World's Growing Criminal Mind

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"I haven’t gotten a Christmas tree since you know, it doesn’t feel right too." She paused staring out the windows over looking the city and looking across the great scenery. "You were lucky you know. I’d give anything for that type of love." 

Honestly, he'd forgotten if Harry knew that his whole family was gone now or not. Sometimes he forgot himself. Mom, Jo......god, Jo....

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"You would have made a great da’ you and well you know." She smiled at him and rocked her legs back and forth from her perch. "Well you never know I still think you’d be fab at it." 

You had to excuse him, really. For some reason he always thought of him more around the holidays anyway....

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"Not holding your finger, the babbling. She doesn’t make a sound ninety percent of the time, but for me, Chey, Sebastian she’s always talking," she said softly. "I could have used you when she was born, your strength, your pragmatism. I really needed that." She looked at James. "I’m sorry if you feel like I’m over stepping. 

"I thought about having kids once." In other words, they had. "But that was before......everything." He shook his head, letting the kid grab his finger again. "Wouldn't be able to do it now." 

Charles simply tilted his head a little, eye squint, copying Jim slightly. “You’re not very good at hiding your tracks are you?” He said this while wiping his moustache specifically with his first finger. He needed to shave it off, he hated it. The first agent that Jim spotted left the premises. Signal one completed.

He snorted slightly. "You guys can't be very efficient if you're just now discovering this trail. It's been years." Really, couldn't find anything more recent? Good, because they probably wouldn't. He'd gotten a lot better at evidence disposal these long years....

Charles looked back at Jim, then to the bartender. “Make that another two please.”

Oh come on. They should at least know about Carl. Newspapers had been all over that one....

"If British Intelligence has nothing on me, I'd rather it stay that way, thanks." He answered simply, still not up for much of a conversation. Relaxing the place? Really? When you've just coerced one of the most dangerous criminals in London into a bar with limited exits? Dream on, Charles, dream on. 

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"I know you’re an old man now with no reason to smile, but Laurel really loves you and sees no fault in you at all." She said smiling as she picked up the yawning baby and placed her in his hands. "See she likes you," Laurel had stared up at James for a moment before starting to babble and pull on his finger. Looking up at him her eyes were huge and innocent. Wisps of blonde curls wound around her forehead and down her neck. 

The sudden baby in his lap threw him off, and he barely had time to raise his arms to receive her. But then he was just frowning and blinking down at the child, unsure what....to do with her. So he sort of just let her take his finger hostage for the time being, chewing lightly on his lip. "Don't know if...stealing my finger is a sign of devotion, Harry." He mumbled. ".....She certainly has your hair." 

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"You didn’t always look like shite at the holidays James. I remember when you even smiled for them." She sighed and walked over and  wrapped him in her arms. "I always worry about you James." 

"In any case, I'll be fine. You don't need to worry. I'll be walking again with....therapy. Just have to relearn the steps, since my stupid brain thought it'd be a good idea to forget it." He glanced towards the baby carrier then, looking at it out of the corner of his eye. "How's the kid." 

Immediately put it back in his poocket. By now they had reached the doors of the pub. He looked through the window and spotted his two agents. Nice, good positions too. Opening the door for Jim: “After you. First round is on me, just like I said.” He smiles, raising one eyebrow and holding the tip of his hat with the other hand, bowing slightly as a mark of respect. Again. He hated having to do it for a stranger he already probably hated.

"And how many rounds were you intending on having?" He said coolly. How many until they bagged him and took him away? 

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"You shouldn’t have to though. I’m not here because I’m obligated James I’m here because I love you," she brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes. Looking up at him she gave a watery laughed and then frowned. "Why didn’t you tell me this last time you were over, why didn’t you call me to be there. I would have gone to the surgery with you, you didn’t have to do this alone." At the comment of disturbing her she started to cry harder. He thought he would have been a bother. "James you are my little brother. I love you and you could never be a bother to me, why would you ever think that?! What man did you have handling things, I want to talk to him right now." She wasn’t shouting, hell she was barely talking, but her tone traveled. She was worried and needed to know what this mystery person had been doing, if James looked this awful. 

"I don't know why you're so upset anyway. I always look like shit around the holidays. You know that." 

Time for step three. He looks round behind him, then back to Jim. “So, what do you really do for a living? I’m intrigued.” A split second later. a huge explosion sound filled the air. That car? Bye bye. “Sorry about your car.” He smiles to himself. Step three done.

The unnecessary explosion was a surprise. This was...this was the third time his car had been blown up for no reason. "There was a perfectly able-bodied person in that, you idiot." He growled, then refused to answer the man's prior question. If the guy knew who he was, he should know what he did for a living. No one else did it, after all. It wasn't that hard. 

You’re always welcome over I’ll be alone with the baby. I have a little one who’d love to see her famed Uncle Jim. Call if you need anything, I’ll always have your back. xo H

"Why didn’t you call," she tone was soft almost silent. She dropped to her knees at his feet and looked at him the mask breaking to one of complete ruin. She’d been so focused on Laurel she’d forgotten that people actually needed her other than the baby. "I would have helped, come over and done something. Why didn’t you call?" Her voice didn’t get any louder if anything the end of her sentence was almost unintelligible. She just looked at him trying hard not to cry as she thought of how she’d failed her little brother, yet again.  

"You had your family to worry about, Harry. I've been...handling this." Yes...this. He could barely walk with this. He turned the chair fully, shutting his laptop and sighing. "Besides, I.....had a man on things already. Didn't need to disturb you if I had things covered." He put a hand on the desk surface and cleared his throat, tapping his fingers a bit, watching them move as his mouth twitched again. "Turns out that surgeries are fickle things..." 

// This is literally the most depressing thing I’ve seen in my life.