c. everhart: vanity fair

     christine’s main reason behind saying such a thing is that the public doesn’t want to hear that tony is stepping back . . . that iron man is taking a break , for lack of a better phrase . they will be afraid ; they will feel abandoned . granted , it is not on tony to comfort everyone , but the blonde wants him to realize that every action has a consequence , even if said action is put forth with the best intentions . she sighs , lips pursed ever so slightly at his initial response to her . christine doesn’t mean to be cruel or insensitive , but sometimes those words ( and others like them ) come along with being realistic .     “ i think . . . that if the public knows you aren’t giving up on them or leaving them to fend for themselves , ”     though that isn’t what tony is doing , period , that is how others will see it .     “ i think this could work in our favor . but understand this , tony , the public does not want to hear what you’re going to say . they will feel betrayed , in a way , even if you’re still around . they will be selfish , and you will pay for that . ”     being in the media for so long , dealing with the good and bad in people on a daily basis , christine perhaps knows better than anyone else all that will come of this interview .

     “ depends -- are you saying this as a friend , or are you threatening me ? ”     christine isn’t the type to make trouble with anyone , especially someone with abilities far beyond her own , but she also won’t allow someone to intimidate her without a fair reason . she’s more than willing to back down from something , but again , she needs a reason .

     all understandable answers , truly , and all she saw coming .     “ what phone do you have , if you don’t mind me asking ? ”     her head tilts , the question genuine .     “ computers are definitely a gift . not sure what i’d do if i didn’t have a laptop to carry around with me for all the stories i have to keep up with . ”

     she can’t help but to smile just a little bit now , a single brow lifting as christine then nods .     “ it does indeed , miss potts . when are you wanting us to have this meeting ? and would you prefer i provide you with the questions i plan to ask before the interview ? ”     she doesn’t wish to catch tony or pepper off guard with anything she might ask .

     perhaps she’s gotten ahead of herself , her timing ill in requesting this meeting . maybe she can even get to know star - lord as a person instead of as an assignment . . . it might help them both in the long run .     “ i’d be willing -- promise we’ll make it happen ? ”     read : promise they’ll all come back ? christine may not be overly close to those that they’ve lost , but with the superheroes of this world and others gone , a new level of fear has settled over earth . it is not a comfortable feeling , and for once she is afraid for the universe’s future .

     she’s getting somewhere ; christine is quite skilled at pushing the right buttons .     “ then let’s speak in theoreticals , shall we ? say it were happy hogan , could you confirm that he’s okay ? how are things looking for him ? again , theoretically speaking . ”

     her purpose is to make peter trust her , but not for any personal or cruel gain for herself and the network she represents . no , even christine everhart has her limits and lines that she will not cross . peter parker is , in the eyes of the law , a child ; j . jonah has made a move he’ll come to regret , and she’ll make sure of it .     “ i can only imagine . ”     the blonde tries to comfort , gaze falling to her hands in her lap as a question is posed . sighing , she looks back up at peter .     “ the only reason i’m here right now , speaking with you , is because i called tony first . i knew he had to know something about this whole shit storm , if you will , and i wasn’t wrong . if it makes you feel any better , tony actually wanted me to talk to you , assuming you were fine with it as well . ”

i’ve got stuff in the queue finally! caught up on a handful of replies... might find some random posts for the queue too. ily <3

     “ you know me ; i’ve got balls when it matters most . ”     she’ll chuckle , shrugging as if it’s nothing . in truth , to christine , it is nothing .     “ what can i do for you , tony ? we both know this isn’t just a friendly meeting ; i’m not sure if you and i are capable of having just a friendly meeting . ”     while they both may have moved on from their past , they’ve also never gathered together as anything more than colleagues .