forward to opening. Again, she sighs. ]

Two months. Maybe closer to three-ish.

From:

a_dark_knight

[ He just. Stares at her. ]

From:

behisgirlfriday

If this is how it's going to be, you can stop the car. I didn't expect a hug, but I'd hoped you...

[ She doesn't finish the sentence. Pepper crosses her arms over her chest, glaring out the window. ]

From:

a_dark_knight

Hoped I'd what? There are things to consider here, Virginia, as thrilled as I am to see you.

[ He looks... thrilled. ]

From:

behisgirlfriday

Oh, I know. Me being here means some cosmic balance is mucked up or whatever, and god knows you're the only one capable of figuring it out and fixing it so I can go back where I belong.

[ She scowls out the window, not even wanting to look at him. Now, she's not sure what she'd been hoping for. ]